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View Full Version : Can a doctor tell if you've ever been pregnant?


Bonita--
May 15, 2009, 12:39 PM
I want to know, can a doctor tell if you've been pregnant or had an abortion by examining you or by taking a blood test?

kp2171
May 15, 2009, 12:42 PM
Are you talking about pregnancy with birth or pregnancy with termination or failure before birthing?

Bonita--
May 15, 2009, 01:01 PM
Pregnancy with termination or failure before birth.

Bonita--
May 15, 2009, 02:21 PM
By the way, I'm not looking to hide the fact that I was ever pregnant or had an abortion. I'm actually trying to prove that I have not ever been pregnant or had an abortion, without having to get medical records.

kp2171
May 15, 2009, 02:24 PM
I'm sorry I read the OP too fast... all the info was there and I didn't see it all for some reason. Second time this week. I need to slow down.

Not sure about the intent of the question... could a doctor tell if you were once pregnant without your wishing him/her to know... or could a doctor help you understand if you were once pregnant...

Well... ill defer to J_9 and doulalc ultimately on this one.

If there was rh blood incompatibility between a mother and fetus, its possible for the woman to carry antibodies... not sure if this is ever used to determine potential pregnant. Lost by request of the woman... and even then, it requires a rh- woman to be with rh+ man, and even then the child could be incompatible or not... meaning a positive for the antibodies might indicate pregnancy, but a negative wouldn't mean a woman had or hadn't been.

If a woman suspects she might have been pregnant, with premature termination, she might want to know whether she carries these antibodies when considering further pregnancies. But that's a question for a med provider...

As for physical/visual signs... again, I defer to the others, but a general physician would probably have no clue, and I'm not sure whether an ob/gyn could tell between a deliberate or unintended termination unless there was extreme scarring.

I'm bouncing this to j_9 and doulalc.

Also, id help to know the angle... is this a woman wanting to know if she had been, seeking out an answer... or a woman wanting to know if a provider could tell she had been when she might not want it to be known?

kp2171
May 15, 2009, 02:25 PM
Juat saw your latest post...

Not sure that you can "prove" you've never been pregnant.

Again... bouncing this to others...

J_9
May 15, 2009, 02:28 PM
Yes, a doctor can tell if you have ever been pregnant, whether you delivered, miscarried or aborted.

The cervical os will have a dimple. This can only be seen with a speculum exam.

kp2171
May 15, 2009, 02:33 PM
I knew the cervix could show change, but is this in all cases... early termination or loss versus later?

J_9
May 15, 2009, 02:33 PM
Yup, this is in all cases.

kp2171
May 15, 2009, 02:36 PM
Danke J_9...

I knew about potential cervical changes, but not that it was detectable in all instances.

Bonita--
May 15, 2009, 03:36 PM
Thank you both.

J_9,

Can a speculum exam be done by a regular doctor or does it have to be a gynocologist?

J_9
May 15, 2009, 03:46 PM
Thank you both.

J_9,

Can a speculum exam be done by a regular doctor or does it have to be a gynocologist?
Regular doctors can do speculum exams.

Bonita--
May 15, 2009, 03:50 PM
Ok thank you.

Ahelpinhypocrit
May 17, 2009, 07:43 PM
So if I understand this correctly, a doctor can tell if you have been pregnant before but cannot tell if it was miscarried or aborted?

J_9
May 18, 2009, 12:34 AM
So if I understand this correctly, a doctor can tell if you have been pregnant before but cannot tell if it was miscarried or aborted?

This is correct. The doctor relies on the patient to tell the truth as to miscarriages and abortions.

anon101415
Mar 25, 2012, 08:57 PM
What I you miscarries really early? Like two-six weeks into your pregnancy? What If it happened over a year ago?