Pregnancy scare

[Alice Mendez]

Firstly, Hello my name is Alice and I am new here as a member But I’ve known about this page for a while, it has helped me though some very difficult times. I don’t want to keep drifting from the topic so, I haven’t had my period in about a month. I’m also a virgin but I’ve done a sexual things with my bf. I was supposed to get my period at the beginning of this month. Last month i was dry humping with my bf, it didn’t go farther than that. We both had our underwear on. I know it is impossible to get pregnant like that but I feel like not having my period for a month is extensive. I’ve already tried three pregnancy test just this month and I might try a fourth one tomorrow.They have all said negative. I am freaking out because I don’t understand why I haven’t gotten my period, I have also been very stressed about this. I’ve been google my symptoms (which was a terrible idea) but i don’t know if it is just pms symptoms or something else. All of the test were negative. I just want to understand why is my period one month late. Is there any other reason why it might be so late?

[Sam W]

Hi Alice,

I'm glad the site has been helpful for you in the past! There are actually many reasons why a period can be late that aren't related to pregnancy, and you can read all about them here: M.I.A or, Dude, Where's My Period?.

Too, it may help to take a look at this article if you notice the fears aren't going away no matter what you do: You're Not Pregnant. Why Do You think You Are?. Do any of the scenarios in that article feel like they apply to you?

[Alice Mendez]

Thank you for answering!
Well I have been very stressed these past few weeks and last month, especially with this pregnancy scare. That stress might be related to my missing period right?
Might I ask if you have any article related to not ovulating? I don’t really track that cycle and I want to inform myself more about it
And yes some scenarios I believe do apply to me, mostly the ones where I can’t get pregnant. My bf and I are usually very careful with these things. Also I do have bad anxiety and I overthink everything which might be contributing to me not being able to let go of this. For me the thought of one missing period meant pregnancy since this has never happened to me before but I am also 17 and still in puberty.

[Mo]

Stress can impact your cycle, for sure; it's also important to keep in mind that even menstrual cycles that are pretty regular can have periods of irregularity sometimes, and younger people are more likely to have those irregularities. I have a distinct memory of skipping one period altogether, then having two periods only two weeks apart, all within a few months when I was 16 or so. There was nothing happening in my life that would suggest an issue like that; it was just part of how my cycle was behaving at the time.

We don't have a specific article about not ovulating, but it is true that it's possible for someone not to ovulate during the point in their cycle when they normally would. Keep in mind that if you happen to be using an app and it gives you ovulation dates just based on your menstrual cycle, it's giving you a rough guess only and you can't count on it to be accurate. You'd need to be doing things like checking your basal body temperature and cervical mucus daily, for at least six months but ideally longer, to get accurate information about ovulation; a lot of younger people don't have cycles that are regular enough to do this accurately.
If you want to learn more about this process, we have a general overview here: Fertility Awareness (FAM) and here's some more information about the sorts of estimates a lot of menstrual apps use and why they aren't that helpful: Let's Dial Down Some (Maybe) Ovulation Freakouts.

It's likely that your existing anxiety is making is much harder to deal with this scare; are you getting any sort of regular support or treatment for your anxiety, like therapy? Are there strategies you've been given to handle intense anxiety that you can try in this situation?
We do have a couple articles about anxiety that you may find helpful as well: Anxiety and Other Mental Health Resources, Anxiety Lies.
I hope you can find some ways to help yourself calm down a little. I know this is a stressful situation, but you can get through it.