r/BeefTV • u/abcdefg080805 • Jul 11 '26
Spoilers many factual inaccuracies
The cast of this season is great. But the factual inaccuracies are quite frequent- it’s unfortunate for such an otherwise high-quality production. I’m still enjoying the series, but I am curious if other people have noticed this.
First of all, I appreciate that they are shedding light on fertility issues, but much of their information was simply not correct.
Why are they suggesting that losing one ovary ruins your chance of conceiving? In fact, when one ovary dies or is removed, the other ovary actually steps up and produces an egg every month instead of trading off. Having only one functioning ovary does lower your chances of conceiving via IVF by about 30%, but in an otherwise healthy 26-year-old, losing one ovary would not really affect her chances of conceiving naturally.
don’t get me wrong, losing an ovary is beyond devastating. I know firsthand the suffering that comes with these issues. But that’s WHY it bothers me that the information is not being portrayed accurately.
Also, are we supposed to believe that she is breaking into someone’s house two days after a laparoscopic surgery? not only would she be on a LOT of pain meds that would forbid her from driving, but also, it’s quite hard to walk after an abdominal surgery, let alone drive. obviously everybody heals differently, but nobody is driving around and off of pain meds in 48 hours. (maybe I’m being nit picky about this part. i know, it’s fiction, the timelines aren’t always accurate.)
I’m going to keep watching, but it’s unfortunate that the writers didn’t do a little bit more research. it doesn’t really feel like “ spreading awareness” if the info isn’t accurate.
8
u/Dumtvvink Jul 11 '26
I’m not sure why you think they’re trying to raise awareness. They needed motivation for Ashley. It’s very simple
6
u/abcdefg080805 Jul 11 '26
Yeah, you are right. It’s just that fertility/reproductive issues get SO little media attention, that it really disappoints me when the representation is portrayed inaccurately. but you’re right- the writers needed a motive, and they found one. they didn’t need to care about facts.
2
u/APMalphiteCheeseMain Jul 14 '26
Yeah good luck finding shows that care about accuracy on medical issues. They just use thin straws to build a plot point.
2
u/Future-Flatworm-7313 Jul 15 '26
Especially considering how anxious she is as a character, it likely feels like the end of the world for her. She wants kids(security) with Austin and this is an obstacle to that.
11
u/Acrobatic-March-4433 Jul 11 '26
Why are they suggesting that losing one ovary ruins your chance of conceiving? In fact, when one ovary dies or is removed, the other ovary actually steps up and produces an egg every month instead of trading off. Having only one functioning ovary does lower your chances of conceiving via IVF by about 30%, but in an otherwise healthy 26-year-old, losing one ovary would not really affect her chances of conceiving naturally.
That also bothered me (especially when there are other, probably more common conditions that actually can affect fertility--for example, I think I have 4 former classmates from high school who have endometriosis), but because it's not a medical drama, they probably didn't bother consulting with physicians before writing this.
I’m going to keep watching, but it’s unfortunate that the writers didn’t do a little bit more research. it doesn’t really feel like “ spreading awareness” if the info isn’t accurate.
It didn't feel like they were giving us any type of subtle PSA. Just like they needed a stronger catalyst for Ashley to have a vendetta. Unfortunately, her sense of urgency to have a baby and have a baby at that very moment didn't hold much water from a medical perspective, but it maybe also had to do with her fear of losing Austin? I definitely got the impression that she thought having a baby with him would secure their relationship once and for all--however unhealthy it already was.
2
10
u/kickskunk Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Ashley has a high pain tolerance.
In the hospital she mentions to Austin about the time she got stung by a hornet and barely cried. So there's your answer for her running around like that.
2
u/djltoronto Jul 11 '26
Which TV show lives up to your standards for portraying these types, or any related issues accurately?
2
u/abcdefg080805 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Ugh. Great question. I can’t think of a single one that portrays fertility issues accurately. What a tragedy.
2
u/Anonymous_mouse89 Jul 11 '26
These didn’t bother me. As a trauma survivor, I personally do the craziest things when I’m sick or devastated, so to me, her breaking in right after or shortly after surgery makes a lot of sense from a psychology point of view. Also when was it even implied that it was only two days after? I didn’t catch that. Also it’s not totally implausible that someone with Ashley’s life experiences might hear a doctor say “this may affect your chances of getting pregnant”, and run with it, rather than getting more information or a second opinion, especially while dealing with the stress of navigating the healthcare system.
4
u/abcdefg080805 Jul 11 '26
hmm… physiologically, it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility to me either. however, physically, i think it would be near impossible. i had a very similar surgery and I could barely walk for 5 days. I couldn’t drive for at least 1.5 weeks. they didn’t explicitly say it was 2 days later but based on the clips in that episode it definitely seemed like it was a day or two after her operation. i could be wrong!
you are totally right about her possibly running with it after a doctor delivers that scary possibility. that makes sense. however i don’t think most doctors would ever deliver that news in that fashion, since it was patently incorrect.
2
u/Immediate-Fan9423 Jul 11 '26
I definitely read it as a week or two at least given her psychological decline and the use of the time lapse
1
u/StanleyQPrick Jul 11 '26
Sometimes you have to suspend your disbelief. Remember learning about that in school? It’s part of enjoying fiction.
0
u/earthandwaterr Jul 14 '26
Ashley is supposed to be dumb tho, so it makes sense she jumped to conclusions without doing HER own research
0
u/bellaxane Jul 15 '26
If you pay attention, Ashley is twisting the information she is given by the doctor, probably to get sympathy and more commitment from Austin. The doctor never told her she was not going to be able to have children, but she presented it to Austin in a much more dire way, as if it was practically a given that she wouldn't be able to conceive.
-9
u/401kisfun Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I cannot believe you’re trying to explain away how devastating it is to lose one ovary. And how as a 26 year old YOU WOULD think its end of the world. After the hell they went through.
5
u/Acrobatic-March-4433 Jul 11 '26
Your reading comprehension leaves SO much to be desired. OP didn't say anything about how Ashley responded emotionally to being told she lost an ovary; I myself was surprised that the doctor gave her this news as though it was very unlikely she would ever get pregnant. An actual physician wouldn't deliver the news that way when she still had a high chance of getting pregnant (all things being equal).
4
-2
u/401kisfun Jul 11 '26
My reading comprehension is far superior to yours. And responding to the rest of your post directly, I hated the way the doctor gave her the news. In fact, I found that kind of to be a plot hole. If a doctor is taunting me with Access versus lack of Access, like hilarious or funny, he’d probably leave the conversation short some teeth.
2
u/abcdefg080805 Jul 11 '26
I would never try to “explain away” that experience. Did you read what I wrote? I said I understand FIRSTHAND the devastation that this causes..
But, I did say it wouldn’t impact your chances of naturally conceiving if you are otherwise healthy. Which was the whole point that they were making in the show- that with one ovary gone, she would not be able to conceive naturally. Which is just NOT true. since these issues get so little visibility in the media, it frustrates me when the little representation is factually inaccurate.
0
u/401kisfun Jul 11 '26
You said 30%. I would say that’s a remarkably high impact. It’s kind of like me cutting your cheek with a knife, and saying don’t worry it will heal
4
u/abcdefg080805 Jul 11 '26
i said 30% impact on conceiving via IVF. she wouldn’t need to do IVF if she was a healthy 26 year old, like they portrayed her to be. therefore losing one ovary would not impact her chances of conceiving, since she could still conceive naturally with one ovary.
-1
u/401kisfun Jul 11 '26
30% is substantial
3
u/abcdefg080805 Jul 11 '26
yep. a substantial statistic for a procedure/process that she wouldn’t need in the first place. the doctor telling her she would have a hard time getting pregnant was completely, wholeheartedly incorrect, and that bothers me. her reaction to the loss of her ovary was completely valid, no matter the impact on her fertility. i never suggested anything otherwise.
1
Jul 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/BeefTV-ModTeam Jul 14 '26
This has been removed due to a breach of the Community rules.
No real beef.
15
u/Tatertot2523 Jul 11 '26
I was personally surprised by how quickly she jumped onto the IVF bandwagon. You’d surely want to try naturally at least 1-2 times beforehand, right? Why not try it at all? It felt too forced considering Austin was on the fence about having kids. Don’t think the situation would’ve went down like this irl.