Pregnant or not?
Have you had unprotected sex?
Check here what you need to do and how you find out whether you’re pregnant or not.
Less than 5 days ago?
Did you have unprotected sex less than 5 days ago? Read about what you can still do to prevent a pregnancy.
More than 5 days ago?
Did you have unprotected sex more than 5 days ago? Do you want to check whether you’re pregnant or not? Read here how it works.
1. Wait to see if you have your period first
Wait until the date you would normally expect to have your period. Why? Because, until that time, there won’t be enough pregnancy hormones in your body to do a pregnancy test.
- Did you have your period as normal? Then you are not pregnant.
- Did you miss your period? Are you ‘late’? Then maybe you are pregnant. In that case, do a pregnancy test.
Don’t forget! You can be pregnant, but still lose a very small amount of blood. So if you lose a tiny amount of blood, but are not sure if it’s a proper period, do a pregnancy test to be sure.
2. Do a pregnancy test
You can do the pregnancy test from the first day after you expected your period. If you have irregular periods you can test from 28 days after the 1st day of your last period. In other words, from the first day you are overdue.
There are various ways to test:
- You can buy a pregnancy test at a pharmacy. The test is easy to do yourself. You dip the test strip in your urine sample (or stream) for a few seconds, preferably in the morning urine. The test result is visible after a few minutes. Read the instructions first to ensure you perform the test correctly.
- You can have a free pregnancy test done once you have health insurance at Saba Cares or at the Public Health Nurse’s office. You don’t have to be afraid the doctor or nurse will inform anyone. Because all medical professionals have a duty of confidentiality and can only share this information if you want them to.
Pay close attention to your body
If you are pregnant, you’ll notice physical changes:
- Painful breasts: this may indicate a pregnancy but can also happen because you’re going through puberty.
- Tiredness: this may indicate a pregnancy but can also be caused by something else.
- Nausea: have you had morning sickness for a few days already? Then it makes sense to have a pregnancy test.
- Your periods have stopped.
- You only lose a tiny amount of blood when you have your period. Some women lose a tiny amount of blood even though they are pregnant.
Remember you can also be pregnant without noticing anything at all. This is why it’s important to check whether you have your period every month as normal. And, of course, to always have safe sex.
Test result
- Is the test positive? Then you’re most likely pregnant.
- Is the test negative? You’re probably not pregnant, but that’s not entirely certain. In the early stages, the pregnancy hormone can be too low to give a positive urine pregnancy test. It makes sense to do the test again after a few days.