A mother who died mysteriously while eight months pregnant may have lost her life to a heart condition so rare that no test can yet detect it.
Amy Wilson, 31, and her unborn son, Harry, both died after the expectant mum collapsed at a coffee morning in Laurencekirk last month.
A joint funeral has now been held for mother and son, although mystery still surrounds the reason for her death.
Her fiance, Peter Reid, met Jenny McNicol, head of midwifery at NHS Grampian, on Friday to discuss the tragic case.
An investigation has been under way at the health board, given that Ms Wilson had spent time in the maternity unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after becoming unwell.
She had been released from hospital 10 days before she died.
Mr Reid, who is now caring for the couple’s two young daughters, said: “I was told they are struggling to find the cause of death. She was looked after as well as she could have been and had the care she needed while in hospital.
“Not only do I want to know what happened but the doctors also want to know. It could be that Amy had one of these rare heart conditions that they don’t know of yet and may not be tested for another 10 years.”
Mr Reid said further tests were ongoing in an attempt to establish what happened to his partner.
He has been told that medics do not believe the pregnancy was responsible for the loss of life and that all the standard heart tests had come back normal.
Mr Reid, of Garvock Road, Laurencekirk, who works for Bibby Offshore at Westhill, said: “I don’t mind if I find out one week down the line, two weeks down the line, but the truth is I may never know.
“The doctors are struggling and I dare say I am going to struggle if I don’t get the answers that I need.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “Senior staff from Aberdeen Maternity Hospital met with Mr Reid. Our duty to maintain patient confidentiality means we cannot comment further.”