Understanding Potential Pregnancy Symptoms & Testing

Question
ok i had unprotected sex twice and 5 days after that i started my period. it only lasted 2 days instead of its normal 7. my period is never irregular. 10 days after i had sex i went to the doctor he did a pg test and it came back negative. but there are some people worried that it wasnt accurate because i only told the doc about the first time i had sex but not the second. i was convinced that i wasnt, but since then my breasts have gotten really tender and swollen and you can also see like all of the veins. and ive been having some cramping right below my belly button. i have also been eating a ton and when i dont i get really lightheaded. i have also been getting lightheaded when i stand up. i dont think im necessarily gaining weight but my stomach is really tight and i have had to use the restroom alot. There is no way i could be pregnant though is there? thanks for your help!


Answer
Dear Bekah,

It really has nothing to do with whether you had unprotected sex once or twice or three times, if the sex was in the same 24 hours time. Actually, the more important thing is the time between the unprotected sex and the date the test was done. A quantitative blood pregnancy test (if that is what was done) may or may not have been accurate as little as 10 days after the potential date of conception. Personally, I would not have completely trusted the results of any test until at LEAST 14 days after a possible conception.

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.

You will need to test for pregnancy to know for sure. 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 hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda