Louder for the people in the back, please.
Amazon has VERY CHEAP TESTS! Buy in bulk and test whenever.
I learned the hard way that the most commonly known pregnancy tests in the US are the expensive, digital, bulky, thermometer-like huge pieces of plastic. Just get a cheap pink dye test, they do THE SAME THING! And more often than not, those bulky expensive tests are just one of those cheap ass tests covered in a bunch of unnecessary plastic.
Many places are trying to get doctors to stop unnecessary tests to keep costs down.
There was no reason for her to order the test as:
1.Pregnancy isn’t really a concern.
2.A urine pregnancy test at the doctors is no different than one you do at home.
Since you want to test, buy them in bulk: https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
Edit:
P.S. I’m not hating on testing, I still keep a few tests at home if I’m late and anxiety builds (even though I have my tubes tied and usually use a second method as well). Just doctors don’t tend to want to order unnecessary tests.
Bulk you say? Wondfo brand is super cheap on Amazon, but they are just the strips so you have to pee in a cup first and then dip. I personally prefer that, cause I think it's easier to pee in a cup than on a stick. It's always good to have another brand on hand in case you're not sure (something with a digital read out), but this really gives a good bang for your buck.
Yes, Liletta will thin your lining and thus you have lighter or no periods.
You verify it’s working by checking your strings every month. Squat with butt on ankles, bear down like going poo, insert clean finger and feel for mini doughnut that feels like the tip of your nose. Lightly feel the mini doughnut for strings and to make sure you don’t feel the actual IUD. You may need to ‘circle’ it to feel the strings.
If you still have anxiety you can take a cheap pregnancy test each month. Here is an example of a cheap pack: https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
If the pregnancy test is negative you aren’t pregnant.
You can always order a pack of Wondfo hcg dip strips off of Amazon. They are cheaper than drug store tests and very reliable. Then you can test daily to double check: https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
A test is reliable two weeks after sex and definitive three weeks after sex.
Blue line tests are notorious for faint blue lines when the test is negative. And digital tests aren’t as sensitive as line tests. Wondfos are great, inexpensive, and sensitive: https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
The reviews for these things are a little bit biased towards people who have a complaint - the 1 ct pack has better reviews but even FRERS are only around 4 stars.
"True" false positives, aka a test line with colour when somebody has no HCG in their system, are essentially not a thing. Sometimes people can see the indentation from where the test line was put, or it dries a little differently than the rest of the test. Sometimes people have a chemical pregnancy, but by the time they go in for blood tests their HCG is below 5 again.
My pick? Wondfos. They are cheap and work totally fine. If one test is a dud, you take another. Enough to give to any of your friends who are in a panic too. https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
As long as you check your strings and it is still in place each month, you would not have much to worry about because the protection is so good. If you are very very worried, you could always take a cheap pregnancy test each month: https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
> my period is 4 days late
You don't ovulate on nexplanon, and also don't have a placebo week like you'd have on the pill/patch/ring to get a bleeding. So your chance of having regular periods goes out the window. With no ovulation, all you're getting on the implant is breakthrough bleeding - and if it was regular until now, it was coincidence.
It's absolutely normal for bleedings to be irregular or have no determined pattern while on the implant, since they don't have anything to depend on (like ovulation on natural periods, or placebo weeks on combo methods).
Even if bleedings stopped for some women, they could also come back later since the dosage in the implant trickles off as time goes. It's still enough to prevent pregnancy, since it's not made with the absolute minimum dosage, but it might not be enough to keep other symptoms at bay (such as bleeding or cramps).
If you're worried about pregnancy, feel free to buy pregnancy tests in bulk from Amazon (Wondfo brand tests are a godsent), they're crazy cheap and you can test either once a month or when you feel like you're having a scare. Bear in mind that if you were ever far enough in a pregnancy to show symptoms, you'd also be far enough to turn a test positive.
My other comment is likely buried so leaving these here. These are great to have on hand and are accurate and cheap (25 for $8.95 on amazon). They worked really well for early detection with both of my kids bonus: no results window that you may accidentally pee on.
Wondfo Pregnancy Test Strips, 25-count medical https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YIQEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_llFVDbVQJBVKV
On Amazon. And I guess it's 25 for $10. :) I used these with my first and second pregnancy and have never had a problem. The only one that ever gave me the false positive was the $5 one.
I’m in Canada, so I think my options are different. I got it from “wondfo”.
Technically if you're not preventing, I'd consider you trying - NTNP really should stand for "Not tracking, not preventing". :) I'm not sure what medical problems you're referring to, but if it interferes with your cycle length... tracking is how you figure out when to test, and if your body is trolling. Those with very long cycles might choose to test every couple weeks if they're not tracking, but, it uses up a lot of tests and some people find seeing BFNs regularly quite demoralizing. Wondfos are cheap, and nice to have.
Did you take any pills late or miss any?
If so, you need to do retests every week until you get a withdrawal bleed. Cheap tests are on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
If not, just test every two weeks as it is highly unlike you are pregnant if you didn't take any pills late.
Very normal to not get a period on progesterone-only birth control. Buy some cheap stick tests from Amazon in bulk (something like this) and just take one on the 1st of every month, if you want to put your mind at ease. It's a lot less hassle than a period! Costs less than tampons/pads too, heh.
As for the inconvenience, look into the implant or Mirena. They're both progesterone-only but they're more long term, 'set it and forget it' options, and they have much lower failure rates than the progesterone-only pill does. There's also Depo, but I hesitate to recommend that over the other 2 because if you don't like it, you're basically stuck with it until it wears off!
Check out /r/birthcontrol :)
No problem, I love my IUD and want others to love their methods too!
Whether or not you get your period on Mirena is totally dependent on your body. Some women get no period whatsoever, some get it irregularly, and others get a regular albeit very light period. Have you looked into Paraguard? Since it has no hormones it doesn't cause your period to stop, but might cause them to be heavier.
I actually still get some of the symptoms that typically go with my period (cramping, irritability, cravings) so I pretty much count that as a 'ghost period'. I also take a pregnancy test every month or so just to be sure. You can buy them online in bulk so it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
The easiest thing you can do is take a pregnancy test once a month. You can buy the dipstick kind really cheap on amazon. I use these and they work just fine.
Something you can do that is a little more time consuming is to chart your basal body temperature. Basically, you take your temperature first thing in the morning. Your temperature will rise after you ovulate, and then drop again right before your period (generally about 12 days later). There's definitely a learning curve to it, but if the method works for you, you get a lot of information about your cycles. The book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, is a very good resource.
I have those. Do one every other day just to be sure. They work great, much more economical than the store bought ones.
Yep. I used these on both of my pregnancies
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YIQEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_TT4YMKJT3A9R5W0097CQ
they are $0.50 on amazon, no need to live anywhere in particular. https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
There's a link in the sidebar for amazon. It's like 25 test for 10 bucks if i recall correctly.
Edit since I got to PC: Here
There's a link in the sidebar for Wondfo brand tests, and Amazon also carries Clinical Guard brand that seem to have slightly better reviews.
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
---|---|---|---|
Wondfo Pregnancy Test Strips, 25-count medical | $8.93 | $8.93 | 4.3/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
---|---|---|---|
Wondfo Pregnancy Test Strips, 25-count medical | $8.93 | $8.93 | 4.3/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
---|---|---|---|
Wondfo Pregnancy Test Strips, 25-count medical | $8.93 | $8.93 | 4.3/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
Well, my memory is apparently shit. It's 25 for $9 but close enough. Lol https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0002YIQEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_ScmXFb91RWA1G?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Your hormones do drop during placebo days, but not enough to let ovulation happen! Otherwise, placebo weeks or pill-free days wouldn't have been a thing at all - imagine being on a form of birth control where you're left intentionally unprotected for so long (since it also includes the days before placebo and the days after placebo). Taking your active pills correctly (so basically just like you did!) allows for a time period of how many placebos you're given where you're still protected as long as you start your new pack on time. You can definitely skip that placebo week if you want, as long as your insurance allows you to get more refills and/or refill your prescription early.
It's absolutely normal to feel anxious when starting to only rely on birth control - but if you don't feel comfortable with it, ask your partner to use backups like withdrawal or condoms. Sex is supposed to be fun and comfortable, not a race against pregnancy chances, and getting it raw might feel good, but it's not worth all the anxiety that follows - at least until you get used to the idea of "no egg = no babies".
Also, implantation bleeding is more or less of a myth. It's pretty much common in women who experience ovulation spotting in general - so if they ovulate and it causes bleeding, it would come out as spotting by the time implantation would occur. So it's not bleeding caused by the implantation per se, it's just a coincidence. And it's pretty uncommon to begin with.
Your body is still getting used to the pill. During this adjustment period, there's a chance you can experience irregular bleeding/spotting outside of the placebo days (hell, it might happen even later on as breakthrough bleeding, haha). The pill also thins your uterine lining, so don't lose your mind if you either don't bleed during placebo week or bleed very lightly.
Lastly, at least while you're still getting used to it, you can buy super cheap pregnancy tests from amazon (Wondfo brand tests are really good and crazy cheap) and test once a month. I still test once a month with my IUD, for peace of mind. You're right, tests are most accurate 2-3 weeks post intercourse, but if you have sex more often than that, it's pretty unproductive to test every week or every few days. So you can just test once a month instead.
Amazon or Walmart.
This is $10 for 25 tests (so 2 years of tests).
https://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
For all the ladies in here worried about late periods, get some Wonfo tests for super cheap and pee to your heart's (and your bank account's) content.
I like these ones. Same ones my local women's health clinic uses.
I know some people start testing on 8DPO but I kind of think thats just more than likely setting your set up for disappointment even if you are actually pregnant. I would wait until at least 10DPO and if you like testing a lot these are really cheap and Ive used them and gotten BFP's. And if youre using OPKs anyway then you can always get this set. thats the one I buy.
The only thing that can rule out pregnancy is a pregnancy test. You can get them super cheap on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ
It is very unlikely, but take an HPT to be safe!
Next time have a stock of cheap tests off of Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Pregnancy-Strips-25-count-medical/dp/B0002YIQEQ/ref=zg_bs_3762561_6/192-6393887-9751767
I don't know what OP bought but these are linked to from /r/birthcontrol
Strongly recommend buying them in bulk online! I got these from Amazon two years ago during a pregnancy freak-out. 50 for $20!!!
Studies have shown that cheap-ass dollar store pregnancy tests are just as effective as the expensive name-brand ones. And if you want to be really frugal about it, buy the kind doctors use.
You can buy pregnancy test strips like these for a few cents each and get extra peace of mind.
I read somewhere that the cheap ones are slightly more accurate than the more expensive ones with the digital readout. A very good friend of mine bought twenty five pregnancy tests for $15 on Amazon.com, and they are supposed to be some of the most reliable tests on the market.
This made me laugh so hard -- we've all had Troll- Uterus scares!
You don't have to spend $14.99 per pregnancy test! I wish someone had told me this earlier in my life.
You can get these pregnancy strips at Amazon. You get 25 tests for around $8. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YIQEQ
I know you are thinking they are too cheap to work well but hear me out: These are MORE sensitive than the ones you buy at the store and are the same ones they use when they test you at the doctor's office. The only difference is that there is no fancy plastic handle. Rather, you pee in a disposable cup and dip the stick.
Each one is individually sealed in it's own pouch and they last a long time.
These are a good thing to have on hand for when you need them. I used to use them all the time when I was on the pill and skipped the placebo in order to avoid a period. I always checked at least once a month JUST in case.
Edit: I accidentally a word.