weird questions

If she's going to need a CT scan then it's a sensible question.

Radiation exposure has risks to foetuses so if there is any chance of pregnancy then the women needs to know so she can make an informed choice about proceeding with a CT scan. In a trauma situation such as being singed following battling a dragon, the CT scan would probably still need to happen regardless.

That's not what happens though.
What happens is they ask you when your last period was. You tell them. They insist on a pregnancy test anyway. You say you don't care if you're pregnant, will immediately abort any fetus, and you understand the risks. They refuse to do anything at all until you take the pregnancy test anyway. And now you're in danger if you're in a red state and the test does come back up positive, because they'll be stalking your movements now.
- Female: "not necessary - me and my partner have been trying for years now but never could conceive; it's okay though, she tries her best regardless"
  Nurse: ".....oh"
- Thank health insurance lawyers for that. Unintentionally terminating a pregnancy or causing a birth defect is prohibitively expensive for healthcare providers. If we could all agree not to sue for malpractice, doctors would be more free to use their own judgement. Of course, the more doctors you know, the less comforting that thought might be.
She needs to make an informed choice. SHE. So tell her the scan (and perhaps some other aspects of treatment, like medication/anesthesia) has risks to a fetus and ask if she could be pregnant, even offer a test if there's a possibility.
And make sure that question is asked and answered in private!
But her cycle timing is not necessarily relevant. It's highly unlikely to get pregnant during your period, but possible since your ovaries alternate and can be out of sync. Meanwhile, someone who hasn't had sperm anywhere near her in six months isn't gonna be pregnant even if it's been three since her LMP.
What would you do if she were unconscious, refuse to treat in case it might harm a hypothetical fetus? You might say that's ridiculous but it's happening in 6-week ban states now. And when women are pregnant and miscarrying they've died of sepsis because there was still a fetal heartbeat.
- Everything you said is accurate, with one caveat: patients are often ignorant about the mechanics of pregnancy. Reproductive health education is shockingly insufficient among the population. "Could you be pregnant?" is not a useful question unless you're sure that the patient understands how pregnancy works. Asking for the date of their last cycle is at the very least a data point that has some diagnostic value. "No, I can't be pregnant because my boyfriend always pulls out" is a statement that contains a lot of information, but none of it has diagnostic value. You would still need to ask all the questions related to possible pregnancy.
  That said, you're right that the timing isn't necessarily informative, either. And double down on asking these, or any, questions in private.
foetuses
I’ll never not pronounce this foe-tusses
I don't live in the states. I haven't been asked this question preceding scans, prescriptions or other interventions since I was a teenager. In fact, I was at the hospital today and wasn't even asked if I could be pregnant.
This indirect beating around the bush takes away women's choice and autonomy, it almost feels like a trick. I'm not menopausal and I don't often get my period, so it wouldn't be a good indicator for many women, anyway, and delays care.

I understand why this question hits, but here’s some context regarding charting and medical chart audits.

The employers get in trouble if the check in forms are not filled out completely. This includes a complete set of vital signs, no single points of missing data for any reason, including an actual, not stated, weight. A month later, the auditors will have finished looking for blank spots in the chart and both doctor and nurse will receive email asking that this blank spot be filled.

The other piece is pregnancy or lack thereof determines meds. If a doctor prescribes a med that isn’t pregnancy safe they could be liable in a court of law. It’s also why the ubiquitous 3 minute pregnancy test is thrown in if they’re collecting urine. To make sure no one is harming a fetus with the wrong medication. Again, so the doctor doesn’t get sued.

The politics of the day make this question so loaded, but the reality is the question is likely not even being asked for you.

The easy fix in that case would be to explain why they're asking...

it's always fun to get this one as a trans woman. then i say i don't get periods and they ask why and i say i don't have a uterus.

Damn, if that ain’t affirming though lol.
My non-binary friend was telling me that they felt kinda like the doctors weren’t taking them seriously and I’m like “Congratulations! Also that sucks.”
- That reminds me of a friend who was a PhD level physicist who said "well, men have started to explain my own research to me, so I think that means I'm passing?"
I imagine they then switch to blaming all of your problems on HRT, based on my experience.
Tummy troubles? Must be the T! Athletes foot? You should half your T dose!

I have a uterus and I never get asked this question unless I'm at the gyn or specifically in for lower abdominal pain. I wonder if it has anything to do with living in a country that isn't rolling back abortion rights.

You should find a new gym.

Isn't this so that they can determine whether the patient could be pregnant before proceeding with any medical intervention that could imperial the life of either mother or fetus?

imperial
~~I can’t un-autocorrect that in my head. What word were you trying to type?~~
Scratch that. Apparently, imperil is a word. TIL.
- Lol, didn't catch that. You got it!

When my ex was pregnant with our kid, they asked this at EVERY. SINGLE. APPOINTMENT.

It's a way to approximate fetal age without an ultrasound and make sure development is progressing as expected. So while pregnant its actually a relevant question. Asking every time is one way to ensure that records/expectations are correct, same reason they ask your birthday like 3 times between checkin, the nurse, and the doc.
For women with less standard cycles I'm sure it is more annoying.

I would say that for younger women who are still getting accustomed to their cycle and how it affects their bodies, this can be reasonable. But for seasoned women who should know how their cycle affects their bodies, it's a rather annoying question to have to answer for literally any doctors visit. If I'm about to have a procedure, then sure they have to make certain. If they have reason to believe there is a correlation with an issue I'm having and reproductive issues, then fine also. But if I'm just coming in for a yearly exam or because I've had a sinus infection that won't go away, etc, this question is pointless and quite frankly none of their business. Especially in today's political climate in the US, I'd rather they not actively track that unless I have a specific reason to do so medically.
- My new doctor's office is the first I've had that didn't ask. It's so refreshing. Like, I'm coming in because I suspect I have hEDS. I can bend my limbs weird. Menstruation doesn't come into it.
I’m just curious, based on knowing how women’s symptoms aren’t always taken as seriously as a man’s during diagnosis.
I just ask it as part of the standard 'check everything' mentality. It's interesting to me how it can be taken as women's symptoms not being taken as seriously as men's, because ignoring the downstairs leads to a lot of fuckups in the field. Heck, the paramedic who trained me used to say that you would (and I'm doing my best to remember her quote, but it's been a while) "miss a significant portion of issues if you fail[ed] to consider the reproductive system in an emergency." Put another way, the entire reason I'm asking about it is because I'm trying not to lump a woman in with the males and ignore their health.
- If I was being taken to the hospital for a non-reproductive emergency and the paramedic asked me when my last period was, I would ask for a different ambulance.

I would say that it could absolutely be a very valid question to asses the patient's medical condition.

The question itself seems fair, asking it as the first question in this scenario seems less so.

What does the menstrual cycle have to do with their medical condition in any situation not related to reproduction?
- In this particular context: CT scans, Xrays, opioids, things I can't think of because I'm not a doctor. Anything that could affect a pregnancy that the patient may not know about and want to carry to term. In locations with restrictive laws, those are also things that can get the doctor sued, imprisoned, or stripped of their license if they do them.
- Women does loose blood as part of the menstrual cycle.
  Blood tends to be pretty important in terms of health

Since I stopped taking BC (husband is on chemo so he said what's the point) and am in my early 40s, I can truly say I don't know because they're often sporadic and frankly tracking it is the least of my concerns.

If bears are known to be attracted to menstruation, why would it be so outlandish to think that dragons might be, as well?

This is a myth that keeps a lot of women out of remote and forestry jobs. To this day older men still warn me about bears when I'm hiking and camping. It's based in assumptions, not facts, like a lot of comments in here.
I say this as a woman who's waved at bears during my seven forestry contracts.
- In my case, it was just a dumb reference to the movie Anchorman. I didn't realize anyone actually believed it.

Nah. First question is “do you have insurance?”

Thats just the US though.
Edit: I did go to the hospital emergency room here in the US once and before ever talking to a doctor in a room, laying on a medical bed I was asked to sign forms by somebody whose whole job was to collect insurance info and make people sign waivers under duress.
I can't imagine those waivers hold up in court so the entire goal of presenting them is probably to intimidate people

That’s important because if the person is pregnant, treatment with prescription medication can be fatal for the child. They usually ask about sexual activity because it’s possible the person doesn’t even know they’re pregnant.

Men do not get asked this question because as you may or may not know, biological males are incapable of becoming pregnant. /s

Yes, we know. That's the joke. That theoretical unborn baby health comes before women.
Because let's say there's a woman comes in, crispy, bloodier than a rare steak, limbs hanging at right ankles— Probably going into shock if she's not already there. Baby or not, it dies if she dies.
Now, let's say she's lucid. In the slim chance she's got a surprise baby, what does her period have to do with that? Maybe it was four weeks ago but she's been getting freaky with her knight honey, trying for a family of little squires. Or, let's say she's on birth control, or has an irregular period, onky dates women, or trans. A better question to ask is: "are you pregnant or could you be pregnant?" And still you've wasted five seconds while she's bleeding out and her heart rate is crashing.
It's making fun of the dystopia for women that's the culture and policy in some countries, not asking for an explanation.
- Yes, we know. That’s the joke. That online femenists care more about a theoretical woman that may or may not be pregnant but is dying than actual women that are pregnant.
  Because let’s say there’s a women comes in, pregnant, bigger than an elephant, belly button popped out — baby arms hanging from her vagina. Baby or not, it dies if she dies.
  Now let’s say she’s a drug addict. In the slim chance she’s sober, what does her period have to do with that? Maybe it was 21 weeks ago but she’s getting freaky with her drug dealer trying to score another ounce. Or let’s say she took the morning after pill or had an irregular period, only dates women, or is trans. A better question to ask is are you pregnant or could you be pregnant? And still you have wasted 5 seconds while she’s bleeding out and her heart rate is crashing.
  It’s making fun of the dystopia in internet culture and policy in some countries, not asking for an explanation.

I don't think I've ever been asked this, except sometimes on intake forms for some reason.

"OH i see you have a giant hole in your leg which is the portal of Satan.... anyways are you sexually active? just pee in the cup. Could be a side effect of being pregnant or menopause"

No seriousness here, but if the patient was in the doctor's office, I'd ask the same question. Maybe not as the first question, but it would be in there. She's not in any significant trouble if she came to the appointment on time, so let's check and see how her epic battle has affected each system, from neurological to reproductive. That is why she's here, right? For a followup that every single (/roll_eyes) discharge paperwork always says to get?