Late Period & Negative Pregnancy Tests: What Could It Be?

Question
I'm a little (ok, a lot) freaked out.  I am now about 2 weeks+ late for my period.  I've been experiencing mild cramps for a little longer than that.  I've felt like my period would be here any minute and then nothing.  I've noticed a tiny bit of pink spotting twice in the past three days.  I took 2 hpts and both came back negative.  It seems unlikely that I would be pregnant because I've only had sex 3 times since my last perid, once was with a condom and the other times were withdrawal method 2 and 4 days after my last period ended.  Can you please help me understand what could be going on?

Answer
Dear Amanda,

If you have had unprotected sex during the last cycle or two, you cannot dismiss the possibility of pregnancy. 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. Since you are two weeks late, 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