Expert: Brenda - 6/16/2009

Question
Hi
I am concerned and scared! I am 27 years old and I have had irregular periods for a while almost 2 yrs, well 3 mos ago I lost about 15 pounds and my periods have become regular again! Well here goes my question ok March, April and May I have had a regular period the way it was a year ago! Comes down and last for 5-7 days like normal for the past 3 months! Ok on May 22 my period came down and on May 27 it was gone on the 27 I had unprotected sex with my fiance and he ejaculated inside of me! On June 8 I took 2 pregnancy test and both had 2 lines but were real light not evaporation lines because they were pink and noticible! So I bought a third test and it had a plus in 1 window and minus in other which indicated I was pregnant so lol dnt laugh but I took a fourth test before I had a blood test done at my family doc and both the fourth test and blood test were positive the doc told me the blood test was qualitive so they couldn't tell me how far along I am! Ok since the blood test I have been to the hospital cause I've had some bleeding and cramping which I've read can be normal! I've had 2 prior pregnancy 1 when I was 17 which resulted in a miscarriage and 1 at 27 which resulted in a beautiful 5 yr old daughter. I was feeling kind of pregnant but not any more! The hospital did a pelvic exam where he looked inside of my vagina at my cervics w a light to see if I had infection or anything he said I didn't I thought they were gonna do a ultra sound but they didn't he also put his hands inside to check my cervics he said everything felt fine! Am I still pregnant, was I ever pregnant , was the blood a spontaneous abortion? Help I have been reading on websites that cervical and ovarian cancer can cause false pregnancy test how likely is this! I am waiting on a approval from the obgyn to see if he will take me as a patient but I am scared me and my family are happy to have this pregnancy but is it real! My period isn't scheduled to come until saturday so I haven't officially missed a period yet but I am confused how did the pregnancy test show positive so fast! I took a pregnancy test again today cause I read that your hcg levels double every 48 hours so I took one to see if the line would be darker indicating that the hcg levels are going up which can mean that I am still pregnant and indeed the line was a little darker that the first 2 that I took! I am a over obsessor and the websites about cancer and everything has me frightened can u shine some light on my situation I really shouldn't stress so much since I was diagnosed with threatend miscarriage at the hospital! But any answers will help!
Thank you soo much in advance!

Answer
Dear Joy,

You are really jumping to alot of unnecessary conclusions! As a mother, you should already know that one of the most crucial qualities that a mom must have is patience. You need it over and over and over again throughout the life of a child. This one may just be starting very early.

If you have had unprotected sex at all during the last cycle or two, you cannot dismiss the possibility of pregnancy. Your cycles have become regular in the recent months and you have had unprotected encounters. Immediately jumping to the conclusion that an increased hCG level would be related to cancer is way overboard.

If you are pregnant, I would suspect that you actually probably conceived prior to 5/27. That would not have been a particularly fertile time in your cycle, nor would you have likely been able to get a positive urine test 12 days later. You more than likely would have conceived on/about 5/8-9 and then simply had a "period" after conception.

TRY to be patient and wait until they can get you in for an ultrasound and/or a quantitative hCG blood test. Until then, if you are that worried - ask your regular family doctor to order the quantitative test rather than wait for an OB to do it. (An ultrasound at this point may not confirm alot - depending upon your hCG levels) Otherwise... relax. Take a deep breath and go about life thinking in the back of your mind that you might be pregnant and live your life accordingly - living as healthy as possible. Worry and stress helps no one and/or nothing. It will do much more harm than good.

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda