Possible Pregnancy Symptoms & Concerns: What to Do When Your Period is Late

Question
Hi Brenda,
  First i would like to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I would like to start out by saying that i had sexual intercourse one time at the end of August 31 to be exact. I havent had my period yet and it is about to be october and my period should of started. My boyfriend claims that he didnt cum, and also claims he didnt pre cum but i told him he would know if he pre cummed. i took a pregnancy test and it came back negative.l i have alot of signs of symptoms of being pregnant. So i figured id give my period another week and take another test again. Is there any other things that could be causing these symptoms, and can i be pregnant off of pre-cum?.

Answer
Dear Erica,

Anytime you have had unprotected sex, you cannot dismiss the possibility of pregnancy. Using the withdrawal method would not be considered "protected", since it is historically ineffective. This is because pre-ejaculate (the little bit of semen that seeps out before actual ejaculation) can have sperm cells contained within it. Those sperm cells could fertilize an egg and conceive a pregnancy. The symptoms of pregnancy 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.

There are many various causes for amenorrhea (absence of periods) - pregnancy being just one. Others can be:
-Hormonal imbalances, which cause fluctuating levels of the hormones needed to support menstruation
-Emotional or physical stress / Depression
-Rapid weight loss or gain
-Change in diet
-Low body weight
-Obesity
-Frequent or strenuous exercise
-Cysts or tumors in the ovaries
-Thyroid or Pituitary dysfunction
-Certain medications or drug use
-Menopause OR Premature ovarian failure (menopause before age 40)
-Occasionally stopping birth control pills

I would suggest waiting another 7-10 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