Am I pregnant?

[Adorableadora]

If I experienced withdraw bleeding a week after taking the plan b, does that consider I’m not pregnant? Also month and 3 weeks later since the incident I got this period but it was heavy but light than my regular heavy period.

[KierC]

Hey there Adorableadora, and welcome to the boards

Yes, that is a good indication that the Plan B did its job — too, it sounds like you had a period since, which is another indication that you’re not pregnant. Plan B can impact the consistency and amount of bleeding in your periods, so this is all in line with normal things to expect with Plan B usage. If you’re still concerned, though, sometimes taking a pregnancy test and seeing the negative result staring back at you can help ease concerns. Is that something you’re able to do?

[Adorableadora]

I took the plan b on August 30 and had withdraw bleeding on September 6-10, didn’t get my regular period that month of September, and took a pregnancy test on October 23, 3rd day of my bleeding and I did the test at the doctors, it came out negative. I was only worried bc the bleeding I had at October was what I described, I was worried it was implantation but people keep telling me it’s too late for implantation.

[KierC]

Thank you for providing those details! Taking two tests with negative results is also an excellent indication that you are not pregnant. And you’re right, that is a bit late for implantation bleeding. How are you feeling now about all of this?

I forgot to send this earlier, but we have this great resource for pregnancy scares and the anxiety that comes with it; there’s one specifically for when you have had a negative pregnancy test but you’re still worried: Pregnancy Panic Companion: When A Pregnancy Test Is Negative. I also want to send you this, it goes through very clearly how pregnancy occurs; it might be helpful in mitigating any pregnancy scares like this to understand how reproduction works: Human Reproduction: A Seafarer’s Guide.

[Adorableadora]

I feel a bit better, yesterday I started bleeding (I’m an anxious person and I was a bit happy but also worried because it came earlier than how I usually get) yesterday it was very light bleeding but painful cramps, today the same thing it’s painful cramps and it’s more heavier than yesterday with a lot of very small bloody clots. Just that like I’ve mentioned my normal period before the plan b it would be super heavy flow for the first 3 days rn it’s not as heavy like I used to get but it’s heavy enough for spotting

Thank you for these links, I’m sorry for being very paranoid, I really want to test again but I’m scared of the results and the only person I’ve mentioned about this is my mom, she went with me to the doctors that day and ever since that negative urine test at the doctors she keeps telling me to calm down and not over think no more also before the bleeding I’ve been experiencing tender chest that lasted for maybe a week or two? and ever since the testing I’ve been having constipation and acid reflux (maybe it’s bc of the stress and anxiety, I have gastritis) also I didn’t have that egg white discharge, indicating ovulation I’m 21 and I just recently found out about ovulation so I never kept in track of my ovulation.

But thank you again for responding and checking up on me 🩷 I really really am grateful for the work yall put in this website

[Adorableadora]

I know I should try my best to let my anxiety go, I need to tell myself that I had a negative test a month and 3 weeks ever since the plan b was taken so I should tell myself that that’s a definitive negative result, I’ll try my best to beat my anxiety bc this isn’t good for me either ‍

[Adorableadora]

Also I know this might sound dumb of me, because I’m still a virgin that’s why I’ve been worried, me and my boyfriends plan was wait until marriage so all we would do is fool around. The reason I took a plan b is bc there was a possibility that my boyfriend had precum/cum on his fingers when he inserted his fingers inside (I was supposed to have my period around that week because I usually bleed the last week of the month and I was already having pre menstrual cramping, so I believe I was probably one day of maybe two days before my period started) and again people keep telling me it can be possible but not likely to cause pregnancy.

[KierC]

Hey there!

No need to apologize, and you’re not stupid: You’re doing all the good things by talking about how you’re feeling in a safe space. It sounds like your period came, which is a great indication that you’re not pregnant (on top of the Plan B), but I hear you when you say you feel paranoid and anxious about this. You’re not alone in this: anxiety is something that can often latch onto material things like sex and pregnancy, and we’re here to help untangle those things and see if we can help you access some support for this anxiety. How does that sound to you?

Just a quick note on ovulation before we get into the deeper things: Tracking ovulation is really tricky, it doesn’t always happen right on time and it doesn’t always look the same way, so it isn’t a *great* measure of whether or not you’re pregnant. I’ll say, too, if you’re struggling with anxiety surrounding this, limiting the amount of “things to look for that could indicate pregnancy” can certainly be a step towards limiting triggers that cause anxiety, so I would gently set aside ovulation as something you don’t want to concern yourself tooo much with.

Onto the main stuff! So, it might be helpful to think about anxiety in a different way: I hear you that you want to “beat” it, and it is certainly the goal when you’re feeling such anxiety to make it go away, but sometimes it can help to see anxiety as less something you want to “beat down” or hush out, and more something you want to understand in order to lessen. Anxiety can be an indication or cue to listen to that tells you you may be in need of some more emotional care.

I also think a wonderful place to start with that idea is your mom. From her taking you to the doctor and trying to help you calm down, it sounds like she might be amenable to helping you work through this anxiety. Would you be comfortable talking to her about this, perhaps asking her if she’d help you in finding a therapist to talk more deeply about your anxiety with? Alternatively, would you be open to hearing some ideas here about ways to access professional care for anxiety?

Last thing for this post: I want to offer some tools for times when you feel worse about pregnancy anxiety. Do you have any self-care things you like to do to ease your mind, or are there any routines you have in place in times of more acute anxiety?