QuestionI was with a girl in the early morning hours of Oct. 28th, 2007 (4am). I later found out that a friend of mine was with her on both the 19th and 20th of October 2007. I did not finish inside her and my friend does not remember if he did. All encounters were unprotected, I know how stupid it was, no need to reiterate.
The girl called me in mid-November to tell me she was pregnant. At first I did not believe her, but I went to the doctor with her on November 30th. Via an internal ultrasound I know that she is definitely pregnant.
Her last LMP was October 1st and she told the doctor that her average cycle is 32-34 days, but her cycle is erratic. Her doctor set the due date for July 19th and advised her that she is 8 weeks and 1 day.
How accurate are ultrasounds in determining due dates?
Can a woman ovulate that late in her cycle?
I know that the only definitive answer to paternity will be with a DNA test. However, does anyone have any opinions/similar stories/advice to share? Thanks for your help.
AnswerThis early in the pregnancy, the ultrasound could be 1-2 weeks off regarding how far along she is. As her pregnancy progresses, ultrasound estimates are generally much more accurate. This is why doctors will often give adjusted due dates to mothers during the second trimester ultrasound.
With a due date of July 19th, that would put conception anywhere between October 24th - 28th which would put you as the prime candidate for the father. However, since her sexual encounters were so close together and she has an irregular cycle it would be nearly impossible to tell at this point. As for finishing inside her, that doesn't even need to happen to get a woman pregnant as pre-ejaculate contains viable sperm as well.
A woman can ovulate that late in her cycle, especially if she's irregular. When I was pregnant with my son, my LMP was the last week of December. I conceived him in mid February and did not have a period between those times. So I ovulated a good two months after when a woman normally would. For a woman with irregular cycles, ovulation is a random guess at best.
I must commend you for attending the doctor's appointment with her. It probably took a lot of courage for her to come forward to you about this, especially if it was a casual encounter. A lot of men would have ignored her until the baby was born and she showed up with an order for a DNA test. By taking a proactive approach to this, I really believe you are doing the best- especially if a DNA test does determine that you are the father. Your child will respect you so much more for being an involved member of his/her life from the very beginning. In addition, being on positive terms with the mother will greatly help such things as child support and visitation rights.
Please let me know if I can help you further or with anything else.
Best wishes,
Helen =)
