Applicable only to volunteers who have ever been able to become pregnant

[ImJustMadAboutSaffron]

I am currently completing a form and this is a header to one of the questions. I guess it could include trans men, but it is an odd phrasing.

iirc, transmen wouldn't care to be reminded of that.

And, it is exclusive of women with VSD or have primary infertility but may not of been aware of it until there were investigations.

It is odd. I'd say it doesn't want women who have never been able to conceive.

Curious! Is it actually relevant, or is the question really aimed at all women - even those who were never fertile?!

Who are they wanting to answer? Is it a crap way of saying women/biological females? Or do they only want women who are/have been fertile? Eg my Auntie has never been able to get pregnant, she is a woman though.

What if you’ve become pregnant but not stayed pregnant long enough to be a mum? Sounds completely bizarre.

How would any woman know whether she has been able to get pregnant if she's never tried to get pregnant?

Are they tying themselves in knots trying to avoid saying "women who have ever had periods", for instance?

Easier to say "please only answer the below if applicable to you"??

I think it's a bizarre way of saying 'women'

Is this job ad placed by Owen Jones?

are you volunteering to be a surrogate?🙂

I wouldn't say it is relevant, it is an immunology study.

Why is personal experience of pregnancy required for this volunteering position? I'm the mum of several angel babies who never made it to birth, would I count?

No!

Totally bizarre question, I would assume I'm not eligible for the study as a woman who has never become pregnant and therefore doesn't know whether I am or have been able to do so.

Wow - the contortions people have to perform in order to avoid having to say the word 'woman'!

I suspect that it would be quite important to know the sex of volunteers in an immunology study. Of course it is a convoluted way of saying 'adult women'.

So not lesbians then?

(Unless they have actively sought to, which is a bit different )

Or religious women who have remained celibate

I assume it means women but women who have never been pregnant wouldn't know whether they are excluded or not.

I suppose if they are excluding immune responses from pregnancy then you might want to exclude anyone who could have become pregnant to exclude unknown early miscarriages? But even then women who have never been pregnant might assume they couldn’t.

I'm obviously guessing but could they be looking for that sub-set of women who have menstruated? It might be relevant in an immunology study. Of course, they could have asked the direct question if that's what they are looking for.

So no virgins then?

But women can have regular periods and still not be able to get pregnant - they wouldn:t know that until they tried though.

If it’s an immunology study, pregnancy might be relevant, just google “immunology pregnancy”

If they want to exclude the possibility of even a ‘chemical’ pregnancy they need to be more specific: ‘if you are a woman, have you ever had sex with a man?’