Can a sonographer detect a previous pregnancy?

[Tamashii]

Ok - this is probably a weird question, but was talking to friend who has just been for her 12 wk scan (at 14 weeks) and the sonographer asked "So this is your 1st pregnancy. Is it?" friend said "yes... as far as I know..." and sonographer said "this is your 1st pregnancy?" again as if 'are you sure?'.

Friend was a bit upset and said she felt the sonographer was quite cold and business like but then friend said she had a very heavy and excrutiatingly painful period that had her on the floor in pain with cramps and her DH had wanted to take her to hospital. The pain had passed within about an hour and then she said it was like a very heavy period but she is now worried it may have been an early MC a few months before she fell PG with her current LO.

Since she didn't go to hospital or do any PG test, it isn't confirmed if it was MC but she is a bit upset and thinking about it a lot now.

I am not going to say anything to her about posting this but was just wondering as it seems pretty insensitive of the sonographer.

TY for any advice on this one...

[SandyBits]

I very much doubt it.
Maybe they just hadn't caught her answer the first time?

[Wallace]

I don't know, but her first answer wasn't very clear so sonographer was probably a bit confused.

[SilveryMoon]

No, I wouldn't think that they'd be able to detect whether there had been previous pregnancies just by looking at a scan.
FWIW, I have always found these people to be slightly stand-offish.
I'm sure it doesn't mean anything at all.

[japhrimel]

I don't think they would've been able to detect a previous early MC, as they don't affect your body like carrying a baby to term would.

It was probably just her vague answer that confused the sonographer.

But FWIW, it does sound like an early MC might have been a possibility - they're actually very common and many women never realise they've had one - just think it's a bit late and heavy period. But it could've also been a burst cyst or something.

[Tamashii]

Thanks for the answers. I didn't think so but I guess what happened to her is really preying on her mind at the moment and she hadn't mentioned it before since she didn't think she was PG at that time.

I just thought I would ask as she was really upset and quite adamant that they must have seen something dodgy which started to make me wonder myself since I am not an expert (or even a novice) in this area.

Thanks again.

[DomesticG0ddess]

Just wanted to add that a painful, heavy period would not necessarily indicate a mc either - when I had mc, it did not start with any cramps at all, and when the cramps did come, they were no worse than normal period pain. I have however been rushed to A&E with pain in the past that the doctor reckoned could have been a burst cyst as there was no other reason. When I went for a private scan at 8 weeks the sonographer asked if it was my 1st pregnancy, when actually it was my 3rd, so they obviously can not tell, and he probably didn't hear her - doesn't sound particularly insensitive to me, maybe just hard of hearing!

[prettysunset]

I'm a Sonographer and you can 100% NOT tell re: previous pregnancies. She was probably a bit of a cold fish and weighted heavily on the medical side of the job vs social- it's a fine balance!! Xx