How do you determine pregnancy before the menses delay? This question is essential for many women. Someone wants to know as quickly as possible if they were able to conceive a child this time, while someone on the contrary wants to calm down from knowing that an unplanned pregnancy has not occurred. All the doctors say that determining the woman’s condition is only possible after the menses starts. But, is it true, or can you try to make a diagnosis without having to wait until this time?
For women well familiar with their anatomy and the processes taking place in their reproductive organs, it is much easier to understand how to determine pregnancy before the menses come. The most important thing you need to know is that it’s useless to look for a possible pregnancy if unprotected or poorly protected sex happened less than 10 days ago. Another important point is that the conception can take place only in the ovulation period, which comes in the middle of the menstrual cycle, approximately 12-14 days from the beginning of the last menses period.
If you do not use any calendar method for counting ovulation (of which we will talk later), then try to perform a self-diagnosis on the 25th day of the cycle, a couple of days before the approximate start of the next menses cycle. There is hardly any sense in trying to look for pregnancy signs earlier than that.
Determining pregnancy before the menses delay and what is a self diagnostics?
Changes in basal temperature
There are tons of instructions on this. You can find multiple web-sites dedicated to this topic. First of all, despite the abundance of modern contraceptive methods, some women continue to measure their rectal temperature to define “dangerous days”, when they should not engage in sex since the chance of conception is very high. According to the temperature values you can determine the day of ovulation – when conception might take place. Ask these women: “How to determine pregnancy before the menses delay?” – And they will certainly tell you all about making the basal temperature schedule and the meaning of its certain falls and peaks. If ovulation has taken place, the temperature will rise to 37 celcius or slightly higher and will hold there almost until the beginning of the menses. While in case of pregnancy, it will stay elevated for a couple of trimesters.
If you still do not have a delay, but it is already the second half of the cycle, try measuring your rectal temperature in the morning right after waking up. If it is increased, you can suspect that ovulation took place. And, ovulation occurs approximately in the middle of the cycle. Did you have sexual intercourse in this period of time? If yes, then pregnancy is quite possible.
Pregnancy tests
You will surely argue that they can be used only after the menses delay has occurred. It is written on the packaging of any pregnancy test, and is confirmed by any gynecologist. Yes, indeed, production of the HCG hormone, which causes emergence of the second stripe, begins at 7-8 days after conception. Approximately in 12 days it reaches concentrations which make the test react. Thus, you can try the test 2-3 days before the expected date of the next menstrual cycle. The main condition is to purchase the high sensitivity test and use it first thing in the morning. And. considering all of this, it is advisable to not pee for 6 hours before performing the test so the urine HCG concentration reaches its maximum, and the test brightens up with a second stripe in case of the positive result.
If the result is negative or unclear (it so happens that the second stripe is much weaker than the first), it makes sense to repeat the diagnosis after a few days. After all, determining pregnancy before the menses delay is not so easy as it seems. Remember, that the weak second strip is closer to a positive result, than negative.
Rules for reliable results
a) Follow the instructions strictly (dip just for exact minutes as stated in the instructions and check the result after the specified time).
b) Check the expire date.
c) If you purchase the test beforehand, store it at the correct temperature regime.
If you are thinking about determining pregnancy before the menses come, then doing analysis on this hormone which acts in the above test might be useful. This blood test is done in the morning, on an empty stomach. You can get exact information about your situation within 10 days after the unprotected sexual intercourse, before home diagnostics will show it.
Non-pregnant, healthy women do not produce chorionic gonadotropin. In general, this hormone is produced by the the future placenta, But, sometimes elevated HCG may not be found in pregnant women. This is common in cancer patients, as well as when taking certain medications. And, within a few days after giving birth and artificial or spontaneous abortion. As with such dangerous diseases as molar pregnancy, or an extra-uterine pregnancy. In the first case, the hormone concentration is above normal for this stage of pregnancy, and in the second it is less.
Subjective symptoms
Girls searching an answer to the question, how to determine pregnancy before the menses delay, as a rule, first check the availability of the below described subjective and not precise signs of their condition. So, what are those?
Toxicosis (nausea and vomiting)
During the first weeks, toxicosis disturbs only a few women. So if you suddenly became ill, do not immediately think that pregnancy is the reason for this. Most probably it’s indigestion. In most cases, toxicosis appears 4-5 weeks after conception and can last until the second trimester, and sometimes even longer.
Pain in breasts and nipples
Many women are familiar with this unpleasant phenomenon. Those who have given birth and were breastfeeding, may describe these feelings as: chest bursting, as if milk is about to pour out of it. In pregnant women something might really start pouring out, but not milk. It will be …foremilk! Foremilk is a sticky white liquid with a slightly yellowish tinge. By the way, its appearance has nothing to do with the amount of milk produced after birth. That is, the woman who had the foremilk from the first days of pregnancy, might have less milk than the one who saw the foremilk for the first time in the first days after birth.
But non pregnant women might feel the same experience of pain in the breasts before menstruation. Therefore, assessing the condition of your breasts, as an attempt to answer the question “how to determine pregnancy before the menses delay” is not the right solution.
Pain in the lower abdomen
This one, like that in your breasts, can also occur near the end of the menstrual cycle in all women, regardless of their “condition”. This sign is more indicative when menses are already delayed.
Change of the libido force
Libido can both increase and decrease. Some expectant mothers tell us that from the first days of pregnancy they always “want”, others say that they have, on the contrary, lost all desire to make love.
Increase in the amount of vaginal discharge
As you know, during ovulation, something like a mucus plug leaves your cervix. And according to this feature, ladies can diagnose the onset of a favorable period for conception. Exactly the same is observed in the first few weeks of embryo development. Normally, this discharge is colorless, odorless and without the blood residue.
More frequent urination
It is not yet associated with the growth of the uterus but with the slackness of the bladder sphincter. This normally occurs in expectant mothers due to hormonal changes in the body.
More frequently far-fetched signs
In this category we include only 2 features. Some believe that the best answer to the problem of determining pregnancy before menses is to pay attention to your emotional state. After all, future mothers are distinguished by tearfulness, emotionality and loudness (pardon the expression). And they have often changing mood and taste preferences.
The second features are superstitions. The most famous of them is a dream: if you saw yourself fishing, you will soon become a mother.
Among all of the above methods a reliable result is only given by home pregnancy diagnosis and blood test for human chorionic gonadotropin. The remaining trustworthy symptoms appear along with the menses delay.
