I missed my period and I hope I'm not pregnant!

The only way to know for sure if you are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. However, you can get some idea about the odds by considering several factors.

First, you must have had sexual intercourse, or close genital to genital contact in order to get pregnant. Kissing, fondling, masturbation (“hand jobs”), “dry humping” (rubbing against each other with clothes on), oral sex or anal sex will not lead to pregnancy.

Second, using a form of birth control can significantly lower the odds of pregnancy. If you are taking the Pill faithfully, using Depo-Provera (the shot) or an IUD, or have had a tubal ligation, or your partner has had a vasectomy, the chance of pregnancy is very low. It is not zero, however. That’s why you need to check a pregnancy test to be sure.

If you are using withdrawal (the “pullout” method), the chance of pregnancy is high. Withdrawal is a very ineffective method of birth control.

If you are on the Pill, but not taking it every day, your chance of pregnancy begins to rise. If you miss one pill, but take two the next day, your chance of pregnancy is still low. However, if you miss several pills in one cycle, your chances of pregnancy may be as high as if you were using no birth control at all.

Why might you miss your period if you are not pregnant? If you usually have irregular periods, you may have missed a period because you did not ovulate in this cycle. If you have recently gone off the Pill or Depo-Provera (the shot), it may take months for your periods to return to normal. During that time, you may not get a period at all. Stress, illness, eating disorders and recent weight loss can also lead you to skip a period.

In summary, if you miss a period, it does not necessarily mean that you are pregnant or that anything is wrong with your body. You need to check a pregnancy test, though, to be sure.