Late Period & Possible Pregnancy: What to Do?

Question
My first day of my last cycle was January 19. I do not take birth control. The first time i was intimate with my husband was around February 1. Ive had a very stressful February so far. I was supposed to start around February 16th. Now that has come and gone, I took a home pregnancy test on Monday the 18th and it was negative. I was told to wait till the end of the week and try again if it doesnt come. My breast have been very sore for over a week and half. I thought for sure i was going to start Saturday the 16th. Any advice!

Answer
Dear Stephanie,

Anytime 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, which can be brought on by stress. That is why it so difficult to "diagnose" a pregnancy based on symptoms alone.

A positive pregnancy test is the only way 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 would suggest waiting another 5-7 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 am sorry for the day delay in answering - I am SO sick. I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda