inconclusive results

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

I took two at home pregnancy tests, both came out positive with a faint (but clear) line. Yesterday afternoon around 4 I went to Planned Parenthood for a test there and the results were inconclusive. I'm wondering if maybe my urine was diluted from the vitamin water I had been drinking earlier, because it usually makes me pee more than normal. My period is 8 days late, and I feel feverish and I have painful cramps very low in the abdomen, almost like I'm about to start my period, but there is nothing there. The girl at the clinic said she couldn't really say either way about the test, that there was a line but it was so faint that she didn't feel comfortable calling it a positive result. My question is why would anything show up at all if it was negative? She didn't really have any help to offer aside from coming back in two weeks, and I feel like I'm in limbo. I don't know if I should take another test...and if I do, and its positive, should I go back? I don't have insurance and this was not planned, and I'm starting to feel irritated with the clinic because the last two times I've been there have been rather unpleasant. The clinic also doesn't offer care until you are 8-16 weeks along, and you can't even apply for the prenatal program until that point, so most likely I wouldn't be able to have exams until I was done with my first trimester and I'm not comfortable with that. Has anyone else been through something similar, or can anyone point me in the direction of someone who may have some answers/suggestions as to what I should do next?? Thanks.

Comments

[alliecat76.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about reading pregnancy tests, but as far as your other question:

The DHS (Division of Social Services) offers free pre-natal care to people who are below a certain income level. You may even qualify for Medicaid (or is it Medicare, I always get the names reversed).

I don't know your age, income level, or marital status, so it's hard for me to think of other options right now. But there very well may be some others for you.

I wish you all the best!

[sand-woman.livejournal.com]

You could ask them for a blood test of pregnancy? That might give a clearer result, although I think it may cost more. I'd be tempted to take another test, in the morning when it's most likely to be accurate. I don't know much about the insurance issue as I'm in the UK, but I hope it works out for you okay.

[alliecat76.livejournal.com]

I saw on your profile that you're twenty. If you are a student, or if you register for classes for the winter or spring term, you should be able to be added to a parent's policy.

You might need to be claimed as a dependent by them, but since we're approaching a new year and a new semester, you can probably work around that with the insurance company. Also, it might be worth it to let your parents claim you for '06 even if you weren't a dependent for these purposes.

Most colleges offer a student insurance policy that runs about $800 a year.

And if you're not able to be claimed by your parents and aren't in school or going back any time soon, you could probably get medicaid.

I hope this helps!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

i'm 21 and my mom is self employed, so getting her own health insurance just for herself is pretty expensive...im pretty much on my own here. im not sure if the school offers anything because its a community college...does being pregnant make a difference in receiving medicaid? i guess this is going to determine whether or not we have the baby. we could also get married and i could go on his insurance.

[fiercekitty.livejournal.com]

Your situation sounds exactly like when I was pregnant. My line was SO FAINT on the home pregnancy test and the urine test I went into the clinic for, and I was having the same symptoms (cramps). I was definitely pregnant. I hope you can find another clinic.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

thanks. i tried looking up other clinics in the area and all i could find was this one thats only purpose was providing abortions. i really dont know what to do. we're weighing the options...it was totally unplanned. im not sure i could go through with an abortion, and i also don't have $400 to pull out of my ass. i also dont think i should use that as a way out when we both knew what we were doing when we didnt use a condom.

are you pregnant now, or did you have the baby? i could really use some stories from people who have been through it.

[creativexangst.livejournal.com]

The cramps could be the fertilized egg attaching itself to the uterine wall. You've taken 3 tests and they all have the same faint line? It does sound like a positive. Sometimes the tests arent working and they'll show a faint line, so you take another one to be sure. The chances of three tests not working, particuarally one at a clinic? Kinda slim.

Now, to your questions. If you want to keep the baby, and your concerned about prenatal care in the first trimester, here's a few tips: Folic acid is your friend. This is found in spinach and things of that nature. Folic acid is incredibly important for pregnant women because it can significantly reduce the chances of mental and physical disabilites, particuarally down syndrome. Excersise light, but often, such as little jogs, walks, things of that nature. No more smoking of any kind or drinking, at least until the first trimester is over. After that, a glass of wine (ONE) once a week at the most wouldnt be too harmful. I figure you already know all that though :D.

Most important, your family is part of you, you can always turn to them and talk to them and hey, your mom went through this once before at least, im sure she can give you advice ;). Stay calm, smile, eat apples and drink milk, and most of all, your thinking/doing for two.


Now,if your not pregnant, huzzah! Be safe, be happy, enjoy school, make good decisions, and like i already said, smile!


I hope this was at least a LITTLE helpful to you. Any questions, feel free to ask.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

thank you. it helps immensely.

[fiercekitty.livejournal.com]

good post :)

[insideman.livejournal.com]

Yes! Folic acid, and if you'd like vitamins. I wasn't able to see a doctor or anyone until I was almost 13 weeks along, a week away from the end of the first trimester. All I could do at that time was take my vitamins (I didn't even take prescribed or even over the counter prenatals. Actually, it was just Centrum Kids Complete (it was cheaper at the time and did the same.) As long as it has 400mcg of Folic acid you should be good. Once I was able to see my doctor back home, I was told I could just take Folic Acid alone as my bloodwork showed nothing lacking, so I take 1mg of Folic acid and everythings perfect with the baby.)

That seemed to be one long run on sentence and for that I apologise. But it's not uncommon to not see anyone for your first trimester. Some will not see you even until you're 12 weeks, at least. It's horrible and often a nerver wracking time, but it can be done.

But obviously, the choice is yours and I wish you luck.

[aechei.livejournal.com]

--i used to work at a clinic. i bought the preg tests at cvs. so they are not different.

[paperstar19.livejournal.com]

How does folic acid help prevent down sysndrome? As far as I know downs is a chromosomal abnormality that results from problems is meiosis when the egg is fertilized. If a woman is already for sure pregnant, how would folic acid help prevent this?

[laughing-dreams.livejournal.com]

just as a note, the urine tests at clinics are the same as at home tests it's just that they administer them more carefully i.e. the time of reading you want to ask for a blood test

[mamaduckers.livejournal.com]

First, I hope everything works out for you in the best way possible.
Now...here in Mo, we have MC+ Medicaid for pregnant women in/below a certain income bracket, and their babies. It coveres everything from prenatal vitamins up to delivery and after care for mom and everything the baby could need medical wise. They even have emergency coverage to take care of you right away, until your medicaid application is approved. I would call your local Department of Families, or what ever it's called there (it's the Department of Social Services here) to look into it. Tell them you think youare pregnant, you want to find out for sure, and you want to know about coverage for pregnant women.
Good luck. Keep us posted, if you don't mind. As you can tell, there are a lot of people who care.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

thank you so much

[xdreamsofdramax.livejournal.com]

Since you seemed concerned about prenatal care, I though it might help you to get some tips on things you should try to get more of or avoid when you are pregnant (http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/preg_health.html).

Also, I just wanted to say that waiting until 8 weeks into pregnancy to see a doctor isn't terribly uncommon, though if you are not comfortable with it and there is another way to go, certainly it is better to be comfortable with the situation.

Also, definitely speak with someone in Department of Social Services. I know NYS has a program specifically for paying for prenatal care, mother's care for 2 months after birth, and baby's care up to age 1 that is through medicare/medicaid. I don't know about other states. They can likely help you find SOMETHING, though, even if all they can do is point you in the direction of low cost insurance. At least it would be a bit of help.

Hope all turns out for the best. Good luck. *hugs*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

*hugs* thank you :)

[kaelstra.livejournal.com]

Three positives most likely means you are in fact, pregnant. False positives are fairly rare, because the hormone they detect to determine pregnancy is simply not present any other time.

If you're even getting a faint reading, it means you're pregnant.

[glasspumpkin.livejournal.com]

I am sorry that PP couldn't me more helpful to you - I can imagine how frustrating this is. I will second the suggestion to take another test with your first urine of the morning, although at this point I am not sure how conclusive it will be.

Judging by your userinfo, and assuming you do live in Michigan, the MI Department of Health Services (http://www.michigan.gov/dhs) might be a good place to go from here. You also might have a county health clinic you could call to see if they perform blood tests and what the costs are.

Other commenters have given you good resources about vitamins, et cetera, so I would encourage you to take those into consideration. And whatever the results are, if you have more questions, VaginaPagina is here to do our best to answer them!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

are you from michigan, or did you look up the site? im wondering if there are only certain doctors you can see if you receive aid? im nervous about being a slave of the system or something.

[seasme779.livejournal.com]

Well, this sounds like a predicament I was in a couple of years ago. Although my boyfriend and I had been together for over 4 years, I wasn't out of school and having a bbaby wasn't in my plans at the time. I wrestled with the idea of having my baby or getting an abortion. I believe in the right to choose, it's your body, you have the right to take control of it! I was worried if we were in the period in our lives, if we would be able to make a comforatable future for the baby, if I would finish school. Well, I went to a walk in clinic because I didn't have insurance at the time and their test was positive too (at that point I had missed 2 periods). I started bawling to the doc about how I didn't know what to do. He just looked me and said, your the one who has to make this decision. You are the one who has to get up every morning and look at yourself in the mirror and be happy with the decision that you made. I thought about that long and hard, and I personally decided to keep my baby. It was the scariest thing I have EVER been through. Telling my family, friends, oh it was awful! But in the end, I am happy and grateful for the choice that I made. I only had to take one semester off of school, and I'm graduating this December.
So what I'm really trying to say is, whatever your choice is, be happy with it. I know you have a difficult few weeks ahead of you (all assuming it is a postive test)but you have options, and things will work out one way or another.
Oh, and so you know, if you take two flinstone vitamins a day, that gives you the same amount of folic acid as a prenatal would. That's a nursing school tip :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

:) thanks! are you going to school to be a nurse??? thats what i plan on doing. i havent even applied for the program yet...this is my 4th year of college and i took this semester off but i plan on going back in january to start the prereqs for the nursing program...i finally figured out what i wanted to do. id really like to go on to get my bachelors and then masters some day. thanks for sharing your story. i love flinstone vitamins. they have hello kitty gummy ones too...mmm. hahah.

what did you end up doing for insurance?

[kissgoesbang.livejournal.com]

I found out in july that I was pregnant and I ran into some issues with my insurance company. But we worked around them. I didn't have my first doctors appointment until I was 13wks, my second was at 18. Its pretty common to have your first exam late in the first trimester as there is not much they can do for you before that. Just get some OC prenatal vitamins, or the flintstone ones if your not a big pill taker.

heres the website I went to to see what benfits I qualified for.

http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=gbcc_page_questionnaire&interestedInSpecificBids=true&interest=1610&interest=2068

hope that helps.

ps I'm also 21 and not married. So if you need anyone to talk to or any support you can email me (although I don't check it that often) or message me on myspace (i'm on there way too much haha) www.myspace.com/kissgoesbang

oh and also I found a great online community called babycenter.com. they have boards for just about anything.

ok I'll stop rambling, but good luck, let me know if I can be of anymore help

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missjones/]

ahh thanks!!! im always on myspace too. i work at a coffee shop, which is where im at now...hah.

[hoodwink.livejournal.com]

I second the idea of a blood test. I heard all the pee on a stick tests are basically the same.

Then, to find out about prenatal care, if you are going to keep the baby, you might want to google it or look for parenting websites online. There are also some parenting communities on LJ that might be good to ask questions in. I also suggest heading to your local library. Not just for the books but they often carry parenting and pregnancy magazines as well that you could gain info and insight from.

Good luck with whatever you decide:)

[barefootmomma.livejournal.com]

Well, if you are pregnant, don't worry about not having care in the first trimester. They don't do anything except some bloodwork and check your weight and urine durring the prenatals anyway. If anything were to happen like a miscarriage they can't do anything about that either. Many doctors and midwives don't see patients until after nine weeks at least anyway.
If you decide to keep the baby and it takes a while to get on Medicaid or other state aid just take a prenatal and it'll be fine.

[beachbanshee.livejournal.com]

Here is a link to services in Michigan that may be helpful to you.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2943_4672-74373--,00.html#Health_Care_Programs


I hope this helps. Good Luck!

[poledradog.livejournal.com]

Well, the test is detecting levels of HCG (I think that's what it's called) hormone. The levels increase from the time you get pregnant until, well, I don't know when they level off. That's why some brands of test can claim earlier detection...they can detect a lower level, which means they can predict a pregnancy sooner. However, levels are different for different people. When I was miscarrying, the doctor tested my levels and then tested them 3 days later and confirmed the miscarriage because the levels had dropped; he said he couldn't go by the initial test because there was no "normal" level. I would guess that if you're getting lines, you are pregnant, but don't have a high level of the hormone yet.

Regarding not seeing you for prenatal care, I'm not sure what to tell you. But I do know that my OB would not see me until 10-12 weeks (well, he saw me earlier because of my previous miscarriage; but normally he didn't see patients until that time).

(frozen comment)

[numbersnletters.livejournal.com]

Hey, uh, I don't know quite how to say this but it sounds like you're blaming yourself for having gotten pregnant. The fact you had sex without a condom does not mean you were 'trying to get pregnant', it means that you and your sex partner let your sex drives overtake your common sense. You took a risk. It doesn't mean that you deserve to be 'punished' with pregnancy, or that giving birth is the only ethical outcome.

The way I see it is that you are only 21, your life is just beginning. A child was not planned. You aren't married, you can't offer a child a stable, two-parent home. You work at a coffee shop, you haven't got a college degree, and, as you said, you would find it difficult to scrape so much as $400 together. A baby will cost thousands and thousands of dollars to raise.

I would highly, highly recommend staying away from emotionally swaying baby websites for long enough to assess whether this is the path you want your life to take. It is not inevitable that you bear a child; right now, you have choices. Consider that a child will look to you to fulfill their every need, and at no small cost. Your freedom will be almost entirely curtailed; your own needs will always come second to the child's. None of these are insurmountable, and they may not be grounds to change the outcome, but they really should not be ignored.

One site is called I'm Not Sorry, at http://www.imnotsorry.net , it is a site where women tell their stories of how they had an abortion, and how they feel it was the right choice for them.

Please be aware that Christian political activists have started building centers meant to trick impressionable women into thinking that they are abortion providers, when their Christian fundamentalist goal is to convince every woman who walks through the door to carry the pregnancy to term. Don't end up at one of these, they have their own agenda. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/08/AR2006090801967.html

(frozen comment) Safe Space Warning

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Hi, numbersnletters. We're commenting because your attitude and wording do not foster what we consider safe space (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ#What_is_.22Safe_Space.22.3F) here in the community.

Specifically, attempting to tell another person what pregnancy choice is the correct one for her is unempowering because it removes that choice from the individual who is entitled to make it.

In addition, we're concerned that your last paragraph could lend itself to abortion debate. For our policy on this please check out this section of our rules (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ#How_does_this_apply_to_comments.3F) to read about how abortion debate applies to comments.

We have previously contacted you about this issue and are alarmed that multiple references to VP's rules seem to have gone unheeded. We highly encourage you to review these rules and policies prior to making further comments on this topic, and do remind you that continued comments in violation of this community's safe space will place your membership in this community in jeopardy.

If you'd like more information on safe space (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ#What_is_.22Safe_Space.22.3F), please refer to these items in our FAQ (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ):

--What are VP's rules? (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ#What_are_the_rules.3F)
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[alliecat76.livejournal.com]

Hope everything worked out for you. Let me know if you need to chat!


Best Wishes,

Allison