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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

155 replies

User70 · 17/03/2019 11:30

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.

OP posts:
Gwenhwyfar · 17/03/2019 13:30

"Except they have no way of knowing if the patient is telling the truth."

This is true of anything a patient might say. Why presume they're lying?

Travellinghappy · 17/03/2019 13:32

Women may say that they don’t want a partner/parent to leave the room. That’s a choice they are entitled to make but it may be for all sorts of reasons. They may say they haven’t had sex when they have. Just because one person thinks they wouldn’t lie doesn’t mean others won’t.

Chickenvindasaag · 17/03/2019 13:52

We have to. Doesn't matter if you insist until you're blue in the face. You can still sue us for any problems or perceived problems with the pregnancy even if you've denied it. No pregnancy test = no operation

GabrielleNelson · 17/03/2019 13:57

When you are interacting with HCPs who are complete strangers, you can't expect them to know that you are a truthful person and accept everything you say uncritically. You have to accept that they have devised their standard procedures based on extensive experience of dealing with thousands of patients. The fact that it means you have to be asked about things you are sure are irrelevant is just too bad. Answer the questions they think they need to ask, let them get on with doing their job. Not really a big deal, is it?

titchy · 17/03/2019 13:57

Why presume they're lying?

Because there can be devastating consequences on a third party ie the unborn child. And it's not difficult, expensive or invasive.

SD1978 · 17/03/2019 13:59

You'd be surprised. We do a urine test on all women between the age of 12-55, and have picked up many unknown pregnancies. Not everyone stops bleeding, some people haven't quite put 2&2 together yet, and some women reckon contraception is 100% effective when it really isn't. Standard question if further imaging is required. We had someone say no, and the CT scan proved otherwise, which led to a very big policy change to protect featal health.

Heatherjayne1972 · 17/03/2019 14:02

It’s a redundant question for some of us
My last period was in 2016. Because I have been sterilised and had a uterine ablation it’s very very unlikely I’d be pregnant
But they still insist on testing
I wonder if they ask lesbians or nuns?

Mintychoc1 · 17/03/2019 14:05

heatherjane sterilisations aren’t 100%. And the endometrium can grow back after ablation. Chances of pregnancy are tiny, but not impossible.

soulrider · 17/03/2019 14:10

It would be much less ambiguous if they asked if you had a womb and ovaries and had had sex with a man in the past 9 months. Because whilst things like contraception and bleeding make pregnancy less likely often there's still a possibility even if highly unlikely.

Underhisi · 17/03/2019 14:10

I've always agreed the tests straightawsy rather than go through the reason why I could not be pregnant. (100% impossible for us without fertility treatment).

IthinkIsawahairbrushbackthere · 17/03/2019 14:31

I was in hospital for a scheduled operation. I had no idea I was pregnant until they asked for the date of my last period. I wasn't certain so they did a pregnancy test. What a shock!

Gynaegirl · 17/03/2019 14:35

A patient told me that she hadn't had sex for over three months, she was in fact five weeks pregnant at the time.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 17/03/2019 14:40

I took my 15 year old dad to the doctors, as despite being physically developed she hadn’t had a period - she wanted me to be there for the consultation. I told her that she would be asked if she was/could be pregnant (cue lots of ‘muuuum’) and that I might be asked to leave so that they could talk to her privately. I was absolutely gobsmacked that the possibility of pregnancy wasn’t even raised.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 17/03/2019 14:41

And obviously that’s 15 year old dd not dad Confused

PengAly · 17/03/2019 14:53

Ah good ole' mumsnet- are we now getting offended for doctors doing their jobs? Hmm much better for them to be over cautious then not at all. Sadly there are a lot of clueless people who dont tell the truth out there

JaneTheVirgin · 17/03/2019 15:28

In the last 5 months of working a new medical job, I have had 7 women who have told me, in no uncertain terms, that there is no chance of being pregnant. Reasons include not having sex in the last few months, husband having a vasectomy, using BC, gyn surgeries. All of those women tested positive on the pregnancy test they swore they did not need.

That's why we ask, and why we test even if you tell us there's 'no chance'.

Travellinghappy · 17/03/2019 15:34

They do ask lesbians and certainly should ask nuns. A habit is a dress, not a guarantee of celibacy.

Rubicsboob · 17/03/2019 15:36

I wonder if they ask lesbians or nuns?

Confused Why wouldn't they ask lesbians? Plenty of lesbian women conceive babies. And I'm pretty sure there are nuns who "sin" or are sexually assaulted.

Gronky · 17/03/2019 15:42

It sounds like a wonderfully diplomatic way to phrase the question to me.

SauvignonBlanche · 17/03/2019 15:45

I wonder if they ask lesbians or nuns
Of course we do!

NorthEndGal · 17/03/2019 15:48

DH had the snip at 22 , right after dc 2
I had an ablation in 2013, no period since
I still get asked pretty much every time

Chouetted · 17/03/2019 15:53

They test me every time even though I've never had sex. Ever.

They even had to test me pre-op when I'd not managed to make it out of the hospital since the last time they tested me... they were very apologetic about that though, and a bit embarrassed.

iolaus · 17/03/2019 15:57

Last time I ended up in A&E I was asked if there was any chance I could be pregnant, I said I wasn't - they asked if they could still do a test, fine by me

Though I think they left it late with my last op, the anaesthetist asked just before giving me the GA - no one asked previously (luckily when I responded with the fact my period started about an hour prior to me being wheeled down they were happy to do it

iolaus · 17/03/2019 15:59

I remember them asking me if my 15 year old could be pregnant before she had a xray on her hand, I just asked her in front of them - seriously don't ask me ask the person who may potentially be pregnant

NicoAndTheNiners · 17/03/2019 16:00

I had an mri recently and on the mri report afterwards I noticed it said "date of LMP -unknown". "Pregnant- unsure".

Nobody asked me anything!