Another "Pregnant? or just Stress-induced missed period?" question
The start of my most recent period was on Feb 26 - projected ovulation date being March 14, projected next period March 28 (via MyMonthlyCycles, where I have been keeping track of my period for 1 year). Average cycle - 30 days.
We had protected intercourse on March 3 and 24. The condom didn't break; slipped down maybe an inch but we pushed it right back up.
Now my period is 3 or 4 days late (depending if you count the 28th), with no usual signs of cramping etc that I normally get. Took two HPT's and both came out negative. Discharge looks normal, no tenderness of breasts or anything. I have had a little bit of an upset stomach but I think I may just be getting sick - I am under quite a bit of stress.
I know it's unlikely that I am pregnant, but I am paranoid since I can't afford to have a child right now. I have heard that stress really can throw off a regular period (I have been regular for 8 years now), but I have a hard time believing it since I am so paranoid... help? I don't know what's wrong with me!
Have a GYNO appt coming up in a month, but I'm the type of person who likes to know without going to the doc! It sure would be nice if my period would come!
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Hi, Unsure, and welcome to Empowher!
You are correct, stress can indeed throw off a period. In some cases it can even cause you to miss a period. I was never as regular as you are, but I had one cycle when I went 40 days between periods. That was at least a week later than normal for me. So it's very possible that you're just late because of stress and hormonal fluctuations.
In fact, here's a very recent Empowher post from a person who also wondered if she could be pregnant, and went from having a period on Feb. 14 to not having one until March 28. That's 43 days between cycles, and while she said she is irregular, it was still outside her norm:
http://www.empowher.com/community/ask/could-i-be-pregnant-0
From the dates that you wrote down, I honestly don't believe you should worry as much as you are. Even if you ovulated a couple of days earlier than the 14th, and even if some ejaculate escaped the condom (which you probably would have noticed), it is unlikely that it would have survived 7 to 9 days.
And even if you ovulated a couple of days late, as long as no ejaculate or pre-ejaculate escaped the condom on the 24th, you should have been safe there as well.
If you had gotten pregnant from sex on the 3rd, the home pregnancy test would have detected it for sure. So I think you can safely count that one out. If you had gotten pregnant on the 24th, most HPTs would still be able to detect a pregnancy by the time you are 4 days passed a missed period. Some even advertise being able to predict it much earlier.
I am guessing that your period will come sometime in the next few days. If not, another pregnancy test may put your mind at ease. Please come back and update us, and let us know if there's any more we can do to help.
hi diane, i have a question about my period. im not so sure how to determine when im ovulating or when im fertile.. i have no idea. i hope you can help me.
my last period was Dec 22. my periods are regular from 28 days to 30. i had unprotected intercourse last Jan 8. was i fertile then? Im definite that he did not ejaculate inside me. but my concern is if he pre-ejaculated...
my period was supposed to come last Jan 18 but i still have no signs of my period. a bit of cramping though but thats it. yesterday, i peed and had a smear of blood but it stopped there.
i've been under SO MUCH stress since last week add to that the stress of being pregnant. i haven't taken any tests yet and still hoping God won't allow me to be pregnant at this time...
i hope you can give me insights on this. thank you.
Thank you very much! Your comments are reassuring. Still a no-show on the period, but I'm starting to relax a bit now that it's (at least, a little bit) "normal."
I will keep you posted! Thank you again!
You're very welcome. I'm glad you're able to relax just a bit. There's nothing like waiting for something to make it seem like it will never happen, is there?
Hang in there, and I'll keep an eye on your question to see how it turns out. =)
Thanks, Diane!
Well, now I am a week late and still no sign of it... I took a First Response Early Result test (the brand I normally use) today, and a little smudge of blue showed up next to the pink Negative sign. I wasn't sure if this can count as a positive or not, because it only formed about 1/5 of the line (it was just a bit on the bottom) and it was blue, whereas the kit said a Positive reading would be two pink lines.
I took a ClearBlue test a few hours later to avoid misreading it, and it came out negative... so I'm not sure what to think! :/
Thank you so much for your support!!
Update -- I googled what a positive First Result test would look like, and the test I took looked nothing like it, so a relief for me there :) Seems like I can count it as a negative. Day 39 now, still no period.
Hi unsure111,
Thanks for the update! You mentioned that you have a gyno appointment coming up this month, but have you considered calling them to let them know that your period is late (coming up on 2 weeks, right?), and a pregnancy test came out negative...but do they need to see you sooner than your regularly scheduled appointment?
Thanks ladies - my period came today, it was just over 1 week late :) Day 40 while I normally have a 30-day cycle. I did call them the other day, and now have the appt later this week, but so far I am breathing a sigh of relief.
Thanks for your help!
HELP! I"m going through the same thing. Here's my problem, my boyfriend and I had sex at the very end of my period last month when it was extrememly light, but then once he penetrated i started bleeding heavily again. But, he only went in a couple of times, probably 3. After that, we used a condom everytime and only had sex probably 7 times and then just oral the rest of the month. I've been working more and still have my moodiness that I always get with my period. I take birth control and I worked late one night and missed a pill by 4-5 hours. I take my pills at 8 every single night and missed it once and took it at 12:30am. I missed the pill about 4 days before my expected period and two days after I started bleeding like my period but it wasn't a lot because it would only fill half a regular tampon. This happened for 3 days and then turned into an extremely light spotting. It's the 3rd day of my period and it still hasn't come yet but I have experienced my usual period like symptons, like back pain, fatigue, but like I said it's completely normal. I took 3 different home pregnancy tests, one 5 days before, one 3 days before period and one on the second day of my missed period and they were all negative. So, is it the stress at work that's stopping my period or is there still a chance I may be pregnant?? I always had irregular periods before but since I've been on birth control they've been pretty regular, but sometimes they'll start the first day of the reminder pills and somedays the sixth but lately they've been starting the 3rd day of the reminder pill. Someone please help reassure me so I don't stress so much! :(
Hi Anon
Thanks for your question!
Unfortunately no-one here can definitively tell you whether you are pregnant or not - likely you'll have to wait it out a few more days (and I know how hard that is) and retest if you still haven't had your period.
The good news is that while it is important to take the Pill around the same time everyday (good for you for doing that) being 4 hours late is not much to worry about.
Did you make up for the other missed Pill the next day?
Your missed Pill may just have sent your system a little out of whack. You may be pregnant, of course, but it's more likely that you are not. Please let us know with an update - fingers crossed that you get your period soon - I was in your situation once or twice and it's a long and horrible wait. Best of luck and let us know!!