I missed my period and I hope I'm pregnant!

If you are trying to get pregnant and you miss a period, you are naturally excited that you might be pregnant. There’s no way to know, of course, until you take a pregnancy test, but there are several symptoms that are suggestive. These include breast tenderness, nausea and bloating. Since these can also be premenstrual symptoms, though, they are not definite signs of pregnancy.

Suppose you’ve taken a pregnancy test, though, and it is negative. What does that mean?

First, it is possible that you have simply tested too soon. Home pregnancy tests can detect the presence of HCG (the pregnancy hormone) once it has reached a certain level. Therefore, it is possible to be pregnant, but have a negative test result because you took the test before your HCG level was high enough. Although some tests claim that they can turn positive several days before you miss your period, they are not always accurate. If the test is positive, you can believe it, but if the test is negative, it may simply be too soon. Since the level of HCG should double approximately every 48 hours, you can retest again in 2 or more days.

Second, it is possible that you have had an extremely early miscarriage, sometimes known as a chemical pregnancy. You got pregnant, but the pregnancy may have stopped growing even before you miss your period. You might experience this as a particularly heavy period, or a period that is a few days late. It is possible to have a positive pregnancy test if you have a chemical pregnancy, but it is equally possible that the HCG level was never high enough to register on the test.

Third, if you recently went off the Pill or Depo-Provera (the shot) in order to get pregnant, it can take months for your periods to return to normal. During that time, you may not get a period at all. You will not be able to get pregnant until you start ovulating again. That will happen approximately 2 weeks before your period restarts.

Finally, stress, illness, eating disorders and recent weight loss can also lead you to skip a period. Of course, if you have a history of irregular periods, this may not be unusual for you to miss a period.

In summary, if you miss a period, it is not a guarantee that you are pregnant. If you are not pregnant, it does not mean that anything is wrong with your body. If you are not pregnant in this cycle, it is bound to happen in the coming months.