How far am I?

[Nicole1209]

Hi,
My last period was 1st-6th October. I then had black tar like discharge from 27th October -10th November. The doctors told me not to count this as a period as it was my cervix cleaning itself out from the 4 previous miscarriages I have had over the last year. I did a pregnancy test of 21st November - negative. I found out I was pregnant on 1st December. When trying to work out how far I am I am struggling? Do I count my last period from 1st-6th oct as that would make me 9 weeks pregnant but I would've done a negative test at '7 weeks'? Or do I calculate it from the black tar .... which I was told not to do as it didn't count as a period but that would put me at roughly 5 weeks, meaning the negative eat would've shown at around '3 weeks' ???? Help please x

Go and see your GP and they can refer you to EPAU for an internal scan to date accurately as there is a massive difference in those dates.

I am booked in for an internal for next Friday. If I was 9 weeks, wouldn't it have shown a positive result on the test that was done on 21st?

When they scan you they will be able to tell from the size of the baby.

I wasn't the one who did the pregnancy test on 21st that shown 'negative' .... I was at the recurrent miscarriage clinic and asked if I could do one. I did a sample in a pot at around 1pm, I waited in the waiting room for around 15 minutes, the nurse then said she tested it and it was negative. I'm beginning to wonder whether or not my urine was actually tested. It's put a doubt in my mind as the dates don't add up. Either way I would've been atleast 3 weeks pregnant at the time of that test so surely it would've come up.......

Assuming you're counting from your last period, not conception, then you wouldn't get a positive test at three weeks. The thing is - and I think part of the confusion - is that, especially after miscarriages which can throw your cycles out for a while after, you didn't necessarily ovulate two weeks after a period, whether you count the period as the black discharge or the earlier period. You might have ovulated four weeks after your period, making you seven weeks now. I really think there's no way to tell before the scan in your situation, though I agree that if the test was done on the 21st you couldn't have been more than about five weeks pregnant then (presumably you weren't using first morning urine and the standard NHS pregnancy tests aren't the most sensitive, (and HCPs are reluctant to count the squinters that women trying take as positives!) so I think you could have been, say, 4.5 weeks, especially as you didn't see it to check whether there was a very faint line that the nurse was discounting), making you at very most seven weeks now. Since you got a positive test on 1 December, assuming that means you were at least 4 weeks then (what kind of test did you do? You could have been 3.5 weeks if it was a very sensitive one like a FRER) then at minimum you can be 4-5 weeks now. That means an internal next Friday will definitely be able to see something, but not necessarily yet an embryo.

I completely understand and appreciate your response. It's just difficult as I really have no idea how far I am and I suppose it doesn't help that I am now second guessing the test that the doctor supposedly did as I didn't see it. My periods have become more regular within the last few months. I was estimated to ovulate between 12th-19th October. I used pound shop tests but they have always detected every pregnancy I have ever had. I then used 2 clear blue ones to be sure.