Over a Week Late, Negative Test, Where is AF?

[ohloverx.livejournal.com]

Hey, everyone!

So, I usually have a 28 day cycle (I've been tracking my cycles for several years and that is the average, though it is usually between 26-29 days). My period was due around last Monday. As of right now (8 days late according to the app I have on my phone), I've had nothing. I took a HPT yesterday morning first thing and it came out negative. I've been cramping on and off for a couple of days, but obviously nothing has happened. I felt like I was PMSing about a week ago (cravings, mood swings, sore nipples, spotty acne), but most of that has subsided. I'm still cramping, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that AF is just very late (my fiance keeps telling me she's just stuck in traffic!).

I'm getting married in 18 days (yay!), and I've been stressed to the max, so I'm guessing that would be the cause for the late period. However, last month was also late, though only 4 days. Should I continue to chalk it up to stress or could something be wrong with my cycles that I should get checked out? What is the likelihood of getting a false negative a week out? I shouldn't Google search these things as all of the stories I've read have been about women who didn't test positive their whole pregnancy or until they were three months along, so I'm freaked out even more as we DON'T want to be pregnant yet.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Advice to calm me down? Thanks in advance!

Comments

[ohloverx.livejournal.com]

My last period was from Jan. 8th - Jan. 11th. We had intercourse on the 12th, 15th, 24th and 28th, and Feb. 3rd and did not have sex during what is usually my fertile week (I track everything! I'm a nerd!).

I do natural family planning, so I know there is always room for an oops, but we also use the pull out method and have not had any accidents. We used to also use condoms, as well, but I developed some pretty rotten allergies to different condoms and lubes which made sex unbearable.

I don't want to be pregnant and right now would be the worst time. However, the reason I'm so diligent about tracking my cycles is because both my grandmother and mother had severe cycles, many miscarriages and finally went into menopause very early. Granted, I'm only 25, but it is still something I keep in the back of my head. So I keep hoping it is only stress for multiple reasons which, of course, makes me more stressed. I have GAD, so that doesn't make things much better in your average high stress situation.

I don't feel like I'm having any pregnancy or PMS symptoms now other than the cramping which I usually get for several days prior to my period. I just keep hoping for the cramps to turn into the real thing!

[gryphonwing.livejournal.com]

Awesome tracking!

Well, if your ovulation was delayed... you're just inside the 19-day window for the 28th. So wait a few more days and test again just in case. The 3rd would be pretty darn late for you to ovulate, but we're already 10 days after that, so that could be a possibility - and you can't trust a negative test result until the 22nd at that point.

Withdrawal's pretty effective, used properly, as I'm sure you know. :) And if there were no oopses, I'd still tend toward a late period due to stress delaying ovulation rather than pregnancy at this point. But it's not impossible. Without knowing when you ovulated, it's actually hard to say what the chances are.

[ohloverx.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I feel weird if I forget to write something down because I've been doing it for so long!

Ugh, I so don't want to wait that long. I mean, if I have to, I have to, but that is the last thing I want on my mind the week before the wedding, y'know?

I feel like I ovulated around two-and-a-half to three weeks ago as I do remember having what I believed to be discharge due to ovulation and it being that time in my cycle, but I could be off a bit. I should start tracking that, as well, to give me a better idea. I used to be able to feel myself ovulate because I'd have sharp pain, but the past few months I either haven't noticed, or it happened while I was asleep.

I guess I have a bit of a waiting game, then. Not too thrilled about it, but what can I do?

[gryphonwing.livejournal.com]

Someone else will know better than I do when a blood test would be accurate... ovulating 2.5 weeks ago could mean the sex on the 24th and 28th are your candidates. Which we kinda already knew anyway.

At least you'll know before the wedding, right? Yeah, not much of a silver lining, but I'm trying. Best of luck. **hugs if you want 'em**

[ohloverx.livejournal.com]

I know this is a couple of days late, but I want to thank you for all of your answers. My period did show up late yesterday afternoon and it was such a relief! It's more painful than usual, but I'll take it! I really think stress had a lot to do with it, and I completely forgot that I was really sick with the flu around the time I would normally ovulate which might have also thrown my cycle out of whack. You did such a great job at giving me good information and calming my fears, so thank you again! I really appreciate it!