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!
Add A New Comment Report Abuse
Add A New Comment133 Comments
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.
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.