Female Advice Preferred: I am 17, and utterly terrified that I may be pregnant.

[Miillo]

I really, really don't want to be pregnant. But my period is three days late and I'm beginning to get super worried. My period has been late before, because of the season changing I think (by 8 days, last year); but I was not sexually active then and didn't worry about it too much. I took two pregnancy tests, one a day before the day I was supposed to start my period, and one yesterday. They were both negative. (I've heard that you have a big chance of getting a false negative though, so my mind is not convinced.) I had protected sex about a week before I was supposed to start my period (using a condom), but when my boyfriend pulled out it was half way down, there was no leak though. I have had a lot of white discharge lately, but no period; sometimes it even feels like I've started my period there's so much, I'm also bloated/gassy. I've heard that being stressed can make your period late, that may be why mine is. I found out recently that my mom has neglected the house payments because of stubbornness (she is mentally ill and thinks that paying the mortgage is the government stealing from her) and that we are going to lose the house if she doesn't do anything, she also has been emotionally abusing me a lot lately. She is neglectful and I am underweight; I have heard that being underweight also has an effect on when your period comes. (Don't worry about the abuse, I'm going to move to my dad's home soon, he is great). I'm SO worried, I've have nightmares and panic attacks because of this. If I'm pregnant my entire life will be ruined; it's one of my greatest fears. I constantly worry, it's affecting my school life; I've been distracted, and that's not good for me because I have a whole lot of AP classes. I need some peace of mind, I don't want this paranoia to make my month a living hell. Please help me.

[Eternal]

Did you take the pregnancy test at least two weeks since you last had sex and did you take it with your first pee of the day? If not, then it's not going to be accurate. Also false negatives are not really common, if they were nobody would take pregnancy tests. False negatives really only happen if they are used incorrectly or too early.
Also I wouldn't worry about being pregnant if your period is only 3 days late. Lots of things can make periods late such as stress, exercise, etc. And because you're only 17 it's not going to be too regular yet, either. In fact periods are never super on the dot anyway. Cycles typically aren't ___ number of days, they will fluctuate each month. Being underweight can definitely make your period late or even stop coming.
Symptoms typically don't occur until a few weeks after your pregnant, but you may notice your breasts are tender after a week since the egg got fertilized.
My best advice is to wait another week and if your period still isn't here, take another test. And use condoms if you're going to have sex. The pull-out method is not a safe way to prevent pregnancy and it's more risky than it's worth.

[Miillo]

Originally Posted by Pug Princess

Did you take the pregnancy test at least two weeks since you last had sex and did you take it with your first pee of the day? If not, then it's not going to be accurate. Also false negatives are not really common, if they were nobody would take pregnancy tests. False negatives really only happen if they are used incorrectly or too early.
Also I wouldn't worry about being pregnant if your period is only 3 days late. Lots of things can make periods late such as stress, exercise, etc. And because you're only 17 it's not going to be too regular yet, either. In fact periods are never super on the dot anyway. Cycles typically aren't ___ number of days, they will fluctuate each month. Being underweight can definitely make your period late or even stop coming.
Symptoms typically don't occur until a few weeks after your pregnant, but you may notice your breasts are tender after a week since the egg got fertilized.
My best advice is to wait another week and if your period still isn't here, take another test. And use condoms if you're going to have sex. The pull-out method is not a safe way to prevent pregnancy and it's more risky than it's worth.

We did use condoms every time. I was talking about how when he pulled out with the condom on. ;w; Sorry!

[crystalclear]

I'm sure you'll be fine evem though I'm 13 I was late on my period my a mounth but I haven't had sex yet I'm sure your not pregant

[Always *]

You could be late for reasons involving stress, seasonal changes and "normal" fluctuations. Periods are never super consistent, like my period usually comes within 26-31 days, but is usually 27-29 days.

I totally understand your fears because I went through the same recently when my period was a few days later than the average. Bear in mind that I call it the AVERAGE, not anything else, because I know that my period fluctuates a little bit. I just hadn't dealt with it going 3+ days over due while NOT on birth control but BEING sexually active.

With the birth control, you can get false negatives. I don't think that it is as normal to get a false positive though. This is because you need certain levels of hormones in your urine, therefore if you didn't get enough pee on the stick or just otherwise didn't use it accurately enough OR if you used it to soon, you might get the "wrong" answer because if you use it to soon, you might be pregnant but your body might not have quite adjusted fully yet in terms of hormones. They actually recommend that you use the take home pregnancy kits 2 weeks afterwards. Some of them can be within 5-7 days but the sensitivity is still the best after 2 weeks.

I understand the amount of anxiety this is causing you. I know you probably can't just "flip the switch" on that just because I am going to tell you that it would be a good idea. I literally skipped a whole cycle a few times because I was under so much stress. If your under to much stress, your body will shut down certain functions, such as your period because your body will say "ok, your body cannot endure being pregnant right now" and you aren't necessarily pregnant - if this had happened to me when I was having sex, it would have made it so much worse because the possibility existed.

What I am trying to let you know is that I think you should wait. Give it until you are a full week late past the average (ex. my average is 27 days - I would give it until 34 days to get a pregnancy test because by then I am also 3 days outside of my wider range). If it has also been 2 weeks since you had sex by that point, you should get another pregnancy test and/or consult your family doctor just to make sure everything is in working order. (try the take home test first).

The fact that you might be skipping or late over stress is doubly true if you are under or overweight because women who are under or overweight are more susceptible to these sorts of fluctuations.

I would also like to suggest 2 additional things to you. This is for any time - pregnant or not pregnant.

1) "Period Tracker" - this is an app you can get on Androids and iPhones. you can click "start" and "end" for when your period begins and ends, you can monitor your symptoms, weight, etc. - this way you can really keep track of it. Like I found out that my period is not nearly as accurate as I think it is when I started using the app, I always thought it came at same time, but then I realized it really came, on average within a 3 day range, with a wider range of the full 7 days.

2) Birth Control - if you do not have any risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, blood clots and certain cancers, you should 100% get birth control. I am a big fan of the Nuva Ring because it keeps you on the same 4 week cycle that your body (roughly) functions on. You cannot "forget" it as easily as you can with the pill because you do not have to remember about it every single day, you just slip it in and take it out 3 weeks later. It is also the combination type with the 2 types of hormones, which makes it better than the mini-pills and stuff. And you can easily stop using it or what have you, unlike the IUD. But the pill is also a good idea. You have a lot of options and it is worth it. I would consult your family doctor

[Miillo]

Thank you all for replying to my thread, my anxiety is not as bad now. c:

[Eternal]

Originally Posted by Miillo

We did use condoms every time. I was talking about how when he pulled out with the condom on. ;w; Sorry!

If he was wearing a condom then there's pretty much no chance of you being pregnant unless it tore when he pulled out. Condoms are pretty effective as long as they don't tear, so honestly he didn't even need to pull out.

[Miillo]

~I took another test today, I waited 6 hours before peeing or drinking anything, and it was negative! So I'm quite confident that I'm not pregnant. I will take one more on Saturday though, and if that one is also negative I will call my doctor about my period not showing up. I will also make sure (or at least try) to eat more, and maybe drink orange juice so perhaps my cycle will steady out again. My anxiety attacks have stopped all together concerning this. So I have come very far mentally (compared to how freaked out I was when I posted this) due to all of the support I have gotten. Thank you all again! You really put my mind at ease. c:

[darkangeljbm]

It might be a hard conversation to have but you may want to talk to your dad when you move in with him about birth control .

[Lelola]

I would consider talking to a primary care provider about being underweight and find out if you are truly are underweight for your body frame. I don't go by the BMI.