Am I Pregnant? How Soon Will I Know?

If you are sitting here reading this article, you might be just on the border of having an axiety attack. If your period is late or you just feel like you might be, that possibility is always there. Some common symptoms of pregnancy are extreme fatigue, breast tenderness or the feeling you 'just are'. Now, if you are more on the side of not wanting to be pregnant, you can find some solace in the fact that women can often have these symptoms and not be even close to being a mother-to-be! Mother Nature is sneaky that way, isn't she? The best, and fastest, way to know the answer to the big question is to take a home pregnancy test. These are widely available at Walmart, Target or even the Dollar Store if you are on a tight budget. Lots of women will rush out the moment they even 'think' they could be. My advice is to wait until you are actually past your due date (of your period) to dole out the money on one of these. If you test too soon you will just get a negative result and will have wasted the money you spent on the darned thing. This will only lead to more anxiety and cost more because you will be running out to the store to buy another test to use tomorrow! Wait until you are certain your period is late. Three to five days late is optimum. At that time, you can assure yourself that the results are at least a bit more accurate. If you take the test and it is negative and you still do not have your period after another week, you should go see your family physician or planned parenthood for additional testing. Doctors can definitely tell if you are pregnant by taking a blood sample and testing through that method. This method is the most reliable too for pregnancy testing. In the meantime, be responsible if you think you might be pregnant. Alcohol, smoking and drugs can harm a developing embryo and should be avoided.