Can I ask an embarrassing question about the 'Is there any chance you could be pregnant' question?

[roujelips]

I've never had sex so my answer has always very truthfully been no, but how are you supposed to answer? If you are on the pill or using condoms, there is still a chance you could be pregnant, so does that mean just answering yes if you've had sex since your last period?

I am slightly mortified that I am asking but I couldn't ask anyone IRL!

I always answered no because DH was infertile.

@ZealAndArdour

I’m a HCP and often have to ask this question.

I usually start by asking about the patients LMP. Then I’ll ask if there’s any chance of pregnancy, and then based on the persons answer I’ll adjust my next question.

If it’s a flat “no”, then I’ll say “has there been any unprotected sexual intercourse?”.

The patients answers inform my questions and my assessment of the risk.

Sometimes people will say “Yes, there has been UPSI, but I don’t think I’m pregnant” and we’ll explore that further. As of course there is a pregnancy risk, and unless they’ve had a negative Urine HCG since the first day of missed period then they could definitely be pregnant.

Sometimes they say “No, I’m on the depo/implant/coil” and I’d usually take that as a reliable “not pregnant”. But if they happen to be calling about a unilateral abdominal pain and PV bleeding (without signs or symptoms indicating another differential diagnosis) then we’d probably need to explore further, as of course people can very rarely still get pregnant on these forms of contraception, and particularly on the coil the risk of ectopic is increased.

Basically, what I’m saying is it depends on the individual circumstances and the answers the patient provides. But it’s safest to assume that anyone between the ages of 12 and 55 is pregnant until proven otherwise, if there is any uncertainty about LMP/Contraception/UPSI.

It's making me chuckle way more than it should that unprotected sex is abbreviated to "UPSI" !

Zeal do you come across many patients that don't have regular periods? I barely have one or two a year being on the mini pill.

The last time I was asked this at a gynae appointment I said no as my husband has had the snip, to which the Nurse replied " well I'll put yes then because you could be having an affair ! ".

Yes, lots of people don’t have regular periods!

In the case of the pill, I’d just double check that the patient was certain that they’d not missed any pills/had any D&V/taken at the same time every day, etc. If confirmation of pregnancy was pertinent to the presenting complaint (e.g. abdo pain, choice of antibiotic, etc) then we’d ask them to do a test just to exclude it fully, regardless.

@HyggeTygge Also, yes, love that abbreviation!

@roujelips I understand it potentially being frustrating. I don't have sex with men, haven't had sex with anyone at all for seven years. I use a LARC implant to manage another health condition and I'm forced to do a pregnancy test before it's changed every couple of years. So basically medical professionals think I'm either lying or that a bloke is breaking in my house and impregnating me in my sleep without me noticing.

I always answer no as the chances of me being are like a million to one (removed Fallopian tubes due to ectopic pregnancies).

I have had gentle push back in the past as I do have kids and don't use contraception so if when those have been questions first I have had a bit of 'are you sure'. It that tends to be around medication/medical exam like mris where they have to be sure.

I was asked this before my Pfizer jab and said "I took a pregnancy text this morning which was negative, but there's a small technical possibility I could be pregnant" (which there was, I was around five days before my period).

If I'm asked that question and I know I haven't had sex since my last period, and it was a normal period, I'll say no.

When I was asked that when I was exclusively lesbian, I would just say no, and if asked if I was sure (which I sometimes was, eg. for cervical smear tests), I'd just say "My partner is female and I haven't had sex with a man".

You don't need to be embarrassed, there are plenty of people who don't or haven't had sex, or haven't had sex with men!

i laughed and said no, i have 15 month old twins! he said fair enough.

yes we have sex and i have irregular periods and the pill isn't 100% but i still wouldn't answer yes unless i knew there was a definite risk i.e. i knew id messed up the pill.

*test not text. Wish pregnancy tests were as easy as getting a text

I would normally say something like 'yes technically, but no.'

My answer is somewhat influenced by the fact that on one memorable occasion, I found I was pregnant at a medical appointment despite a coil I situ (confirmed still there, and right where it was supposed to be) and not having missed a period. I still don't know how TF that happened. So I leave it to the medical staff to decide if they need me to take a test.

Thank you again :)

As someone who's autistic and works with autistic people, this has actually been a big problem for some of us. We prefer very honest and clear language so for many of us the answer to that question is 'yes' but then I know of people who have been denied medical treatment off the back of answering that even though they had e.g. only had sex once while using contraception (but there is still a chance at that point!).

@BuffySummersReportingforSanity

Which is a very, very good shout because these things do happen from time to time!

I think about 4 times in the last 3 years (in my current role) I’ve had the pleasure of telling patients they are actually pregnant when they swore blind they wouldn’t be, but agreed to a test to put our minds at rest.

It does happen, but the clues are usually there in the history if you ask the right questions. Obviously in your case there wouldn’t have been any though!

I am more wary of saying yes after a fiasco with the GP where instead of getting appropriate healthcare treatment for my kidney infection I got a 15 minute lecture on contraception, which I was using 🙄

I actually do find it hard because obviously if I've had sex with a man in the last 9 months there's a small chance. But if we used contraception and I've had a period its fairly minimal, I always think it needs to be more specific.

You don't need to feel embarrassed saying no. Lots of people are single and lots of people aren't currently sexually active. Plus it doesn't really say anything about whether your sexually active. You could be on your period, you could be a lesbian etc. Theres lots of reasons to say no

When I was in A&E I was asked this (I am in the same boat as you) and said no and they tested my urine anyway. I presumed it was just standard for A&E but I don’t know.

The question becomes much less awkward once you’ve been through the menopause and are over 60. I usually laugh and say ‘that really would be a miracle at my age!’

@Babyroobs

The last time I was asked this at a gynae appointment I said no as my husband has had the snip, to which the Nurse replied " well I'll put yes then because you could be having an affair ! ".

Good grief! How did you react to that?

It's daft and very probably just me, but it's not so much answering no, it's that I'm still answering no at my age. God I'd LOVE to be able to say yes

Like what if it was a man with a vasectomy, you had the coil and you used condoms. Is there a chance? Technically yes but very very minimal.

I guess its still safer to say yes.

Lol @ZealAndArdour those random pregnancy tests you sometimes get at the GP/hospital just to make sure always give me so much anxiety. Even if I'm pretty sure I'm not pregnant I think god how do I react if it turns out I am! then I convince myself I'm actually 6 months pregnant and have failed to notice

I just say no, which is usually accepted. If they do press I say I’m gay, there is usually an awkward laugh and they move on. Nothing to worry about 😊

@BuffySummersReportingforSanity

What has being married got to do with it?!

In the context discussed, it obviously means "I have regular sex with a man". "I have a partner" would do the same job, if you have a steady male partner you are not married to.

It doesn't mean either of those things! Honestly if I asked a female patient that and she answered about marriage I'd have to probe. I mean she could be in a sexless or low sex marriage, married to a woman, with someone infertile, etc etc. It's going nothing to do with pro creating sex.

I went for an MRI and had to fill in a form which asked the date of my last period. That was a few months prior, but I added and underlined “NOT pregnant.”

The explanation for my non-period was that I was peri-menopausal. But I knew I couldn’t be pregnant because…. no sex.