By Jennifer Nevels, NMD —
One of the first signs of pregnancy may be a missed period, which would be more obvious if your cycles are regular. If you have irregular cycles then it may be harder to identify if you are pregnant. Some other pregnancy symptoms include: nausea, upset stomach, fatigue and breast tenderness.
A urine pregnancy test, which can be purchased at any grocery store or pharmacy, claims to be 99% effective if taken a week after your missed period. Most accurate results are taken in the morning. If you have a positive pregnancy test then it is important to contact your parent, guardian, doctor and/or Title X clinic to have a confirmatory blood test. The odds are if you are having unprotected sex then you are vulnerable to becoming pregnant. There is a 20% chance of getting pregnant every month when you are not using protection. In other words, for every 100 girls, 20 of them will get pregnant that month. If having a child is unwanted then it is essential to meet with a doctor to discuss birth control options that are best suited for you.
To learn more about teen rights for confidentiality in healthcare visit sexetc.org for more information.
This is information only – NOT medical advice