QuestionI have a regular 28-30 day cycle. Most recently it has been 28 days. I am sexually active with my partner, roughly 3-4 times a week. My period was due on the 11th of november. I tested that same day because we use the pull out method as BC - we are not really trying but we are not against having a child. Well due to a late pull out we fear some semen may have escaped. I therefore tested on the evening of my missed period and received no results. I tested again last night (2 days late) and still negative. After incourse last night i had light pink spotting and assumed i started my period. But upon waking up this morning found nothing and i defnitely do not have my period. I do have some breast tenderness, bloating and gas but nothing outside of normal PMS. I would like to test again but not prematurely. What are my chances of being pregnant and when would it be safe to test again? I am now only 3 days late.
AnswerDear Tanya,
Well, I can tell you that historically the "pulling out" method of birth control, in and of itself, is not very effective. The withdrawal method of birth control has an average failure rate of at least 19%. Although it can be used effectively, it is not uncommon for an unplanned pregnancy to occur when a couple uses this type of contraception without another method. This is mainly because pre-ejaculate (the little bit of semen that seeps out before actual ejaculation) can have a high concentration of sperm cells contained within it. But if you aren't all that concerned with avoiding pregnancy - this may not be a big issue for you.
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/if you test make sure to use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results.
I would suggest waiting another 5-7 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
