Conception date
March 7, 2012 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ralf Berg
Dear Sir or Madam,
I have an important question regarding the date of conception. The first day of my last period was on the 17th or 18th of January. I believe my cycles have been relatively regular for the past 3 months (always around 27 or 28 days).
Around the 30th, my husband and I were very active in "practicing" (28th, 30th, 31st of January, and also on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th of February).
I am very embarrassed to admit this, but on the night of the 9th to the 10th of February, I made a mistake and had a slip-up with another man. It was the worst mistake of my life, and I am suffering greatly - rightfully so! Please do not judge me.
On the 14th of February (when my next period was due), I took a home pregnancy test (Clearblue digital) which was positive, and on the 15th of February, my gynecologist already detected a gestational sac measuring 0.19 cm on ultrasound.
Now I need to know if it is possible to exclude the sexual intercourse (practiced with the withdrawal method, but that is not foolproof) on the night of the 9th to the 10th of February. It is really urgent, I am so desperate, I don't know what to do anymore!
Thank you for your prompt assessment.
Hello,
here is a quick response: It would be extremely unlikely with a regular cycle that you had your ovulation after the 6th or 7th of this month. Until then, theoretically, your husband's semen would have still been sufficient for fertilization. Since after ovulation there are usually only 24 hours left for fertilization of the egg, conception from intercourse on the 9th/10th would only be possible if ovulation occurred on the 8th or later. This would have been 6 days before your period, which are not considered fertile days.
So, the assessment is: with almost certainty, your husband is the father of the child.
If this doesn't completely reassure you, you can ask your gynecologist when the estimated due date is. By counting back, you will then know on which date conception is estimated. In an ultrasound nowadays, details can be seen in the 6-8th week that allow an estimation of when conception likely took place.
I hope that with this somewhat comforting information about your current situation, you can overcome your worries. I think that if you love your husband and are now expecting a healthy desired child together, you should not despair but be happy, as many people are unable to fulfill this wish. Perhaps you can also be thankful (to fate or God) that everything has gone well. You may regret, but there is no reason to despair. Look forward, you are now going to experience your (I assume) first pregnancy, do everything in your power to ensure it goes well. You owe this to your husband, yourself, and your child. Look forward to "your shared" family!
Wishing you all the best for your pregnancy,
Dr. R. Berg
