Are 26 days enough for symptoms to appear if pregnant?

[johnarias]

hi... my girlfriend's period is, like, 4 days late. don't know if I should worry too much since we use condoms every time. she has had occasional isolated symptoms of nausea and breast tenderness for a day - but this only lasted for one day (it was 1 week ago). i suppose if these were pregnancy symptoms it would have lasted longer, right?

we had sex on 07/20 and kinda freaked out about the possibility that the condom might have broken, since we didn't check it properly. but these must be excessive thoughts, since we don't feel anything even when we remove it! on next occasions, we carefully analyzed them and it didnt pop at all. and none of the times was there ejaculation

[Sam W]

Hi johnarias,

So, there are a few things to know here. One is that it's common for periods to arrive a few days later or earlier than expected without anything serious going on (pregnancy or otherwise). There are also a number of things that can make periods late that aren't pregnancy: M.I.A or, Dude, Where's My Period?. Too, depending on how she's tracking, her estimate of when it's meant to arrive might not be all that accurate.

I think it might be helpful to give this piece of ours a read, as a lot of what people think of as "pregnancy symptoms" can be symptoms of a variety of other things: Chicken Soup for the Pregnancy Symptom Freakout's Soul

Would you say that worries about pregnancy are a recurring thing you experience?

[johnarias]

Hi, she's tracking by an app! Also, I think it's a little confusing, bc she took Plan B a few months ago, I don't know if this can continue to affect periods even after 5 months - and her last cycle lasted almost 40 days

[Ro S]

Hi johnarias,

I definitely get the sense that you are feeling some nervousness and want to have certainty in this situation. I want to acknowledge that at times of uncertainty our minds tend to run at a million miles a minute with all the potential possibilities. It's okay to let those thoughts come up but also very important for us to ease the mind with facts!

Levonorgestrel, the active ingredient in Plan B, is a hormone that stops or delays the release of an egg from the ovaries. Because Plan B delays and changes the ovulation cycle, it is common for people to have symptoms even months after initially taking the pill, though everyone has different reactions to it. So, it is possible that your girlfriend's cycle may have shifted after taking Plan B but periods are also affected by many other factors, including stress or changes to routine. So, your girlfriend's period may be affected by a combination of factors. Have you gotten a chance to read over the article Sam sent in the previous reply about this?

I know you mentioned that you were worried about your girlfriend's period being late by about 4 days. Because periods can be affected by a slew of different things, it is very hard to have accurate trackers of cycles. Only some apps actually ask for the data needed to track (beyond last cycle date). Here's an excellent overview of what goes into accurately tracking cycles: Get With the Flow: All About FAM. Is this helpful and does this all make sense?

I am curious to hear more about what Sam asked you in the last post, would you say you experience worries about pregnancy often?