Glen Burnie, MD
A 18-year-old female asked:
Could i be pregnant? i'm not stressed out, my period is just about always regular. i am 6 days late and took a pregnancy test that came up negative. is it just too soon for a home pregnancy test to detect it? i'm have some pregnancy symptoms. i plan on ta
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Laura McMullenanswered
Pediatrics 23 years experience
As : As doctors, the first thing we do when we hear that a fertile woman is having a missed period or abnormal spotting, we check a pregnancy test. You can either take a home pregnancy test as long as it has been 5- 6 weeks since your last normal period, or you can go see your doctor and they can test you. A home pregnancy test is 97% accurate if taken a week or more after the missed period and a doctor's test can tell around when you should be getting your next period. Taking a test 6 days after your period was supposed to start should make it fairly accurate. You may just want to take a second just to make sure.
There are other reasons besides pregnancy that can cause a woman to miss a period such as: stress, diet, excessive exercise or a hormone imbalance such as with a thyroid disorder or polycystic ovarian syndrome. If you continue to have an irregular cycle, you should give your doctor or your ob/gyne a call. Good luck!
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Neg hpt: Reasons for missed/late periods: low body weight, obesity, marked weight ^ or v, over-exercise, endurance athletics, breast-feeding, ^ stress, illness, eating disorders (bulimia or anorexia), anovulatory cycle (no egg released), travel, hormone irregularities, drug use, meds (i.e., birth control) or medical problems (i.e. PCOS). #1 reason is pregnancy.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Oct 3, 2016
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