I had a 3 day period last month and now I am 37 days into my cycle could I be pregnant?

Hi, Anon,

I know how you feel. I've been in your position of hoping for a pregnancy and then being disappointed.

But I would say that the longer you wait to test, the more your hopes build up, and the harder it is to learn that you're not pregnant. With your fatigue and tender breasts, it IS possible, but it's also possible that the three-day period was an actual period and that you're actually ovulating again.

Unfortunately, there's just no way to tell except (1) take another test or (2) wait it out and see if your next period comes on time. Trying for a baby can be such a rollercoaster; I understand why you don't want to let go of hope if you don't have to. Just don't make it harder on yourself than it already is, OK?

Hi, Anon,

Welcome to EmpowHer! And thank you so much for your question.

If I had to guess, I would guess that you're not pregnant because of the 3-day period. However, it's possible. Most of the time when women bleed after becoming pregnant, it is implantation bleeding and it is more like spotting. If you had more of a normal period -- even though it was shorter -- I wouldn't think it was implantation bleeding.

Were you right on time with this "period?" Did you have your usual symptoms? (Cramping or PMS?) Have you been feeling any other symptoms, like bloating, needing to urinate more often, fatigue or tender breasts?

Anon,

How long are your normal cycles, usually? And you took the HPTs before the 3-day period, but not after?

I think if I were you, with the symptoms you are experiencing, that I would take another home pregnancy test now. clearly you have some symptoms going on, and if they aren't pregnancy symptoms, you may be coming down with something. Either way, it would be very good to know.

Will you update us ?

Hi,
It is confusing, but when you have menstrual bleeding, it means that you would not have a viable pregnancy. Some women may have very slight bleeding, or spotting, as a "period" when they are pregnant, but the vast majority do not...there are just always exceptions.

No, you can not get pregnant on the 24th and then have a period on the 26th. It would have been possible to become pregnant earlier (like on the 14th), and have slight spotting on the 26th.

Are you and your husband having unprotected sex? Are you trying to conceive? Are you sure you did not have sex anytime between your period on August 26th and September 21st? Have you taken a home pregnancy test, just to be sure?

You are right that during your period you shed the lining of your uterus, and that is the reason you would not have a "viable pregnancy"; technically, you could have a fertilized egg, but it is not a "pregnancy" until the fertilized egg is implanted into your uterus; and this is not possible when you shed the lining. And, even if two eggs were released during ovulation, one can not be viable as a pregnancy as the entire uterus lining is shed...not just part of the lining.

Women's cycles can become irregular for no apparent reason one month, and this can be perfectly normal. Cycles can range from 21-35 days to be considered "normal", and there is fluctuation even beyond those days. Some women even miss a period one month, and this can be OK. Your next steps can be: take a home pregnancy test, and/or call your GYN if your period has not started within another week. (They may not need to see you until you have missed a certain number of periods, it is that common! Amenorrhea, a medical condition for the absence of periods, is only a "condition" once a woman has missed her period for 3 months).