Would you lie about your LMP in my situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would seriously be looking for a new OB if they insisted on such a stupid thing as dating a baby based on LMP despite what the scans say. I've had 3 different OB/practices for my kids and nobody has done this.

Usually they take it as a guide (i.e. a guide for when to do scans etc) and adjust/correct during the first scan - around 7-9 weeks.

And yes, I would have no problems saying that I didn't know if I had to stay with a practice like that. When they ask, tell them your "best guess" (i.e. your lie) but insist on a dating scan.

OP here. They didn’t do dating scans so there was nothing to compare to. They didn’t refuse after seeing a discrepancy. My NT scan was not far enough off to prompt them to change.

I will insist on a dating scan. It “helps” that my miscarriage was a partial molar pregnancy, which warrants closer monitoring in subsequent first trimesters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been tracking my cycles for 6+ years and know them very well, including when I ovulate. (Never used hormonal birth control.) My cycles are easy to follow but I don't always ovulate on the same day, and definitely don't always ovulate on Day 14, the magical day the medical world considers to be the norm. My babies like to gestate longer than 40 weeks, so I'm concerned about this pregnancy. Here's the deal:

Pregnancy #1: ovulated on Day 14, baby born at 41 weeks

Pregnancy #2: ovulated on Day 22. I told my practice this but they refused to budge on my due date (which they based off of LMP). I was concerned because my first baby was overdue. When I was already a week overdue with #2 I remembered I had a very early ultrasound done in another country because I was traveling in the developing world and wanted to make sure it wasn't ectopic, and they let me use that to change the due date--after they already made me schedule an induction due to being overdue by their date. Baby #2 ended up being born 17 days after my original due date and 9 days after the adjusted (correct) due date. It was a huge hassle and I was told many times I would have to be induced by 41,5 or so, when I knew I wasn't even 41 weeks yet. Very quick labor, easy delivery.

Pregnancy #3: miscarriage

Pregnancy #4 (current, I'm about 7 weeks pregnant): ovulated on Day 18-19. I'm envisioning the same scenario as #2, where I'm pressured to be induced before I should be.

I have yet to schedule an appointment for #4 but it will be a new practice (new city, #1 and #2 were also in different cities, we move a lot). Dating scans weren't offered at either practice and I don't know if they are offered at my new practice. (I had NT scans but they never adjusted my due date.)

If you were in my shoes would you fudge your LMP by 4-5 days? Insist on a dating scan if they don't offer one? Say I don't know my LMP and need a dating scan? I hate to lie but I know my body better than the doctors/textbooks do. This may not sound like a big deal but I'm really opposed to being forced to induce and don't want the added anxiety. Otherwise I am very chill about pregnancy and birth.

Insist on a dating scan. Just tell them you don't know your LMP date because your periods are irregular. That will force them to do a dating scan even if they otherwise don't want to, because they will have no other way to do it.

No. Then they will use he default 14.

Op - simply lie about the date.

How can they use the default 14 if she gives them no date at all? She could be 5 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, etc. They wouldn't know unless they did a dating scan.

[Anonymous]

#1 - I knew my dates and knew LMP was off due to months of fertility treatments. Midwife wouldn’t take my IVF dates, used dating scan. Thankfully they lined up.

#2 - knew I ovulated late because we only had sex once that cycle and fibbed on my dates by 4 days. Glad I did, delivered at 40w1d and if I was coming up on 41w I know I would have felt pressure to induce.

[Anonymous]

Currently pregnant and my OB didn't care at all what my LMP was. They only went by the 6 week ultrasound. Those two due dates were 11 days apart! She told me fetuses grow exponentially at 6 weeks and there was no mistaking a 6 week fetus with a 7 week fetus.

[Anonymous]

Weird my MDs always relied on dating US over my LMP

[Anonymous]

Op. I say this as someone who wanted and had a pain med free L&D. Wanting to avoid induction is NOT worth all this obsession (writing that long post). Induction just isn’t that big a deal, has good outcomes and makes sense if you are AMA and this is your 4th so I’m guessing you’re probably not super young.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op. I say this as someone who wanted and had a pain med free L&D. Wanting to avoid induction is NOT worth all this obsession (writing that long post). Induction just isn’t that big a deal, has good outcomes and makes sense if you are AMA and this is your 4th so I’m guessing you’re probably not super young.

Hey, I’m 33 (not even close to 34)! I have a couple years. I get your point though. You’re correct, I want as few interventions as possible. But I’m really detail-oriented and writing helps me process my thoughts. I don’t feel obsessed about this. I’m really looking forward to my first appointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op. I say this as someone who wanted and had a pain med free L&D. Wanting to avoid induction is NOT worth all this obsession (writing that long post). Induction just isn’t that big a deal, has good outcomes and makes sense if you are AMA and this is your 4th so I’m guessing you’re probably not super young.

I've had two inductions that were horrible, and I don't know how anyone could say that induction is no big deal. If OP wants a chance at a natural birth, and the only thing standing in the way of that is an OB refusing to follow standard practice and do a dating scan, I can see why she's "obsessed".

[Anonymous]

I have had similar issues but thankfully did not have to lie to my doctor. I’m also data obsessed and was completely clear on what day I ovulated and got pregnant each time. So I understand the frustration when someone says “oh maybe you’re off by a few days”. Ha! As if.

#1 - I ovulated on day 18 or 19. When the doctor first asked for my LMP, I said “it was X date but I have long cycles and I got pregnant on y date”. Dr knew me well enough at that point to listen. She somehow noted that and then later it synced up exactly with the dating scan and so they stopped asking me for LMP. At some point I noticed on the sonogram pics there was an incorrect LMP date so the doctor had basically lied to the machine for me.

#2 - I ovulated on day 28! Crazy long cycle. I told the doctor that again and never had to deal with the LMP question. Synced up with the scan, proving I was right again. This time I noticed the sonogram no longer had an LMP date but rather a conception date, so the software seems to be updated in a more medically accurate way.

#3 - A word of caution for you, OP, in case you have more kids. Around 39 or 40 my cycles, which have always been 35-40 days, shortened for some reason. I unexpectedly (but it was a pleasant surprise) pregnant from sex on day 8 of my cycle (I think I ovulated on day 10). That was previously my safe zone.

[Anonymous]

I knew when I ovulated and knew I ovulated a week later than LMP would indicate. However, because it was just a week, they didn't adjust my due date. This caused issues later on as the anatomy scan results made it appear like DD might have some sort of developmental issue due to very small head size when in reality it was just that she was a week younger than the LMP due date would indicate. So after that tremendous scare, we adjusted my due date to reflect that I ovulated late and I STILL ended up going a week overdue. If I had it to do again, I would 100% adjust my LMP date I gave the doc to reflect when I knew I ovulated to avoid any headaches.

[Anonymous]

How close were your miscarriage and pregnancy? I also miscarried between my second and third child and never got my period before getting pregnant again. They had to go based on the scan, because my LMP was literally months prior to getting pregnant. Otherwise, pretty sure my practice is slavish to the LMP date.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't lie, but I would keep it in mind come 40 weeks and you are still pregnant. Even if they induce you at 41 weeks, for your third child, it shouldn't be a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would seriously be looking for a new OB if they insisted on such a stupid thing as dating a baby based on LMP despite what the scans say. I've had 3 different OB/practices for my kids and nobody has done this.

Usually they take it as a guide (i.e. a guide for when to do scans etc) and adjust/correct during the first scan - around 7-9 weeks.

And yes, I would have no problems saying that I didn't know if I had to stay with a practice like that. When they ask, tell them your "best guess" (i.e. your lie) but insist on a dating scan.

OP here. They didn’t do dating scans so there was nothing to compare to. They didn’t refuse after seeing a discrepancy. My NT scan was not far enough off to prompt them to change.

I will insist on a dating scan. It “helps” that my miscarriage was a partial molar pregnancy, which warrants closer monitoring in subsequent first trimesters.

Are you at all concerned that the NT scan was not done in the correct window of time?

[Anonymous]

Don't give your LMP date. Give your ovulation date. Let them figure it out from there.

[Anonymous]

I would just lie. I did with this pregnancy - ovulated 5 days later than LMP would have indicated. Baby was born on her due date (calculated using the date I gave them).