Expert: Lawrence Jay Rappaport <B>M.D.</B> - 10/11/2005
Question -------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Dr. Rappaport,
I am 27 and 17w2d pregnant with my first child. I am positive I ovulated on June 25th (was on Clomid, have a clear chart, tested positive 12 days after ovulation and not before). On my last visit last week, my uterus measured a full 3 weeks ahead. The midwife was very surprised. I was about 10-15 lbs overweight before getting pregnant. Could this be the reason? What else could it be? My husband and I are not tall people.
Answer -
If you ovulated on June 25, then your last period probably started on June 12 Therefore, you are now 17 weeks pregnant (based on the first day of your last period). Did you have a sonogram yet? You said that you are 17 weeks 2 days pregnant. Was this based on your last period or a sonogram result. If the sonogram showed you to be 17 weeks, it is correct and agrees with the date of your last period as well as the date of ovulation. Remember, we count a pregnancy from the first day of your last period, not from conceptiopn (ovulation).
Question 2:
Yes, I've had 2 sonograms at 5 and 7 weeks that confirm my ovulation date (I have PCOS and irregular cycles, so the last period date is wrong). Therefore, I know I am 17w3d. What could it mean that my uterus is measuring 3 weeks ahead at this early date?
Thanks!
Answer According to the first day of your last period, you are now 17 weeks pregnaant. Since the sonogram agrees with your dates, you are 17 weeks pregnant. (We date a pregnancy from the first day of your last period, not from the date of ovulation (conception). If the midwife measured you three weeks larger, you may merely be carrying high. If you have taken two sonograms, you have ruled out multiple gestation. The most accurate time to take a sonogram is at 20 weeks gestation. See what the sonogram shows around October 30 (twenty weeks from the first day of your period). If it shows a 20 week fetus, it is right on).
