Missing PMS symptoms...

[tellthetabl0ids.livejournal.com]

 Hey everyone. For those of you who have read my posts you know I'm very paranoid about everything, so I'm sorry if this question seems silly.

My cycle is usually 31 days long. For the past couple months, it's been exactly 31, but sometimes it can be 30 or 32. Very rarely is it ever 28. Today is day 31 of my cycle, no period yet, but I just woke up so I'm not too concerned... except that I haven't had ANY PMS symptoms. Without fail, I'm always moody, I get a zit or 2, I get bloated (I have gained about a pound but I think that's just from eating :( ), and a few days before my period, I get a slight backache/period-like cramp- I can just "feel" that it's coming. I haven't experienced any of these, which is very abnormal for me. I haven't been any more stressed out than normal so I don't think that's a factor. I just took a bunch of vitamin C which usually does the trick, so we'll see.

I had unprotected sex twice this month (to spare you the details, he's only inside me without a condom for less than a minute and he always pulls out waaay before he even gets close to ejaculating), and like I said, I'm paranoid and I'm afraid this lack of symptoms could actually be a pregnancy symptom. Is there any validity to that theory or am i just crazy? I know there's always a risk of pregnancy, but we are relatively safe and we try to time it according to when I'm ovulating.

Your thoughts are appreciated :) tia!

ETA: thanks for all the input. After taking a shitload of vitamin c... still no period. However, I've done some research, and after realizing how much soy milk I've been drinking lately (at least 2 servings a day), I wouldn't be surprised if the estrogen levels messed me up a it. I hope that's all it is!

Comments

[alicia-beth.livejournal.com]

Well, of course any time that you have unprotected sex there is a chance. Pulling out really doesn't work too well because of the presence of sperm in precum. But, if you also timed it so that you were not doing that during ovulation (or right around there) then you're less likely to have gotten pregnant from it.

The absence of symptoms in itself isn't really anything to be worried about as your cycle and its symptoms can change over time. When I first started getting my period I had symptoms every month. Then for a while I got cramps the day it started and that was about it. Then I started where I would get back aches and cramps before I got it. It really does just all depend I think.

While there is a chance of pregnancy, I'd say it's really slight based on what you described.

[archangelbeth]

Various studies have shown that there is not sperm in pre-cum unless -- and this is actually theorized more than studied; the studies say "no living sperm in precum" -- there was a recent ejaculation and the guy didn't urinate afterwards. That can leave sperm hangin' out.

Perfect use withdrawal is actually only 2% less effective than perfect use of condoms. Something like 96% effective vs. 98% effective. And that's on its own, no FAM or trying to avoid ovulation.

Now, withdrawal is very probably the most difficult contraceptive method to master, and is not appropriate for some people; my spouse, for instance, has been known to "leak" a little just prior to his climax, so no way am I using withdrawal! But even used typically, with about a 30-something% chance of pregnancy in a year of using it... that still flips the percents of nothing-at-all, which is like 85% chance of pregnancy if having regular sex without trying to do anything to either cause or prevent pregnancy.

I do, however, agree that sometimes periods just go wonky -- and so does PMS. I get differing amounts of PMS, physically and emotionally, depending on if I've been taking my B-vitamins, for instance.

[alicia-beth.livejournal.com]

The problem is the part about being difficult to master. My oldest daughter is the result of the pull out method, as is my best friend from high school's daughter and a good friend of mine's daughter. Of the people I know most of the accidental pregnancies have been a result of the pull out method.

I did say that it's not as likely, but it DOES happen and that's what people need to understand. Statistics sometimes give people a false sense of security thinking that it won't happen to them, especially statistics like these where the high effective rate is actually aimed towards older individuals with more experience. Younger individuals who are not so experienced are usually more likely to experience an effective rate closer to 70%.

[archangelbeth]

It's just that there's a difference between "really doesn't work too well" and "the odds are X, with perfect use; the odds are Y, with typical use; if you're not comfortable with those odds, then this is not a good contraceptive method for you."

There are a lot of posts to VP that reflect the misinformation that "pulling out" is no better than not pulling out, such as people worrying about their future fertility -- "we used pulling out for X years and I didn't get pregnant and I know it's not really a contraceptive method so am I not going to be able to have kids?" And the answer is... If it was done perfectly, then there's no more reason to worry about fertility (and no reason to take infertility for granted!!) than if condoms had been used. Even if it wasn't done perfectly, the odds are still in favor of the majority of people dodging the conception for a year or two or even three.

(And then there's the other side of that: people saying, "Oh, pull-and-pray's not a real method and you'll totally get pregnant" when someone's personal experience is that they didn't. So they disregard the actual statistics, until they become one themselves.)

I'm not saying that you didn't have a failure -- it happens. It is especially likely to happen in younger age-groups, when the guys involved don't really know their reactions well, and may not be well-informed about urinating before resuming activities. Or where it's hard to communicate, "I'm gonna come soon" when one's partner is holding on tight!

But even hormonal birth control has failures. Even IUDs have failures. About the only thing that can't have a failure is removal of the ovaries, and that's got a host hormonal issues that make it a bad idea. It's part of the goal of VP to educate people on the risks of their chosen contraceptive method(s), and what those risks mean, and let people decide if a 2 in 1,000 chance is too high, or if they're in a situation where they can use a method (such as typical use withdrawal or perfect use spermicide alone) that has a failure rate in the 30% range.

But we need to use statistics -- and educate people on what they mean -- because otherwise, it's anecdotes. You know three people who got pregnant on withdrawal. There's one VP regular who's never gotten pregnant, and has used withdrawal for years. I know that my mom had a diaphragm fail; there are people who've used them and never had them fail. Some people have condom mishaps -- I've never had one that wasn't user-error.

I mean... you can absolutely say that you are biased against withdrawal because of your personal experience! But if you say that "it really doesn't work too well" then the facts of the matter are that, statistically, there are an awful lot of people out there for whom it does work. VP is really big on backing up what we say with research, studies, and other reputable website stuff. (I will totally google up the research, studies, and statistics on withdrawal tomorrow, if you want.)

[thedorkygirl.livejournal.com]

I consider the withdrawal method, done correctly, a form of protected sex :) Also it sounds like you're using the FAM, so you're covered twice. If you're concerned about the level of effort you put into those two options, why not research them a little more and really figure out how well you trust them.