Pregnancy Scare

[destroyparanoia.livejournal.com]

This journal is an obvious sock, mainly because I don't want friends in real life to read this, because of their views on abortion. I have come to the decision that if I am pregnant, I will go through with one.

Forgive me if I seem overly paranoid or uneducated. Previously I was only involved with women (I thought I was completely uninterested in men for many years) and had no reason to worry and then was celibate for many years. I am technically a "virgin" as neither toys nor a penis have ever penetrated me. I am not sure whether or not I have vaginismus, but it was never really a concern because none of my girlfriends was really into penetrating me with anything but a finger or two.

Here are the facts:

Over Labor Day weekend my boyfriend and I went on our first trip together and while we were there we engaged in some sexual activity, basically oral and manual sex for the most part. On either Saturday or Sunday we engaged in some dry humping where we were completely unclothed, and his penis was in contact with my vulva and clitoris, although for the most part it was the base of his penis. I am ABSOLUTELY SURE he was not inside me whatsoever, not even for a moment, and that if the head was near my entrance, it was very fleeting. I also know he had not ejaculated for almost 48 hours, if not longer, and that he had peed many times over those days. He also did not ejaculate during the dry humping whatsoever, or anywhere near me for the rest weekend. The only possible thing that could have gotten anywhere near my vagina would have been pre-ejaculate, which I have been researching and seems to not have any sperm in it unless the man has previously ejaculated and not peed in between.

My last period began the 21st of August and lasted around 4 days, as is normal. I have only started tracking my period since I started becoming sexually active again, but I have done so religiously and it has fluxuated (between 25-29 days) before settling into 29 days the past three months. At the time I write this, my period is almost two full days late, as it is Saturday and I should have gotten my period Thursday. I caught a cold on the 5th and it was over around the 12th. Since I have come back from vacation I have been under a lot of stress due to my university courses, much more than normal, and the fact that my schedule has been greatly changed since the summer months because I have a lot of early courses.

I am a person who obsessively worries, but I have looked up the possible symptoms of pregnancy and I do not seem to have any, apart from the late period and fatigue, which I believe could be chalked up to the sickness and the change in schedule. Yesterday I began drinking parsley tea (1 tbsp dry to 1 cup hot water) in order to try and induce the period. I drank 8 cups over the course of yesterday and have drank 4 cups today. Over the past two days I have experienced mild menstrual cramps (probably because of the tea) which usually accompany the beginning of my period but I haven't even spotted yet.

I guess what I am asking is how likely is it that I am pregnant, and would it be any good to try a HPT (any reccomendations as to brand in the US would be appreciated) as I would probably view a negative result as false anyway?

My boyfriend thinks that we should wait until the period is overdue a week and then try a doctor's appointment.

Just as an aside, I am not on BC, but I was scheduled to have an IUD inserted during this period, which is why we we have not attempted penetrative sex.

Comments

[archangelbeth]

If you are pregnant, I would be more inclined to blame a greek god sneaking into your bed and pretending to be your blanket. Stress from being sick, stress from university courses, stress from changing around when you're waking up... Far more likely than him having ninja sperm that snuck out of his testicles and down to his penis, jumped off the end of it in little space-suits, managed to get from the outer parts of your vulva into your vagina, and then -- without their aiding seminal fluid or zillions of other assistants -- made the swim to your fallopian tubes to wait for Ms. Ova... O:>

I mean, I suppose there's a chance that you are pregnant, but it's probably only slightly higher than the chance that one of your ova did not successfully divide, ovulated with a full genetic copy of your DNA, and that you are now bearing your own clone-daughter.

If it's been at least 2 weeks since the sex in question, you would be in the range of "very likely accurate" if you took a pregnancy test. If you're in the US, I hear that Dollar Tree chain stores often have inexpensive tests (which are generally as reliable as more expensive ones).

You can also, if you're a student at a place with a health center, probably get a pee-test there.

Luck on your classwork! I suspect that you really, really won't need any luck-wishing on the pregnancy side of things.

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

I agree with this 100%. :)

Fears like this really are normal when one is first becoming sexually active in a way that may even hypothetically lead to a pregnancy. But the activites you describe are unbelievably unlikely to cause a pregnancy. A HPT might ease your mind, however. :)

[alwaysborrowed.livejournal.com]

Without penetration or ejaculation there is really no way for you to be pregnant. The chances are beyond slim. You're stressing yourself out, which is probably why your cycle is out of whack.
Go to a dollar store and buy a pregnancy test if you're really worried.

[whatwe-know.livejournal.com]

babydoll: you [almost certainly] aren't pregnant! don't get yourself too worried (i know, easier said than done). but the chances of you conceiving are SO. SLIM. based on what you wrote. i don't think there's cause for alarm. just keep trying to induce if you are really wanting your period. and take a test for peace of mind. all of the tests are just as good as the others. you can even get the dollar stores ones or just the test strips online (i once bought a dozen on amazon--they are just the strips without the plastic casing).

i'd say take a test now. wait a few more days, and if you haven't gotten it test again. that would probably almost entirely rule out pregnancy. and if you're still late, then i would go to the doc if it bothers you. chances are though that it's nothing bad!! good luck.

[snowmentality.livejournal.com]

As I told someone else here once, I will eat my hat if you are pregnant -- and I have a big black sun hat, so that's a major commitment!

The physical stress of being sick, and mental stress of university courses, can absolutely delay your period. I'd bet money this is what's happening.

PeeOnAStick.com (http://www.peeonastick.com/hptfaq.html#1), a great resource about all things pregnancy-test related, recommends waiting 19 days after sex to take a home pregnancy test, to assure accuracy. You're right on time with that, so if you wanted to, you could get a dollar store test (to save money -- they work just as well as the expensive ones) and test.

I bet your period will show up soon, but if it's more than a week or two overdue, you may want to try a doctor's appointment just for your own peace of mind -- and just to make sure there's not some other, non-pregnancy reason why you've missed it, especially since you're planning on getting an IUD.

Again, I am 99% sure that you are not pregnant and that this is just normal variation in your cycle. Fingers crossed that your period shows up soon so you can stop worrying!

[jocelina.livejournal.com]

I agree with the commenters above -- it's super, super-unlikely that you're pregnant. However, it is totally normal to worry. There is nothing wrong with worrying, save that it's probably upsetting and disruptive to you/your life, which is not fun. :)

As Beth said, an HPT would likely be accurate at this point, so if taking one would help put your mind at ease, that is a very good idea. Or you could wait and try going to the doctor -- either is a perfectly valid option, and it's really just a matter of what suits you best.

[archangelbeth]

However, it is totally normal to worry. There is nothing wrong with worrying

This is true! (Like the time I went 68 days between the end of one period and the start of another. Three pregnancy tests, including one at the student health center, where the nurse said that they see a lot of MIA periods during finals month. Perfectly normal, she said. I said, "But I don't feel stressed..." Yah, well, 68 days, written down in my little red book...) I was, shall we say, rather concerned. If -- as I was graduating -- less so than the first time my period went MIA for 54 days after the last time it ended. That was intense.

[jenn-possible.livejournal.com]

It's normal to be totally paranoid about sex when you first start fooling around (with men). When I started having sex, I used the pill, condoms with spermicide, and the withdrawal method. After a few months, I felt comfortable enough with the pill and withdrawal, and now I've been using only the pill for about 6 years with no scares.

It might help you to use birth control (pill, condoms, or spermicide) even during dry humping, etc. Even though it's pretty much impossible that you'll get pregnant, it might be worth it for your peace of mind.