Understanding Missed Period & Spotting: Causes & What to Do

Question
I have a question about my cycle. I have a regular 28 day cycle. I have been trying to get pregnant with my husband for a 8 months. Seen a gyn and had a pap smear and was checked for stds. I am fit for pregnancy with no issues. Jan 23 I had my cycle and it was normal and last 4 days, with starting off heavy to medium to light. Now it's Feb 27 and on feb 25, at night I had spotting when I wipe which was pink and only at that one time. Feb 26 I also had spotting but on on the toliet paper and very light and also only at that one time. Today I have spotting but watery and has mucus. My breast are sore off and on from the sides. I took 3 pregnancy test, one on the 20th which was when my period was suppose to come and it was negative then I took one 2 days later with the first morning urine and it had a faint positive. I tested again a day after and it came out negative, yet I still dont have a period. Today, it's spotting most of the time when I use the washroom however, I put a pad on and nothing is on it. Can I be pregnant after the last test said negative? Today I am 7 days late.

Answer
Dear Cheryl,

First, I apologize for the delay... nasty computer virus.

The symptoms you describe are hormonal in nature and can also be related to hormone fluctuations within your cycle. That is why it so difficult to "diagnose" a pregnancy based on symptoms alone.

Although some tests claim accuracy on the first day of a missed period, I usually suggest that women wait until the week after a missed or spotty period before testing for pregnancy. This tends to minimize the incidence of false negative results and also avoids wasting money on a test for a simple delay of a period by a few days. When you do test make sure to use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results. I would suggest waiting another five days and testing again. If those results are negative, you can either wait for the next cycle to see if your periods resume or have your doctor's office do a quantitative blood pregnancy test (serum beta hCG). That test will give an actual amount of hCG in your bloodstream rather than just a positive/negative result. Any amount of 25 mIU/ml or more would be considered positive for pregnancy.

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda