Brain Teaser

i am currently taking my a&pii classes for my nursing pre-reqs. we have weekly discussion questions and this one has me completely stumped. i have researched and also asked my own gyn - he did not know either. please help!!!

an obese woman reports to the er with complaints of gas pains. after carefully examination, the er physician calls for a pregnancy test which came back negative. the woman insisted it was a waste of time as she performed the same test earlier that same morning. further observation caused the physician to check for dilation of the cervix which measured 8 cm. briefly describe a physiological explanation for this occurance.

now i am assuming that the pregnancy test at the hospital would have been a blood test. can the blood test be false? is she really pregnant and ready to deliver the baby and not know she was pregnant or is there another medical reason the cervix could dilate without pregnancy?

any help would be appreciated.

frantic nursing student

danielle

[I love my cat!]

Didn't you asked this before in a thread started on Nov. 2?

Help-Brain Teaser

Your best bet for an answer would be to continue with your original thread with the same/original question.

Good Luck! I'm waiting for the answer, too!

[Dani8962]

Yes I did post before. I originally posted to a specific "specialty- OB/Gyn Nursing" and I thought I might get more responses if I posted to a more general area. Guess I should have posted here first, but I am very new to the boards and did not know exactly where to post.

I noticed you did not post on the old thread... did you have any ideas to the answer?

Thanks for your help.

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

Maybe she had a Cervical leiomyoma?? That would cause dialation/pain but no baby so no positive test.

Also since the test question did not say blood test dont ever assume blood test---never read too much into questions. Just go with the facts presented.

[I love my cat!]

Yes I did post before. I originally posted to a specific "specialty- OB/Gyn Nursing" and I thought I might get more responses if I posted to a more general area. Guess I should have posted here first, but I am very new to the boards and did not know exactly where to post.

I noticed you did not post on the old thread... did you have any ideas to the answer?

Thanks for your help.

You are welcome! I usually HATE to throw out ideas for new members because they often become defensive and snippy with their replies regarding an idea.

Again, like I mentioned above, I am waiting for the answer, too.

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

I tried to do a search on it also and came up with nothing. But could the baby have died, causing a drop in HCG hormone?...causing the negative pregnancy test Then the body was trying to "get rid of the foreign body"? I dont know. I cant wait for the answer though.

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

I tried to do a search on it also and came up with nothing. But could the baby have died, causing a drop in HCG hormone?...causing the negative pregnancy test Then the body was trying to "get rid of the foreign body"? I dont know. I cant wait for the answer though.

Even if the baby would have died, you would still get a positive pg test--even after delivery of a live kicking baby if your body still has placenta fragments you will still show a pos preg test--

Is there any more to the question? Did the woman in the question give birth then?? I want to know the answer to, but my money is on the Cervical leiomyoma...

[icyounurse, BSN, RN]

umm, total wild guess here= incompetent cervix

[BradleyRN]

an obese woman reports to the er with complaints of gas pains.

the patient has a tumor on the posterior pituitary gland. her "gas pains" are really uterine contractions caused by an increased release of oxytocin by the dysfunctional cells of the tumor leading to the dilated cervix.:)