Expert: Pat G - 3/25/2011

Question
Hello, I am currently 29 weeks pregnant and became so right after an abortion that I had on August 14th, 2010. I'm confused why when I received my first ultra-sound at 8 weeks, the technician chose to set my LMP on September 1st instead of on the abortion date. Couldn't it be very possible that I conceived around September 1st? All the research I've done has lead me to believe that I should have started ovulation within two weeks of the abortion. My main reason for asking is because I slept with two different people, one around Sept 1st and the other between Sept 12-15.

Thanks ahead of time!

Answer
Hello, Katie,

I don't know that there is a particular way to calculate a pregnancy that started after an abortion and before a first period. It is possible you conceived around September 1st.

Usually, a woman's pregnancy hormones last for several weeks after an abortion, no matter what method is used. (So the information that you should have started ovulation within two weeks of the abortion is incorrect. Instead, it can be said that occasionally a woman ovulates that soon, but not routinely.) A prolonged high level of pregnancy hormones wouldn't be true if she was going to miscarry anyway, however. As long as a woman still has pregnancy hormones, she is unlikely to conceive. It's not unheard-of, however. I know of several cases where a woman conceived a second child while pregnant with another one. In one case, the two babies were conceived two months apart, and in another case, four months.

Now that you are 29 weeks, they should be able to determine gestational age, so that what the technician did at 8 weeks shouldn't matter.

You haven't said why it matters which man is the father of your child. However, let me put it to you this way. You KNOW who the MOTHER is. If you are concerned about having cheated on your husband, I can certainly understand that. But if you aren't married to either man, neither of them really has a claim on your commitment. You can find out who the father is when your baby is born. You might ask if they can do DNA from a sample of your blood. There will be DNA from the baby in your blood, so they may be able to do that. A lot of doctors don't do that, but in the United States, there might be someone who will. Let me know whether or not the identity of the father is of critical concern, and why, and we can talk about it.

Please take care of yourself and your baby. I am here for you. I'd love to keep in touch.