Late Period & Possible Pregnancy: Symptoms & What to Do

Question
I have been participating in open sex with my fiance and were trying to get pregnant.  I am on a normal 28 day cycle I think.  Meaning that I start my period usually at the same time each month.  I should have started spotting on the 4th or 5th but have not.  I am cramping like you would NOT believe and have been super emotional.   I took a cheap pregnancy test from our local dollar store but it was negative.  Could it be wrong??  Could I be pregnant?

Answer
Dear Audra,

If you had unprotected sex during the last cycle, then 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. 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 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