AboutBrenda Expertise I have been an R.N. since 1988 and come from a family of nurses. I have clinical experience in labor and delivery, as well as post-partum care and pre-term pregnancy complications. I have also worked in Community Health Clinics dealing with this area of expertise, including WIC (Women, Infant, & Children) clinics performing nursing evaluations and assessments in determining a need for services or intervention for pregnant women, newborns, and young children. I have worked in immunization clinics in and around my community as well. I also have several years experience in OB and Pediatric Home Care Nursing. In addition to that, I am a mother of two, ages 21 and 16, both of which I had hoped would be vaginal deliveries, but ended up being C-Sections... one of which had me in pre-term labor...another which was frank breech (bottom first)... one who rejected the breast... and so on... to list my personal experience would be a bit lengthy! I'd simply like to help anyone who might have a question or concern that I can draw on my expertise to answer!
Experience I have been an R.N. since 1988 and come from a family of nurses. I have clinical experience in labor and delivery, as well as post-partum care and pre-term pregnancy complications. I have also worked in Community Health Clinics dealing with this area of expertise, including WIC (Women, Infant, & Children) clinics performing nursing evaluations and assessments in determining a need for services or intervention for pregnant women, newborns, and young children. I have worked in immunization clinics in and around my community as well. I also have several years experience in OB and Pediatric Home Care Nursing. My experience also includes approximately three years working in Behavioral Services.
Education/Credentials Graduated from the Mary Lanning School of Nursing in May 1988. Have been a licensed Registered Nurse in the state of NE since 1988.
Question HI I AM 28 YEARS OLD. I AM OVER DUE FOR MY PERIOD BY A DAY NOW MY CYCLE IS ALWAYS BETWEEN 26 AND 28 DAYS NEVER LATE ME AND MY FIANCE HAVE A WELL SEX LIFE. MY BREASTS HAVE BEEN REALLY SORE LATELY I HAVE ALREADY HAD A CHILD HE IS 8 MY BREASTS WERE SORE WHEN I FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT WITH HIM I WAS 11 1/2 WEEKS PREGNANT WITH HIM WHEN I FOUND OUT.I TOOK A PREGNANCY TEST TODAY IT SAYS IT WAS NEGATIVE. WE NEVER USE A CONDOM AND HE DOESN'T PULL OUT. I HAVE HAD A COUPLE MOOD SWINGS LATELY WHICH ISNT REALLY ME. I WAS ALSO PREGNANT A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO UNFORTUNATELY IT ENDED UP IN A MISCARRIAGE. THE DOCTORS COULDNT FIGURE OUT HOW FAR ALONG I WAS I TOOK 2 PREGNANCY TEATS THAT WERE BOTH NEG AND THEN I TOOK 2 MORE BECAUSE MY ATTITUDE HAD CHANGED AND 3 TOLD ME NEGATIVE RESULTS AND ONE POSITIVE.I TOOK THEM ALL AT DIFFERENT TIMES. WE WANT MORE CHILDREN BUT WE DONT PUSH THE ISSUE IF IT HAPPENS THEN GREAT. I DONT KNOW IF I AM TESTING TO SOON BUT I HAVE THE THOUGHT THAT WHAT HAPPEN LAST YEAR COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN AGAIN WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN? AND WHEN DO YOU THINK I SHOULD TEST AGAIN BECAUSE I DONT WANNA WASTE THE MONEY OR THE TIME FOR NEGATIVE RESULTS THAT ENDED UP HAVING ME BE PREGNANT THANKS RT
Answer Dear RT,
If you have regular cycles every 26-28 days, it sounds like you are more than likely ovulating regularly, which means you should be fertile every cycle. A woman typically ovulates (releases the egg for fertilization) approximately 14 days prior to the next period beginning. The egg only remains viable for up to 24 hours. Therefore, the most fertile time of a woman's cycle is typically the few days leading up to, day of, and day after ovulation OR a window from cycle days 10-15/16. Now, since your cycles are 26-28 days in length, that window may actually be CDs 9-15.
The symptoms you describe are hormonal in nature and can also be related to hormone fluctuations within your cycle. That is why it so difficult to "diagnose" a pregnancy based on symptoms alone.
Although some tests claim accuracy on the first day of a missed period, I usually suggest that women wait until the week after a missed or spotty period before testing for pregnancy. This tends to minimize the incidence of false negative results and also avoids wasting money on a test for a simple delay of a period by a few days. When/if you test make sure to use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results. I would suggest waiting another 5-7 days and testing again. (I usually don't recommend testing any more often than every 4-5 days anyway) If those results are negative, you can either wait for the next cycle to see if your periods resume or have your doctor's office do a quantitative blood pregnancy test (serum beta hCG). That test will give an actual amount of hCG in your bloodstream rather than just a positive/negative result. Any amount of 25 mIU/ml or more would be considered positive for pregnancy.
I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well and a Happy Thanksgiving!
