[Danielleleigh]

Hi, I'm 23 yrs old and I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend February 15th. We did the old pull out method. I have searched the wed endlessly and have read all the articles. But nothing really gives me a straight answers. I didn't receive my period that month. I know that stress, weight gain or loss can lead to missed cycles. I have take a hpt and it came out negative.
For two weeks now I have had swollen breast and purple nipples. I even been sleeping more then I normally do. I all so have cold like systems,headache,nasal congestion,coughing. I get hot flashes and cold flashes. (I don't believe its menopause). Now my question is,even though the hpt came out negative, which I do know it may be to early to detect my hcg hormone. Could I still be pregnant?

[kp2171]

Well, you aren't getting "straight answers" because there are no reliable ones to give. If "symptoms" and missed/off cycles were reliable, HPT's would not be needed. Doctors wouldn't rely on hormone tests. Period.

So... you are right... your symptoms are not reliable and are not going to help you know with any certainty whether you are pregnant.

Can you be pregnant with a negative HPT? Yes.

As you probably have read, negative HPT's when pregnant is a failure of the test to detect levels of hormone at or above the threshold limit of the test... so a negative, when read under the strict guidelines of testing... is always just that... a failure to detect hormone at or above the limits of the test... which doesn't mean yes or no...

A positve HPT is quite reliable, again, when the HPT is done per directions and read within the described time.

So... yes you might be... or not. And you aren't going to get any closer to knowing by your symptoms. People might tell you what they "think"... but really, its just guessing and opinions that are not backed or supported by anything reliable.

You have to deal with time and testing now. I wish I had a "better" answer for you. This question gets asked here daily... and the answer does not change from person to person. Your symptoms (the ones you described) are not reliable for determining whether you are pregnant.

[kp2171]

By the way, the sticky linked below shows some potential signs of pregnancy... notice how most of the "signs" that people describe are listed as "presumptive signs" and are not considered "probable", let alone "positive" signs.

Also notice the window of time for many of the "probable" signs can be a dozen weeks out.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/pregna...ant-78870.html

[artlady]

Many times PMS symptoms will mimic pregnancy symptoms.
Also being ill with the cold of a flu bug will throw off your normal cycle.
I think it's a bit early for your symptoms to be pregnancy related.
If you still feel this way in a week ,you may want to visit your gyno.
It has been my experience that htp's are very reliable ,even as early as one week after a missed period.

[danielnoahsmommy]

Pull out method is not a form of birth control

[kp2171]

pull out method is not a form of birth control

With a failure rate commonly accepted in the 20-40% range, it is a lousy attempt at BC.

Would anyone ever spend a dollar on BC that said "two to four women in ten who use this method this year will get pregnant"?