Am I pregnant or not? A February Question.

We are already 6 weeks into 2017! Amazing how times flies when you are going about your daily life.

I am often asked by people whose period is a few days or weeks late ''Am I pregnant?" It is a difficult one to answer without more information.

1. Have you had sex in the past few weeks? if No, then you are not pregnant. To be pregnant one has to have sex when the woman is fertile, i.e and egg has been released. A woman's body usually tells her this is about to happen by producing a different kind of mucous, sticky, stringy and opaque. This helps pull the sperm from her partner towards the waiting egg for fertilisation.

2. How many days is your cycle? If 28 days then your fertile days are usually 12-16th of your cycle so if you have had sex then, yes you could be pregnant.

3. If your cycle is longer 30-32-35 days each month then your fertile days may be between the12-18-20th of your cycle. However if you have sex a day or two before your period is due and you are usually regular then you are unlikely to be pregnant.

4. BUY A PREGNANCY TEST and use it according to the instructions.. IF it shows you that you are indeed pregnant then go to a Dr for confirmation between 6-8 weeks gestation.(Gestation means weeks of foetal growth and starts from the 1st day of your last menstrual cycle the month before your missed one. If the first day of your last period was 2nd December and you have a 28 day cycle then your next period was due on December 30th.. so you would be 7 weeks pregnant this week.

5. How reliable are the pregnancy tests bought in shops? Manufacturers make them to be reliable but the human error factor has to be taken into consideration. Is the test within it's sell by date? package unopened? If yes, then it should be reliable if you are using it at the right time to test. Some are for the first week of a missed period, others for week 2.. so please check. The day your period should have started is day 1. 

6. CAUTION-IF you use a test that states it is for 2nd week of pregnancy and you test your urine in the first few days of a missed period it will give you a negative reading, not pregnant, BUT you may actually be pregnant if you tested again the following week when your hormone count would be up. SO LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE INSTRUCTIONS before buying/using a pregnancy test. 

7.It is often better to take 2 different tests, each a week apart, to make sure you are or are not pregnant.  IF one test is negative and then other one positive then you should go to a Dr or clinic for blood test confirmation. 

8. If the first test is negative but the second one positive you are most likely pregnant and need confirmation by a Dr as well.

9. In other words if in doubt go to a clinic/Dr for confirmation. 

When we get the result we are hoping for, positive or negative, we often put our heads in the sand. 

I live in the tropics where it was 34 degrees today,, it is always sunny and humid, wonderful. I hope that if like one of my daughters you are snowed in, that you are wrapped up warm and able to go outside and make a snowman/woman.