19 year old female. For the past two weeks I've been burping excessively. I have been avoiding soda and the use of straws to see if that helps. I am also experiencing nausea (no vomiting) and heartburn all hours of the day, which I have been trying to subdue with Tums. I stopped taking my birth control fairly recently and my last period, the first once since I stopped taking the pill, was one day late. But this month, it is three days late so far. Suspecting I might be pregnant, I took a test two days ago. It was negative. What could be the reason for these symptoms? The soonest I can see my doctor is 10 days from now!

Sounds like gas...

And incidentally... you have to be at least two weeks late for your period for a HPT or you almost certainly will get a negative result... even if you are.

So wait until you are two weeks late... and take the test first thing in the morning... the first time you pee that morning... or you have to wait until the next day.

Going off b.c. is no small thing as far as your body is concerned. Women report all sorts of temporary 'symptoms' after going off the pill. However, who knows if it's related at all. You may just be getting sensitive to carbonation, caffeine, spicy foods, fried foods - all the foods I've been avoiding for about 15 years because of heartburn. I can't even lie down or lean back for at least 3 hours after eating or drinking. I suppose I could connect it to menopause, but it's one of those things that is what it is. I don't want to go on HRT just to see if it cures my heartburn. You could try going back on the pill.
(And yes, my gallbladder is gone.)

Thank you for answering!

But now I have another question- What can be done about gas? I've been fortunate enough to never have had this problem until now. I constantly feel like I'm on the verge of being ill and it seems like the Tums don't do anything but taste good :(

And thanks for the insight on the pregnancy test, I read that it should be accurate the 1st day of a missed period. It seems to be a pretty common misconception.

And incidentally... you have to be at least two weeks late for your period for a HPT or you almost certainly will get a negative result... even if you are.

So wait until you are two weeks late... and take the test first thing in the morning... the first time you pee that morning... or you have to wait until the next day.

But now I have another question- What can be done about gas? I've been fortunate enough to never have had this problem until now. I constantly feel like I'm on the verge of being ill and it seems like the Tums don't do anything but taste good :(
At a health food store or maybe even a good drugstore in the vitamin aisle, look for papaya tablets. They help with digestion, burping , and prevent gas production. Or ask the health food store clerk or a pharmacist for additional suggestions.

(What about these new HPTs I see on TV? Supposed to be much sooner results.)

As for gas, try the usual products OTC and if they don't work, see a doctor about your gall bladder, for starters. Gas hurts but shouldn't make you feel ill.

If you eat a lot of bean type stuff like lentils etc... even cabbage and stuff... there is an enzyme you can sprinkle on your food after its cooked... called "Beano" believe it or not... it helps digest the food components most likely to give you gas... its tasteless and has no side effects.

As far as stuff advertized on TV... take anything you see with a grain of salt... the exaggerate claims to get more sales...

Sure there are some differences between them... but its not huge... they all basically work the same way... detecting a hormone in your urine.

At a health food store or maybe even a good drugstore in the vitamin aisle, look for papaya tablets. They help with digestion, burping , and prevent gas production. Or ask the health food store clerk or a pharmacist for additional suggestions.

Interesting, I had not heard of this before. I definitely will look into it! Thank you