Possible Pregnancy Symptoms After Birth Control Discontinuation: What to Watch For

Question
I have taken birthcontrol (Yaz) off and on for the last 7 months. About a month ago I was really irregular on taking them. I would forget to take them, sometimes for a day or two. Well I stopped taking them the last week of July and I have had unprotected sex with my boyfriend several times with and without using the pill. In the last few weeks I have been having really sore breast, nausea, and headaches. I'm always tired!!! I feel bloated and look like I've gained ten pounds in my butt and my breasts and a little bit in my stomach. Over the last month I have taken 2 pregnancy tests and they were both negative. Could I be pregnant?

Answer
Dear Sarah,

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.

I would suggest waiting another 5-7 days and testing again. If you really have only had fully unprotected sex since the last week on July, a potential conception date would have only been in the last 2-3 weeks. Although some tests claim accuracy on the first day of a missed period (approx. 2 weeks after conception), I usually suggest that women wait until the week after a missed or spotty period before testing for pregnancy (at least 3 weeks after potential conception). 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. If those test 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