To wonder why they ask for last period date in A&e

[User70]

I've recently been to A&e when I was being triaged the doctor asked when my last period was. I would have thought if you thought you were pregnant you would inform them.

[TheoriginalLEM]

But you might not know!

[MyDcAreMarvel]

It’s in case you don’t know you are pregnant, if you aren’t trying then women may not notice they are late.

[DonnatellaLyman]

In some hospitals when you order an x Ray for a woman of childbearing age you have to put last period date or pregnancy test result

[BlueMerchant]

They made me do a test before an x-ray even though I told them there was no chance I could be pregnant. What a waste of time and resources! I wasn't happy.

[PlainSpeakingStraightTalking]

I have never been asked this, ever.

[Louiselouie0890]

Surely it's more than just being pregnant. Besides the fact you can't be given certain meds etc if you are pregnant. Maybe if someone replies with such a such date but also a week later or not regular etc. It could be a symptom of whatever they are in for.

[WhiskersPete]

Errrr obviously to figure out if you could be pregnant? Is that not fairly obvious? Many women don’t know they’re pregnant until a good few weeks in.

[YouWinAgain]

It's because they also need to know about contraception as well. I have an implant, but always forget about it until they ask about my periods because I forget it's there.

[MrsJayy]

Its just incase really I think it is a standard question for a women of child bearing age in a hospital. It was how i found out I was pregnant with Dc2 I hadn't realised

[SauvignonBlanche]

There have been several cases where women have answered ‘No’ (to the best of their knowledge) when asked if they were pregnant and it’s later found out after the operation or X-ray that they were.

Asking date of LMP allows for further questioning and the offering of a pregnancy test.

[SauvignonBlanche]

We have to ask women between 12-55, luckily I don’t come across the under 16s, the over 50s usually just laugh at me.

[ShowOfHands]

DD had an op in Birmingham and they tested to see if she was pregnant. She was 10.

I have been that woman who answered "no" to pregnancy in an out of hours clinic. I was wrong. Of course you don't always know.

[HerculesMulligan]

I went to A&E in January with awful abdominal pain (gallstones), having done a pregnancy test three days before and got a negative result. They asked for LMP, I said I was late but the test was negative. They did a blood test, which is apparently more accurate, and it came back positive, and now I'm 13 weeks pregnant.

[cantbebotheredtoday]

I had to undergo surgery recently for a broken ankle and they told me since they used X-rays during the operation they could not perform the operation unless I took a pregnancy test.

I had been fasting all day, not even had water and they gave me a bowl to pee in to, I tried and tried but I could not squeeze out a drop. I told them there was no way I was pregnant, that I hadn't had sex and it was as if they thought I was lying. They were genuinely thinking of cancelling the surgery, this all the while is whilst I'm in pre surgery room. The surgeon then came to see me and asked me again when my last period was and if I was pregnant, by this point I was fed up, I looked him dead in the eye, and said very firmly, "I am telling you, there is no chance I am pregnant, it would be impossible." He just finally said okay we'll go ahead with the surgery.

Was ridiculous, why would I lie about being pregnant!? Also they had blood samples and urine samples the previous night when I had arrived at the hospital so no idea why they didn't test them.

[HerculesMulligan]

Sorry, I posted that too soon. They can't give pregnant women the same painkillers they would give other people, so I'm relieved that they checked and didn't take my word for it.

[SileneOliveira]

I had to do a pregnancy test before my hysterectomy even though I had a Mirena fitted and DH had had a vasectomy.

Unsurprisingly, it was negative. But I understand why they checked.

[recklessgran]

It's mainly because of potential X-Ray investigations, ditto giving you medication.

[MrsJayy]

I used tobe asked at the dentist if i was having an xray

[soulrider]

I don't recall if I was asked about period dates but i do remember them making a big song and dance about getting my permission to do a pregnancy test, i was on too much morphine to really care. But I did wonder why they needed permission to test the blood they'd already taken for pregnancy and not for anything else.

[myhamsteratefreddiestarr]

My dentist asks me and the hospital always asks me if I have an xray.

Surely it's just common sense. Some women might not realise that an xray or drugs might harm the baby, so the hospital has to ask.

[kateluvscats]

I'm a nurse and I have been lied to on more than one occasion by a patient about being pregnant. Both times this was before the patient was due to go into surgery. Much better to do a quick non invasive pregnancy test each time to tick the box. By the way, both patients knew they were pregnant but didn't want their surgery cancelled.

[Frogshoe]

I was in the operating theatre being prepared for a complex hip op and the anaesthetist demanded i do a pregnancy test before he proceeded. I had already been tested in the pre op clinic and told them the date of my LMP!

[bridgetreilly]

I would have thought if you thought you were pregnant you would inform them.

You might have thought that, but plenty of people - especially in A&E with a ton of other things on their mind and not thinking straight - would not. It's much better that they check, obviously.

[viques]

cantbebotheredtoday and if they didn't ask someone and follow procedures and that woman was pregnant would that also be "ridiculous". They don't know anything about your home life or your sex life so are unable to judge if it would be "impossible" for you to be pregnant , people lie all the time in hospitals, they lie about relationships, lifestyles, health issues etc etc etc. You getting snotty with them about them following their proper and reasonable procedures was quite unnecessary.

Presumably the urine sample they took previously was for something else, It is unusual these days to be admitted the day before elective surgery , were you admitted via a and e so were not then under the surgical team.

[Petalflowers]

I’ve always done a pregnancy test, even though I knew I wasn’t.