Hi! My name is Christine I am 17 years old and of course sexually active why else would I be on this site right?? Well I am having a bit of a problem. My fiancée and I had unprotected sex for the first time since we have been together, and we have been together for almost 5 years. The only reason we did this was because we didn't have protection and this was back in late August. I had a little bleeding in early September it only lasted for about 3-4days, but it was nothing like my normal periods. It was brownish and somewhat pinkish. Then it just stopped. I haven't actually had my period since like mid to early August, which is really weird. I have a normal menstural cycle and yes I was on birthcontrol, but it was the orthoevra patches which doesn't interfer with your cycle. In the beginning of October I began getting sick so I decided to go see my PCP. She sent me to get a urine pregnancy test done, which came back negative. She told me if I still didn't get my cycle to take a home test which again all 3 came back negative, and I still haven't gotten my cycle. I'm constantly tired and nauseous. Still no period, still all tests are negative. What should or can I possibly do? Could I possibly be pregnant? Could there possibly be something wrong with my female parts that is keeping my period from happening?

Hi Christine,

I would recommend you back to see your PCP. It sounds unlikely that you are pregnant due to the negative results and the fact you were on birth control. However, as nothing short of abstinence is full proof and tests have been known to show false results, there is still the slightest possibility. Your doctor should be able to get a definitive answer for you.

Missing your period could be down to any number of other factors; stress, being under or overweight, a change in medication or even a change in schedule can throw your body off.

Pregnancy aside, the fact your body is displaying symptoms irregular to you, is reason enough to and get checked out.

How many women have "normal" cycles... until they don't?

As you know, a negative pregnant. Test doesn't mean you aren't pregnant. It means failure to detect hormones that are indicative of pregnancy at testing threshold levels.

Which, in laymans terms, means no means maybe not. Or maybe. But not a for sure yes.

A negative only means your body has not built up a high enough concentration of hormones to cause a positive. I could take the test (im a guy) and get the same result. A pregnant woman could take the test and get that result depending on her hormone levels. A woman who isn't pregnant would get that result.

So... as you've been told... its wait and test and wait and test.

And stop thinking a lack of a period is due to defective "female parts"... the body is much more complicated than that. Yes... you can be pregnant and get a negative hpt. And you can also be stressed. Or sick. Or your hormone levels could be changing as you age which throws your cycle off. Your diet could suck. You could be depressed. Et cetera, ad nauseum.

Which means we still don't have an answer for you. But I really want you to think differently about your body and your cycle, even if you aren't pregnant.

Lets take a man. Who has a problem with an erection. It's a physiological response. It can be because he has enzyme problems. Because of blood pressure problems. Because of performance anxiety. Because of stress outside the bedroom. Because of depression. Because of alcohol and/or drug use. Blah. Blah. Blah. Point is... there are often multiple "reasons" to a physiological effect. Sometimes its additive. Sometimes its one big thing.

Likewise... an irregular period can certainly be tied to a pregnancy which is not yet detectable by testing. Or you can not be pregnant and there are a dozen reasons your body's cycle will be off.

So sorry I can't say yes or no. all I can say is we don't know and to keep testing and wait it out. And in the meantime, if you choose to have sex, use protection.

My son was conceived while using BC and methodically tracking her cycle so "oops" happens even with some "safeguards"... but that's not an excuse to ignore the usefullness of BC.

False negatives are quite common with UPTs (urine pregnancy tests) if they are not conducted properly or are out of date (that happens more often than you would believe).

Make sure you are using first morning urine when taking the test and follow the directions exactly as to how soon to read the test.

If it still comes up negative you might want to make an appointment with your doctor for a blood test.

Now, other factors can cause a late or missed period such as change in diet or exercise routine, weight loss or gain, and stress levels.