Menstruation Forum - Missing a period and pregnancy

Womens Health > Menstruation Forum > Missing a period and pregnancy

Menstruation is a woman's normal monthly menstrual period. But what are the signs of abnormal periods? When is vaginal bleeding serious?...

Q: Missing a period and pregnancy

asked by: DoctorQuestion on April 30th, 2008

I have been having sex with my fiance for over 2 years now. I am not on BC. I missed last months period, and had some spotting this month (for maybe a day). I have also been really stressed the past month or so because of school. I have taken 2 at-home pregnancy tests at different times, both came back negative.

Could the tests be wrong and I am pregnant? Or is it all the stress that I have been enduring the past month?

Replies(1)

Dr. Nikola Gjuzelov , MD

replied on May 6th, 2008

Menstruation Answer A4048

If you had taken pregnancy tests after you missed your period their results are reliable. Negative results indicate that you are not pregnant. Missing the expected period and this spotting could be due to a functional disorder of the axis hypothalamus-pituitary-ovaries. Such a functional disorder could be related to stress. It doesn’t seem likely to me that the tests were wrong. A missing period can also be due to persistence of a functionally active ovarian cyst.
Spotting is not a sign of pregnancy. It could be functional or organic. Organic spotting could be due to infection, tumor, injury, etc.

You may want to consult your gynecologist about this.

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