Can a Doctor Predict What's Going on with Your Body?

Oh heavens no! Many people seem to expect a doctor to have some mystical sense of what is wrong with their patient, but the truth is that they really rely on the patient to report their symptoms, doctors cannot usually make a good diagnosis on the basis of an examination alone.

No and no.

Can you imagine mastering all of the signs and symptoms for all of the women in her practice?

I had an internal exam the day of the night I went into LABOR and they couldn't tell me that either!

She's a doctor, not a psychic.

The fact that your period was so late was abnormal. She did what would be considered a routine test in this case...and then, when it was negative, probably told you not to worry.

It's not like she told you that you were pregnant. So what's the big deal?

Can YOU tell you're about to start your period? I sure can. I get a little bloated, and my uterus (felt from the outside) is swollen and softer than normal.

While a doctor can absolutely make an educated guess through feeling and based on what you said, no, they couldn't say for sure.

They also can't tell me if I'll get a migraine tomorrow, but it could happen.

How on earth could she know you were going to start your period? YOU couldn't tell and you live INSIDE your own body. Doctors can't even know you are PREGNANT with just a vaginal exam, so how would they know you are about to get your period? Sure there are some changes to cervical mucus etc, but that is kind of unique to each woman so you would have had a better sense that it was coming than she would. Maybe she noticed some spotting, but that could be pregnancy.

I don't think this is a reason to start looking for a new doctor. I mean, if you don't like her, look for a new one. Otherwise, really... I don't think we should expect her to PREdict where you are in your cycle before getting any kind of test results.

Glad you got your period.

T.

I'm confused! Sooo, do you think the dr should have been able to predict your period? Do you think the dr should have known you were going to start based on your clinical symptoms?

I have to say....based on your presentation, I fully agree with the dr recommending/requesting a pregnancy blood test! I don't think anything was missed & am quite bamboozled by the thought of you seeking a new dr!

You started your period....hooray! Your concerns are over! What's wrong with that? Anything can cause a delayed/missed period. If this pattern continues, then I would seek further treatment. :)

No, the shouldn't be required to know when you will start your period. That's a little silly.

How would a doctor be able to tell that? Of course they can't.

No. They can't tell.

Remember they have a practice. They are practicing.

If you don't like your doctor for other reasons and are not confident in their educated guess, find one you are. Remember this though, doctors are not always correct. What works for one body, doesn't always work for anothers body.

No, a routine check up will not tell a doctor where you are in your cycle. To figure that out would require imaging (like an u/s) and blood work to check your hormone levels, and even that would require several days of blood tests to establish what your baseline levels are.

A doctor can detect a-typical symptoms as to when you "might" have one.. However, everyone's body is different and they differ with age too... Cycles change, when younger, could be your cycle is 28 days, then you get into your 30s and it's now 31 ... then 40s... they are longer and then shorter..

Bottomline, you are the best person to track your cycle. you may want to read, Take charge of your Fertility. it's a great book and shows you how to track your monthly cycle... it's good because whether you want to become pregnant or not.. it's always nice to know what your body is doing.. so that next time.. you can answer the question... am I pregnant.. those who track their cycles, usually can tell you exactly when they ovulate to whether they are pregnant or not... it's just good info to have..

Dear M., if you get on well with your doctor there's no reason to change - a blood test would have been ordered by anyone given the fact that you had not had a period for over 2 months. I think the reason your period came the next day is because you relaxed knowing that your blood had been taken! Let me share my story with you, just to illustrate the point that doctors aren't fortune-tellers. Just before I got married my OBGYN told me I'd need medical intervention if I ever wanted a baby as I was not going to be able to fall pregnant "naturally". I was devastated and nearly called off the wedding! Luckily my husband said not to worry, that we weren't ready for a family yet anyway, he loved me and we'd deal with my fertility issues when I was older (I married at 21). So, we settled into married life and I started working. My periods had NEVER been regular my entire life, so when I realized I hadn't had one for nearly 3 months the thought that I might be pregnant didn't occur to me (cos a "specialist" had told me it couldn't happen). Long story short I WAS pregnant! I changed doctors and at my 6 week check-up post delivery my NEW doctor said that according to my scan and blood results she doesn't know HOW I got pregnant and she was ALSO quite sure I wouldn't be able to have another kid. I didn't trusted my own instincts this time, so I went on contraception until my son was 2 years old. Then I just stopped taking the pill and 6 months later I was pregnant again! I honestly believe that when you are TRYING to conceive you don't, because stress hormones interfere with conception. Let nature take its course - babies come along at THEIR will, not yours! :) Good luck!

No, a doctor cant always let u know when you're going to begin menstruating. I am an RN, and work for OBGYN, and also in the Labor and Delivery unit of the local hospital. Your periods can be late for several reasons, including stress, hormone changes, medications or herbal suppliments, changes in routines or just a random change for a certain cycle. Also, if you're regularly regular and this is out of the ordinary, I would suggest having a full pelvic just to make sure there isn't something else going on. I personally am the most random period woman I know....I ended up beginning birth control at 14 yrs. because they were so unregular and painful. Give it a chance to see if its normal the next time, and if not, set up an exam. Best of luck!!!

I don't think so.. but I guess I am not a Dr., so I have no idea???

The mind is a crazy thing! recently, I had been feeling this lump in my throat. I was really freaked out. I let it go for a few weeks, just to see if it would go away. Well, it didn't, and I was scared..... did I have a tumor? Was it cancer??? Anyway I finally went to the ENT doctor. He put a camera down my throat, looked around and then pulled it out. I asked him, "do you see anything?"
He said "the only thing I notice is a little inflammation on your larynx".
I told him, "ya, but I feel a lump down in there!" He simply told me that I suffer from acid reflux, and that the fluids are coming up and irritating the skin. He prescribed acid reflux medication and sent me on my way.
Wouldn't you know it, the "lump" feeling went away, and to this day, I don't feel anything in my throat. Oh, I also never took the medicine.
My point is that, as soon as I was told there was nothing there, I didn't feel it any more........crazy huh?
Sorry this has nothing to do with your situation, I wanted to make the point about how your brain can do weird things.
Take care!