Am I actually pregnant, or possibly just getting all these symptoms at one time?

[sapphire248]

Okay, so on and off I've missed taking birth control pills, and at the beginning of this pack, I was supposed to start the new pack on a Sunday, but due to a money shortage, couldn't get my pills until Thursday, since that's when I got paid, and as to not mess up starting my pack on Sundays, waited until the following Sunday to start my new pack. So it was about a week of me missing my pills, as well as I didn't take any of my placebo pills the 4th week of my previous pack of pills, when I was to be on my period. My boyfriend and I had sex between the Sunday I was supposed to start my pills, and the Sunday after when I actually did start my pills, and since then due to the hours I work and sleep, I get distracted or forget to take my pill one or two nights, then when I remember the next day I'll take two. I've had sex a few times since the two Sundays ago. I took a pregnancy test, and I figured it would come back negative, which it did since it's too early to tell yet. But the last three or four days my nipples have been a lot more sensitive than they usually are. I've been getting headaches every once and a while. Sometimes I munch all day, sometimes I feel like if I eat, I'm gonna throw up. I've been really tired, but I figured that was due to working. I don't know what to think, any help from someone with experience would be wonderful. I'm 20, but this is my first questionable experience in this area.

[Jaimee]

Welcome to MDC!  Forgive me if you already know all or some of this information, but I thought I'd try talking this situation out to see what you likelihood of pregnancy is...

First, for 99% effectiveness you need to take your bcp around the same time EVERY day.  Skipping a day increases your chance of pregnancy.  Usually, you can safely double up the next day, but skipping more than one day in a row or a week like you did makes it unsafe to have unprotected sex until you get through the entire next pack of pills.  So with this information we know that  you are at risk for pregnancy.  If you do not want to get pregnant (and I sort  of assume you don't since you're bothering with the pill, but I'm unclear since you're posting in a trying to conceive forum...) you really need to take the pill correctly and use back up if you ever miss.

As for the timing, let me know if this is correct:

May 22nd you should have started your new pack of pills?  So you would have started taking the placebos and gotten your your period on 5/15ish?  Skipping the placebos makes no difference in your fertility.  But, I want to confirm that 5/22 was cycle day 8 of your cycle (CD 1 is the first day of the placebo/your period)?   So you didn't start the pills on the 22nd like you should  have and ended up waiting until the 29th to start the new pack?  So you had unprotected sex between the 22nd and the 29th?  These would be CD 8-15.  Did you have unprotected sex after you started the new pack as well?  And you've skipped pills during from this new pack, too and not doubled up? 

If I have all this timing correct, you definitely had unprotected sex during your potentially fertile time.  Did you notice any cervical fluid (creamy or eggwhite discharge) during that week, maybe around the May 25th-28th?  If so, this would increase the likelihood of your fertility.  It also means that you're on CD 21 and potentially 6ish days past potential ovulation time.  This is too early to test with an HPT.  You might get an accurate result in a few more days, but it's usually best to wait until the time of your "missed period" which for you would be in another week or so.  Be sure to get a sensitive test like First Response Early Result or a dollar store/generic drug store test that only requires an hCG level of 25.

All this being said, many women take months, even up to a year to regulate and start ovulating again after being on the pill.  So even with all your slip ups it is still totally possible you're not fertile at all.  PMS and pregnancy symptoms are very alike.  So while tender nipples, increased appetite, fatigue, and nausea are all pregnancy symptoms, they could also be caused by your hormones fluctuating from missing pills and starting them up again.

Good luck and I hope you get the result you are hoping for! 

[proud2bemommy]

could be either a hormone imbalance from frequantly missing pills or  you could be prego you never know till you miss a period and or get one