QuestionI would appreciate your help. I'm 39 years old and my last period was October 28. I had protected sex (condom) on November 13. My periods vary between 29-30 days--usually 30. On two rare occasions I had a period on day 27 and on day 35, a couple of years ago.
The condom didn't slip off and to my knowledge it didn't break or leak. I'm now on day 31 of my cycle and haven't gotten my period. I've been stressing out to the point where I can't sleep and feel like I'm having panic attacks--I obviously don't want children. I took a pregnancy test yesterday and it came back negative.
Over the weekend I felt like my period was coming. I normally get tired, sharp pains and achey in my abdomen. I haven't been nauseated though. The same week I had sex, I came down with a type of stomach flu and just didn't feel good for about a week. I don't know if this would delay my period or not.
I know the only way to know for sure is to wait and take another test, but I'm absolutely beside myself with worry.
AnswerDear Lisa,
The problem is that the stress and worrying can actually be the cause of the delay in your period. There are many various causes for amenorrhea (absence of periods) - pregnancy being just one. Others can be:
-Hormonal abnormalities, which cause fluctuating levels of the hormones needed to support menstruation
-Emotional or physical stress / Depression
-Rapid weight loss or gain
-Change in diet
-Low body weight
-Obesity
-Frequent or strenuous exercise
-Cysts or tumors in the ovaries
-Thyroid or Pituitary dysfunction
-Certain medications or drug use
-Menopause OR Premature ovarian failure (menopause before age 40)
-Occasionally stopping birth control pills
As you said, you will need to wait and test for pregnancy again to know for sure. I would suggest waiting another 5-7 days and testing again. Make sure when testing to use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results. 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
