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A man in the Chinese province of Henan has sued his girlfriend after she put him through an intense childbirth simulation that lasted three hours and left him in agony that required emergency medical surgery, a report in South China Morning Post has claimed. The man has since lost a section of his small intestine.
The woman took the man to a labour pain simulation centre as a "test" before their marriage after the family suggested they try the experience. While the boyfriend initially rejected the idea, he eventually caved in and decided to go through with the challenge.
Notably, the experience involved the use of electric currents to stimulate the skin and muscles which mimicked the pain of uterine contractions during labour. During the session, the girlfriend gradually increased the intensity for the first 90 minutes but by level 8, the man was "shouting and struggling".
"My boyfriend started screaming and struggling at level 8, swearing and crying at level 10, and by the end, he was gasping for air. My sister and I kept wiping his sweat," the woman wrote on social media.
A week later, the man was hospitalised with abdominal pain that had worsened steadily. During the checkup, the doctors diagnosed that a part of his small intestine had been irrevocably damaged.
The man's mother warned the woman to not visit him in the hospital, saying the engagement stood cancelled.
"I was told my boyfriend had part of his small intestine removed. I am willing to take full responsibility as long as he recovers," the girlfriend said.
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Social media reacts
As the news of the man's ordeal went viral, social media users reacted angrily and called out the woman and her family for endangering the life of the guy.
"Typical labour pain lasts at most 10 minutes. This girlfriend and her family seem crazy," said one user, while another added: "A childbirth is infinitely more complicated. No amount of simulation can replicate that."
A third commented: "This woman's actions should have legal consequences."
As per Chinese law, anyone who causes injury to another person must compensate for medical, nursing, transportation, nutrition and other rehabilitation costs.
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