But missing your period isn't always a sign of pregnancy. You can also miss your period from stress, excessive exercise, dieting, hormone imbalances and other factors that might cause irregular periods. Frequent trips to the bathroom: Before you even miss a period, you may notice that you have to pee more often.
When periods are late, many women will have some mild symptoms similar to early pregnancy, including mild uterine cramping. The breasts may feel heavier and fuller or be tender to the touch. Nausea, constipation, mood swings, dizziness and fatigue may be experienced.
Is a late period a sign of pregnancy? If you usually have regular periods and your period is overdue by less than three days, you may be pregnant and your period might be considered delinquent. Late periods can result from a variety of factors, such as lifestyle modifications and medical problems.
Why do I have cramps but no period? Your period may be late or, depending on your other symptoms, you could be pregnant or have one of several other conditions, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, uterine fibroid or polyps, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
HCG is only produced after an embryo has implanted in your uterine wall, which is why it's crucial to wait until the first day of a missed period or 21 days after unprotected sex before you take a pregnancy test. Your test will be more accurate in the few days after a missed period.
Bloating, headaches, and back pain can also be symptoms of—you guessed it—both early pregnancy and PMS. It can be confusing (not to mention frustrating) when you're experiencing so many similar symptoms during your two-week wait.
There's only one way to find out for sure if you're pregnant: take a pregnancy test.
Period symptoms but no period might actually be a sign of pregnancy. This is because when the embryo implants into the uterine lining, cramping may occur. Following this, breast tenderness, headaches, fatigue, and more symptoms occur as the body begins going through various changes to carry the fetus.
It occurs anywhere from six to 12 days after the egg is fertilized. The cramps resemble menstrual cramps, so some women mistake them and the bleeding for the start of their period.
Cramps and white discharge without a period can sometimes be a sign of pregnancy. Other possible causes include pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and an infection. Vaginal discharge is normal, and it typically changes texture and color throughout the menstrual cycle.
If the stress is short-lived, you may miss a period or be a few days late. However, if the stress is chronic, more erratic or absent menstruation can occur.
The only way to know for sure if you're pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test. You can go to your local Planned Parenthood, doctor's office, or other community health center to get a pregnancy test, or you can buy a pregnancy test at your local drugstore.
Pseudocyesis, or false pregnancy, is when a person thinks they are pregnant when they are not. People with pseudocyesis have pregnancy symptoms, but tests will confirm there's no pregnancy. Healthcare providers believe psychological and hormonal factors may cause it.
Take a home pregnancy test
The cheapest, easiest, most accessible way to confirm you're pregnant is with a home pregnancy test. This form of testing can identify a positive pregnancy result as early as two weeks after fertilization, making it one of the fastest ways to learn more about your situation.
Early pregnancy bloating and normal bloating feel exactly the same. Your pregnancy bloating may feel slightly more uncomfortable due to the additional symptoms and increased amounts of gas which can worsen gas pains.
Experts suspect that most phantom pregnancies happen due to a mind-body feedback loop, in which a strong emotion causes an elevation of hormones, in turn resulting in physical symptoms that mimic those of a true pregnancy.
Although it is rare, pseudocyesis (“false pregnancy” or “phantom pregnancy”) is a serious emotional and psychological condition. Psychological factors trick the body into believing that it's pregnant.
You can do a test on the first day your period's due. The test measures a hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in your urine. For the result to be positive, your body must be making enough for the test to pick it up, usually about 2 weeks after you conceive.
Top things to know about why your period might be late:
If you've had unprotected sex and your period is 10 or more days late, you should take a pregnancy test and talk to a healthcare provider regardless of the result. Speak to a healthcare provider if you haven't had a period for more than 90 days.
Yep! Stress can affect your hormones in a way that changes your menstrual cycle. Other things can delay your period, too, like being sick, exercising a lot, having a low body weight, using a hormonal birth control method, or taking certain other medications.
Implantation cramping and light bleeding may be an early sign of pregnancy. It is easy to mistake these symptoms as menstrual cramping or light bleeding. For this reason, it is important to recognize the other early signs of pregnancy. However, these symptoms alone do not prove a pregnancy.