Help! Am I pregnant or crazy? Searching Google is driving me nuts!

[HoneyBlue19]

Hopefully you very knowledgeable ladies can help me out.

A little background info:

I am 41 and DP is 43. I have a 21 year old dd from a previous marriage. My DP does not have any children. We were actively ttc for a few years and I was charting, however DP we found out had a urethal stricture (surgically repaired last year). The urologist told him he probably could not have children due to the fact we had tried for 3 years and the stricture problem. So sadly we pretty much gave up on the charting. When I conceived my dd I did not get a BFP until I was 3 mths along.

So in July I had AF on the 14th. We are not using any BC. I have some symptoms of pregnancy but honestly its been 20 years since I was pregnant so I'm not sure if its just in my head. Maybe Im going thru menopause? I cant ask my mom or grand mom because they both had full hysterectomies years ago and tecnically did not go thru the normal menopause.

I have been taking tests from the dollar store and they all are BFN's, including this morning.  Ladies any input is appreciated.

My symptoms are as follows:

Severe acne for the first time since I was preggo. I usually get one maybe two pimples on my face around af for the last 20 years. This is going on 3-4 weeks. And my usually clear and normal skin is now very dry.

Bloated in lower abdomen. Worse in afternoon and nite.

Breasts feel tingly. Like let down when I nursed my daughter. They dont hurt but feel full and swollen. My bra feels a little tighter. I have the little raised bumps around my nipples.

Thirsty. I usually drink alot of water but in the last month I just cant get enough. I am peeing just a little more than normal.

Headaches, dizzyness off and on, not bad.

Quesy but not vomiting. Comes and goes quickly.

Increased sense of smell.

Dreaming more than usual and very vivid stuff.

Somewhat more tired than normal but not extreme.

In the last week or two my hair has become dull and just wont hold a curl.

I have some days that I am starving and others no appetite.

Weepy for no reason and snappy. Not like me at all.

Burping and gas not normal for me. Sorry tmi.

My discharge is creamy white, sometimes I go to the bathroom because I feel so wet I check to see if I started.

Also on August 11 I had what I thought was my periord. It was short only less than 3 days and not normal for me at all. It was red and mucousy. No cramps at all. No pre spotting just full on flow.

I am so confused. What do you ladies think? Is it menopause or pregnant?

BTW - I called the local clinic and they wont do a blood test until I have a positive urine test. I am currently unemployed so no insurance to go to my regular doc for blood work.

Sorry this is so long but I have been having symptoms since the beginning of August and I'm going crazy. Mom is not really any help as she says Im too old for another baby and its menopause.

Thank you in advance for any and all comments and advice.

I forgot to add that I have had some slight pulling like cramping off and on as well as a feeling that is like a burning in my uterus. Strange thing is when I had the bleeding episode the cramping dissapeared. I just had the mucousy bleeding, no clots. Then a day or two later I realized the crampy burning feeling came back.

Do you think its a cyst or cancer?  I really need to stop searching google before I lose whats left of my mind.

Edited by HoneyBlue19 - 9/2/11 at 11:09am

[Mosaic]

Do you know when your mother went through menopause?

I think your symptoms could easily go either way. Perimenopause, which is the time before menopause officially kicks in, is also accompanied by weird hormonal fluctuations, irregular or different cycle characteristics, etc. While it is possible to get neg. pregnancy tests, it's fairly uncommon, especially after a missed period. If your cycles are pretty regular, then August 11th sounds like it was your regular period. Then again, there's the possibility that you conceived in August, but that wouldn't line up at all with your symptoms.

My vote is probably not pregnant, but maybe some hormonal wackiness. If you continue feeling this way or experience more troubling symptoms, you may want to check in with your doctor, as fatigue, frequent urination, increased thirst, etc. are also symptoms of diabetes.

[HoneyBlue19]

Thank you for your response. My mom had a full hysterectomy before she was 30 (in the 70's) as did my grandmother (in the 50's). She said she has been in menapause since then. Its just a very strange cycle. Not at all normal. My periods have always been regular and my cycle symptoms always the same. I had similar symptoms with my dd and did several hpt with her and didnt get a bfp until I was 3 months along. The dr. was very surprised at my ultra sound with dd showing a 3 month pregnancy. He was very sure I had my dates wrong. Even wanted to argue with me before the ultra sound.

The acne is really weird for me. I was unusually blessed in my teenage years with no acne. Just a pimple or two around AF. The first time I got real acne I had bad acne with DD. Then went away shortly after  I gave birth. None til now. Just really weird, especially with all the other symptoms.

I'm trying to not stress but its hard and mom is not the least bit supportive. Never has been. When I breastfed my dd and when I homeschooled her in her early years. Not popular choices back then, but I did what I felt was best.

Thanks again for your response.

[maryamrose]

I was able to get a blood test from Planned Parenthood without a positive urine test. I explained that my mother never tested positive on urine tests until the end of the first trimester, and they didn't have an issue with it. 

While your symptoms sound a lot like my own pregnancy symptoms (I'm 26 and six weeks along), they're also similar to symptoms my mother has complained about in perimenopause. I would try to get a blood test if possible - it was something like $68 full price and there's a sliding scale which could make it a lot more affordable. Best of luck!

[Jaimee]

My guess is in line with the pp, that you are experiencing hormonal fluctuations associated with the start of menopause.  This does not mean you are not fertile, however, and I've known several mommies who got pregnant over the age of 40.   And I also I agree that you should find somewhere else to get a blood test- Planned Parenthood is great.  As previously mentioned, all your symptoms could go either way: pregnancy or menopause since many of the same hormones are involved with ovulation/menstruation as with pregnancy.  I've also read that your hCG levels can rise a bit during menopause (one source).  Not usually enough to get a BFP, but possibly enough to cause some symptoms.  Basically a blood test, and possibly more than one blood test, would be the only way to figure out what's going on.  While elevated hCG levels can be an indicator of some cancers, levels over approximately 35 and particularly levels that are doubling every 24-72 hours would be indicative of pregnancy.

If 7/14 was your last true menstrual period then you would be approximately 7 weeks pregnant and that is far enough along to have an u/s confirm your pregnancy.  If 8/11 was a true menstrual period then you'd be about 3 weeks along and the symptoms you have described having for several weeks would not be applicable to this pregnancy.  Also at 3 weeks an u/s cannot confirm anything.

Good luck and keep us updated!