Expert: Dr. Harriet Johnson - 10/8/2009

Question
I have an interesting question/story for you.... My ex-girlfriend got pregnant- positive test in May.  She told me she was preg after we had broken up.  I have offered to help her and support the baby.  I paid several copays etc..., went to initial dr appt, saw ultrasound. Then her stories stopped adding up and I had doubts she was still pregnant.  She continues to claim she is, ask for money etc... however she gave me a bill from the hospital to pay- she just gave me the payment stub and I was able to access an itemized statement. The itemized statement states that she had an induced abortion, microdissection, molecular diagnostics, and surgical pathology. Can you explain what all of this is?  Why would there be all of those tests done? The date of the procedures was the same date she told me she was having a cerclage done.  I have asked her about the info on this bill and she claims she did not have an abortion and is still pregnant, yet nothing adds up and she will not show any further proof but continues to ask me for money.  Is there any chance she is still pregnant?  Thank you so much

Answer
Hi,

An induced abortion is the procedure done to end a pregnancy, therefore she definitely had an abortion, and not a cerclage. Microdissection is an extraction process to dissect specific tissue for analysis. Molecular diagnostics is the use of DNA to test for disease. Surgical pathology is examination of tissues removed through surgery for diagnosis of disease. There is no chance that she is still pregnant as these tests would have been performed on the fetal tissue.