Hi,
I'm sorry you are concerned about being pregnant. Let's walk through some of the dates together, then I can provide you with some information.
One clarification point: did you and your boyfriend have protected sex on all four of those days, and you are just worried that the condom may have broken, and you didn't know if it broke or "was faulty"?. If you had protected sex, and the condom did not break (you or your boyfriend would know!), then there really is no other way for the condom to be "faulty" without your knowing it. When condoms do not work it is primarily because of user error---not there being something wrong with the condom! The chance is slim that you are pregnant if you used a condom consistently and correctly with each act of intercourse, especially on the days you mentioned (they were not during your most fertile time, if I calculated correctly).
To go through the dates again:
If your last period was on January 18th, and you have a 28-day cycle, then your next period was scheduled for February 14th/15th. From the dates given above, you had sex on days 7, 8, 28, 29 of your cycle. The optimal time to have sex (if you want to be pregnant) is on/around day 14, when you ovulate in the middle of your cycle. Then, adding 3-5 days on either side of "day 14" (sperm can live up to 3-5 days inside you, "waiting" for an egg to fertilize when you ovulate). So, that means days 9-19 are potentially your "fertile days". To put dates on "days 9-19", that time frame is: January 26-February 5th, and you did not have sex during that time frame. Of course, if you ovulated before/after "day 14", then you add or subtract the 3-5 days from the day you ovulated. How to know if you are ovulating? Some women can tell; others can not. The biggest sign is that there is a change in your discharge (cervical mucus), and you can read about that here: signs of ovulation.
HOWEVER...women's cycles are not like clockwork. You mentioned that your cycle is irregular. Ovulation can occur far beyond the "day 14" from the scenario I provided above.
Good news:
Home pregnancy tests are fairly accurate (up to 99%) at detecting a pregnancy after a missed period. If you are still unsure, you can go to a walk-in clinic or a local Planned Parenthood for a urine pregnancy test to make sure.
Since you are sexually active, and are 19, have you been to the gynecologist? It is highly recommended that you begin seeing a gynecologist for pap smears, HPV tests and general exam. You can ask him/her about birth control options, and irregular periods. Have you considered using hormonal contraception, like the pill?
For future reference, if you have sex and the condom does break, there is something called Emergency Contraception that you can take up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, and it is over 80% effective at preventing a pregnancy. (It is not the "abortion pill" and does not work in this way; it can prevent implantation in numerous ways, so you are not getting rid of a viable pregnancy...it actually prevents a potential pregnancy in the same way as birth control pills).
Regarding your question, "shouldn't I be having regular periods by now...". The answer: no! Some women never have "regular periods", regardless of age, stress level, etc. If you are interested in having a more regular cycle, hormonal contraception can help.
Comment Reply
Hi,
I'm sorry you are concerned about being pregnant. Let's walk through some of the dates together, then I can provide you with some information.
One clarification point: did you and your boyfriend have protected sex on all four of those days, and you are just worried that the condom may have broken, and you didn't know if it broke or "was faulty"?. If you had protected sex, and the condom did not break (you or your boyfriend would know!), then there really is no other way for the condom to be "faulty" without your knowing it. When condoms do not work it is primarily because of user error---not there being something wrong with the condom! The chance is slim that you are pregnant if you used a condom consistently and correctly with each act of intercourse, especially on the days you mentioned (they were not during your most fertile time, if I calculated correctly).
To go through the dates again:
If your last period was on January 18th, and you have a 28-day cycle, then your next period was scheduled for February 14th/15th. From the dates given above, you had sex on days 7, 8, 28, 29 of your cycle. The optimal time to have sex (if you want to be pregnant) is on/around day 14, when you ovulate in the middle of your cycle. Then, adding 3-5 days on either side of "day 14" (sperm can live up to 3-5 days inside you, "waiting" for an egg to fertilize when you ovulate). So, that means days 9-19 are potentially your "fertile days". To put dates on "days 9-19", that time frame is: January 26-February 5th, and you did not have sex during that time frame. Of course, if you ovulated before/after "day 14", then you add or subtract the 3-5 days from the day you ovulated. How to know if you are ovulating? Some women can tell; others can not. The biggest sign is that there is a change in your discharge (cervical mucus), and you can read about that here: signs of ovulation.
HOWEVER...women's cycles are not like clockwork. You mentioned that your cycle is irregular. Ovulation can occur far beyond the "day 14" from the scenario I provided above.
Good news:
Home pregnancy tests are fairly accurate (up to 99%) at detecting a pregnancy after a missed period. If you are still unsure, you can go to a walk-in clinic or a local Planned Parenthood for a urine pregnancy test to make sure.
Since you are sexually active, and are 19, have you been to the gynecologist? It is highly recommended that you begin seeing a gynecologist for pap smears, HPV tests and general exam. You can ask him/her about birth control options, and irregular periods. Have you considered using hormonal contraception, like the pill?
For future reference, if you have sex and the condom does break, there is something called Emergency Contraception that you can take up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, and it is over 80% effective at preventing a pregnancy. (It is not the "abortion pill" and does not work in this way; it can prevent implantation in numerous ways, so you are not getting rid of a viable pregnancy...it actually prevents a potential pregnancy in the same way as birth control pills).
Regarding your question, "shouldn't I be having regular periods by now...". The answer: no! Some women never have "regular periods", regardless of age, stress level, etc. If you are interested in having a more regular cycle, hormonal contraception can help.
Here are some Birth Control Options from Planned Parenthood.
Did I answer all of your questions?
March 1, 2009 - 8:12amThis Comment
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