Possible Pregnancy Symptoms: What to Know

Question
The start day of my last periods was 16th feb.
My monthly's only go for 5 days and then i get them again after 28 days.
I figured i was due on the 20th march.
the week before i was due 18-24th march, i felt sick in the stomach, extremely bloated, constipated, had a migraine, and weird pains in my stomach mostly felt in the evenings.
i usually get pms symptoms mid cycle (2 weeks before im due) which is a little lower back ache and rarely any cramps, but my breasts are sore nad swell up alot... till now, they are not sore and havent swollen up at all.
My husband thought i might be pregnant so i decided to do a pregnancy test on monday 26th march - 6 days after i was due.
it came out negative but i also did the test at lunch time after drinking alot of water and 2 cups of tea....
this would have been my first pregnancy so i didnt know about not drinking excessively before the test or to test in the morning.
I planned on waiting a couple of days before testing again but curiously got the better of me and i tried again the following morning.... it was negative.
since then, i havent felt any pain in my stomache but was very moody..possibly because of the let down... and im still constipated, bloated and just want to know whats going on....
too scared to try testing again, just want to know what you think.....


Answer
Dear Jackie,

If your LMP started on 2/16 and you have regular 28 day cycles, then you actually would have been due on 3/16. So, at this point, you are almost 2 weeks late.

If you just tested within the last few days, a pregnancy test should have been able to pick up the pregnancy hormone if you were pregnant. However, some women do not have positive pregnancy tests in that first cycle. Don't ask me why - it's a mystery to me. But some women have reported not getting positive tests until well after the 6th week.

Another possibility for you is that you simply skipped a cycle - for whatever reason. Hormonal imbalances, stress, change in diet, weight loss or gain, depression, excessive or strenuous exercise, certain medications or drugs, or thyroid dysfunction can all cause menstrual irregularities.

The symptoms you describe having can be attributed to early pregnancy, but they are hormonal in nature. If you continue to have them, you can try testing each week for the next couple of weeks - in the interest of curiosity.  :-)  Otherwise, you can wait another two weeks and see what happens with your next cycle. If you have a period, then you'll know you are not pregnant. If you do not, you should test again.

The general recommendation is that if you miss three consecutive periods and test negative for pregnancy, you should see your doctor so that a cause can be determined.

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

Brenda