Cramps & Missed Period: Possible Pregnancy Signs & PCOS Considerations

Question
Hello,

I am 25 and have been having menstrual cramps for a couple of days now, but no period. Two weeks ago, I had a tiny bit of bleeding for about 3 days, barely noticeable, except I was looking, because I was waiting for my period to come. My last period was in mid/late-January, but I have been diagnosed with PCOS and I am somewhat regular with periods every six weeks.

Lately I have been noticing nipple tenderness, and a lot of thick milky vaginal discharge, with the discharge for about a month or so now. As of the past couple of days, I have the menstrual cramps, but no period.

I took a pregnancy test 3 days ago, but it came back negative. I have also been very depressed recently and under a lot of stress, so I figured that was why my period is late (and/or the PCOS), but I have been having unprotected sex with my boyfriend for the past year, so technically it is possible I could be pregnant. He usually has no pre-ejaculate and never comes close to orgasming inside me, so this has worked for us so far. The last time we had sex was a month ago, since we don't live in the same city.

Do you have any suggestions? Is it possible to be pregnant, even if the test comes back negative? Could this be a symptom of IBS?

Thanks for your help :-)

Laura

Answer
Dear Laura,

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, which is usually a minimum of three 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. I would suggest waiting another five days and testing again. If those results are negative, you can either wait 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.

IBS symptoms can definitely get worse when you are under stress. Women who have IBS may notice more frequent symptoms of the IBS during their menstrual periods. But the actual symptoms of IBS would include:
-Bloating and gas
-Mucus in the stool
-Constipation
-Diarrhea, especially after eating or first thing in the morning
-Feeling like you still need to have a bowel movement after you've already had one
-Feeling a strong urge to have a bowel movement
-Abdominal pain and cramping that may go away after having a bowel movement

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda