No period, but negative pregnancy test??

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
No period, but negative pregnancy test??
11
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 6:58pm
Hello to everyone out there!

My confusing problem: I've been off birth control for 5 months due to the side affects and after my last period while on birth control I begin having regular periods. Me and my significant other use condoms everytime with NO exceptions. The condom has never broke and we check it after sex everytime to make sure of that. This month I was suppose to start mt period (my cycle is around 34 days) on the 3rd, but nothing came. I went and bought a pregnancy test that shows results up to 5 days before your period. I took the first test the night I was suppose to get my period and it came out negetive. I then took another test 2 day later thinking that maybe the HCG in my urine hadn't showed up yet and it came out negetive as well. Then I took another one about three days later since my period still didn't shown and it was negative once agian. So my questions are: What, besides pregnancy, causes a missed period? How accruate are home preganancy test? Has anyone else had this experince before? I have another test and am going to wait and take in a week from now if my period hasn't shown by then.

Thank you for your time!

L.N.C.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2004
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 7:12pm
I just went to the dr about the same thing. The only difference is that I just went off the pill a month ago. She said that it is very normal after going off the pill that your periods are late or even non-existent for a while. I am over a week late. She told me to call her if I haven't started in 2-3 weeks. I took 5 tests 4 negative and one positive. She took a test today came back negative. Stress can also cause you not to have a period. Good Luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 8:09am
How old are you? If you are in your late 30s or 40s you might not have ovulated that month hence no period. I have been off the pill since Aug of 2003, and my periods are anywhere from 24-29 days apart. And sometimes I have several days of spotting before, other times I dont. Like the other poster, you can check with your dr.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 10:20am
I'm 20 years old. Iv'e always had a pretty regular period with no problems and that is why I am so confused. I'm going to wait until next Monday, take the fourth test and see what happens. If I am still concerned I'll go to the doctor. Another thing I noticed this month is that I had a lot more cervical discharge than normal and it lasted longer. Could this have anything to do with it? Do you usually get a bit more discharge before your period or when you are fertile? I can't remember.

Tanks for the time you have taken out to reply,

L.N.C.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 2:49pm
The discharge is normal. It should be most copious before you ovulate and then diminish some after. Do you notice your sex drive is "out of control" around that time also? Thats another hint you are about to ovulate. Something I forgot to mention is that sometimes our bodies need a kick-start to get them back to using their natural hormones. Your dr may give you something to do that. Let us know what happens.

~Josie

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 3:55pm
Plus, sometimes pregnancy tests can keep coming out negative for the first month (or even longer) of pregnancy. A close friend took many, many pregnancy tests, both home and the ones in the hospital lab, and all came out negative for the first 8 weeks of her pregnancy. Finally, after two missed periods, lots of nausea and some very sore breasts she had a positive pregnancy test. Sometimes women just don't produce levels of beta HCG detectable in urine for a little longer than usual.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 6:09pm
Was your close freind having unprotected sex? I have never had unprotected sex and have been trying to factor everything in and out of the situation to try and figure out what is going on. I've missed my period once in my whole life and that was years ago and I got it the following month. Does weight gain or loss, stress or anything else factor into a missed period? Me and my boyfriend have went over everything and we can't figure out how pregnancy can be possible. i know that you can get pregnant without having intercourse if seman comes into contact with the vagina, but we have never come that close without a condom being on. Hmmmm, I can't figure it out???? I guess I'll worry my head off until next Monday. Even if the test comes back negative, I think I will go see a doctor anyway. I just hate to pay (very low on money. College student) and then after, get my period or go just to find out the home pregnancy test where right.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 7:41pm
Good call on asking about my friend -- she wasn't having protected sex, they were relying on the pull-out method (she and her boyfriend were not being very smart about birth control). I really doubt that you're pregnant considering how careful you and your boyfriend are, I just wanted to toss out there that it's possible to have many negative preganancy tests.

Weight gain and loss are two great ways to change your menstrual cycle, and if either of those has happened that may be a cause.

Once, before i was on OC, I skipped a period because I went on cycle with my sister while i was home for winter break from college, and she'd had her period before coming home. when i went back to school three weeks later, i changed cycles because of a friend of mine, and ended up going a full 8 weeks between periods! it was stressful, but sometimes girls can affect each other like that. are you spending a lot of time with any new women? you might just be susceptible to moving onto others' cycles.

also, stress (such as the stress of a missed period) can delay your menstruation, too.

It's all very frustrating, but it seems like you've laid out a great game plan for figuring this out, and I think only time will tell.

Good luck!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
Tue, 05-11-2004 - 8:12pm
Thank you for all your time and help!

I really appreciate it. You are right, only time will tell, but in the mean time it's going to drive me crazy!!!! (laugh!)

Thanks agian,

L.N.C.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 05-12-2004 - 7:53am
I don't have any personal experience with late periods, but from being here for the last 2 years, sometimes they just happen! Stress can delay ovulation, which would result in a late period, as can significant weight gain or loss (not a couple of pounds, but a big change). There's a number of reasons why periods can be late other than pregnancy, but other than getting your doctor involved, you may just have to wait it out and see how things go. I used condoms for five years and while I didn't have cycles that were exactly the same length every month (not that I remember, anyway), it was a little nerve-wracking to wait, though I never did have a pregnancy scare.

Something else you can do for the future (to help you with the wait) is to start keeping track of fertility indicators--the easiest is cervical mucous. As Josie mentioned, when you're ovulating, you should have more discharge, and it's got a peculiar texture, like egg whites, and it won't be that way at any other time of the month (otherwise it might just be wet or sticky or lotiony, etc.). A period should follow this type of discharge by about two weeks or so. Other fertility indicators are cervical position and basal body temperature--for a good book on the subject you might find "Taking Control of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler, it goes into great detail about how the menstrual cycle works and how to (or not to) get pregnant.

Good luck! I hope it's nothing...

Judie

Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Wed, 05-12-2004 - 1:13pm
Could you go to your local health dept or planned parenthood to get a blood test? It might be cheaper. And it may settle your mind.

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