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.
I would. With my first, I ovulated on Day 26. With my second, it was day 24. With both of these pregnancies, I told the Dr. the day I ovulated. Still, my doctor does an initial blood draw and both times, my hcg was lower than expected by LMP. I wasn't worried, because I knew when I ovulated. Still, both times, they had me come in for a second blood draw, acted like I was at risk of a miscarriage, etc. Both times, I had my first scan at 8 weeks by LMP. Both times baby was healthy and measuring exactly as expected based on the day I ovulated. Since it was more than a week off from LMP, they adjusted my due date to conform to the baby's measurements (day I ovulated). Both were born a few days after my adjusted due date.
With my third, I ovulated on Day 18. It seemed like an unnecessary hassle to have to keep coming back for blood draws. Plus, since it was less than a week off from LMP, I assumed they wouldn't adjust my due date. So, I gave them a LMP date that conformed with the day I ovulated. They based my due date on that, and she was born on her due date.
I find it very annoying that some doctors seem to think women know so little about their bodies and all ovulate on day 14.