[sketcher]

I am 22 years old. I expected my period the first week of December, now it's the 22nd! I took a "4 days before your missed period" at home pregnancy test=negative. My breasts haven't changed, I have not vomited. I have, however, been tired, had gas, and tonight I see a little light pink spotting. I am not sure if this means it's implantation spotting or the beginning of my period. I have been under much more stress than the stress I have had this month, I have only slightly increased my physical activity, but I have gone back to eating fish and poultry after 8 years of vegetarianism. Could this be the cause? Could I be pregnant? If I am not pregnant, could I have something serious? I am not talking about stds because I have had pap smears and everything turned out fine. I have been in a monogomous relationship with my husband for several years. Thank you!:(

[padowbear]

I think that you should probably take another home pregnancy test just to be sure and you should also go to the doctor and get a scan to make sure that you haven't caught anything... its so important for girls who are sexually active to get regular checkups because if there is something that you have caught, the sooner you find out, the less damage will happen to your insides... what could have been cured with a couple weeks worth of pills/medication could turn into cervical cancer/sterility.. All of your symptoms could come from pregnancy, or even a combination of a change in your diet and stress. One thing that I experience is that if I have been under a lot of stress lately, my period becomes off and will come for a day and then show up a couple of weeks later or I even skip periods at a time... stress can also cause you to get a less-quality sleep which could cause you to be tired... as for the gas, it could be because of the excess of oils that are found in fish... I would strongly advise you do go to your doctor right away and get tested and scanned and continue to get scanned on a regular basis if you insist on being sexually active. The sooner you know, the less stress you will have.

[sketcher]

Thank you for your reply. I am certain that I haven't caught anything, for I am in a completely monogomous marriage and I have had good results from previous (regular) pap smears. I was more curious about hormonal imbalances, etc.

[J_9]

It could well be hormonal Sketcher, you don't mention your age, so I hate to venture a guess.

It could very well be stress, stress plays a major factor in missed periods for some women.

I also ask that you read this about implantation bleeding

I seriously doubt it has to do with your diet. Many times this happens with extreme weight losses due to inadequate food intake, but not necessarily a diet change such as yours.

Those tests that you took typically have a high number of false negatives. You might want to take another one and make sure you take it first thing in the morning with first morning urine. If it still comes out negative make an appointment for a blood test.