| Dear anonymous,
Do you have a copy of "The New Our Bodies, Ourselves"? It's full
of medical information about women's bodies, and it also contains
quotes of women who've been through the topics under discussion.
So you can use it to answer factual or emotional questions ("what's
happening to me?" and "is it normal to feel this way?"). Here's
what the book says about home pregnancy tests (p. 285):
"Some women appreciate the option of a home pregnancy test because
it gives privacy, convenience and control over the experience. However,
other women feel isolated doing a home test. The test itself is
not hard to do, but home tests may give false results more often
than lab tests. The instructions do not include enough information
to evaluate whether the result is accurate, so you may need additional
information."
And here's part what it says about the early symptoms (pp. 342-343)
(i was going to excerpt more, but thought you might find thedetails
interesting.):
"You may have none, some or many of the following early signs of
pregnancy: ... About seven days or so after conception, the
_blastocyst_, the tiny group of cells which becomes the embryo,
attaches itself to the uterine wall, and you may have slight vaginal
spotting, called implantation bleeding, while new blood vessels
are being formed...
"You may have to urinate more often because of increased hormonal
changes; pituitary hormones affect the adrenals, glands which change
the water balance in your body, so you retain more body water. Also,
your enlarging uterus presses against your bladder.
"Your breasts will probably swell. They may tingle, throb or hurt.
Your milk glands begin to devolop. Because of an increased blood
supply to your breasts, veins become more prominent. Your nipples
and the area around them (areola) may darken and become broader.
"You may feel nauseated, mildly or enough to vomit, partly because
your system is changing. One theory is that the higher level of
estrogen accumulates even in the cells of the stomach and causes
irritation as acids tend to accumulate. The rapid expansion of the
uterus may be involved. If you feel nauseated, eat lightly throughout
the day rather than taking large meals. Eat food high in protein.
Munching crackers or dry toast slowly before you get up in the morning
can help a lot. Avoid greasy, spiced food. Don't fast, and at least
drink juice. Take Vitamin B6 and other B-vitamins. Apricot nectar
helps some women. Powdered ginger in capsules or as a tea can help
too.
"You may feel constantly tired.
"You may have increased vaginal secretions, either clear and
nonirritating or white, yellow, foamy or itchy. The chemical makeup
as well as the amount of your vaginal fluids is changing. If you
are very uncomfortable or if such a condition persists, see your
practitioner.
"...During the first ten weeks you'll feel relatively few body changes.
All those above are fairly common and not too annoying, though nausea
and tiredness can wipe some women out.
[some quotes]
"Early pregnancy surprised me. I was expecting to feel very different
and instead was feeling things I'd felt before. It was like
premenstrual tension. I was a little nauseous. But it's amazing
-- once I realized I was pregnant the symptoms were tolerable, because
they are not signs of sickness but of a life growing."
"I felt at the same time more vulnerable and powerful than ever."
Best of luck!
Liz
|
| From my experience and the experience of quite a few peers, a positive
result on a home pregnancy test was never wrong. Statistically,
however, they aren't as reliable as the blood test.
The instructions on the home tests typically say that if you get
a positive result, assume you're pregnant.
I had a positive result (at about 2 weeks late) with the home test.
Two days later the doctor's blood test confirmed it. It was just
about this time last year, too.
Good luck,
LZP
|
|
Based on my experiences with home tests, you are better off with
the doctor. My home test was negative but the doctor's wasn't.
First of all, the doctor is telling you to wait so long before having
the test because he will more than likely have you take the urine
test. The blood test is much more effective but costs alot more
money to have it done.
Early signs? Well, most people believe that a woman can't possibly
know she is pregnant at the time of conception, but I did! It's an
an extraordinary feeling to describe. If you had thrown me in a
tub of mud, I'd have come up laughing and smiling. I was so
deliriously happy that even I couldn't stand myself and telephoned my
best friend. Two minutes on the telephone with her and she was
convinced - I was pregnant - because that's the way she behaves.
Believe it Or Not. All I know is my son was conceived 1/26/86,
and I laughed myself all the way to Aruba for vacation where I faded
from morning sickness.
Best of Luck to You!
Beckie
|
| You are probably pregnant. I was one or two days late when I tested,
and it came out positive, but I wanted to go to the doctor's to
be sure. My breasts were very sore since the day before, but I
thought it was related to my period about to start. The doctor
told me that if the test said I was pregnant, then it was almost
definate that I was, but they did a blood test, and sure enough!
Find someone who will do the test now. At the very least, try another
home pregnancy test, and make sure to use first morning urine (although
some tests do not require it now). False negatives are far more
common than false positives.
Carol
|
|
I, too, knew each time that I had concieved. I used a home test
with my last pregnancy (that was almost 8 years ago) and had a
"non-negative" result. That pregnancy was estopic (sp).
I agree that you should have a blood test done as soon as possible,
just incase there are any problems.
_peggy
(-)
| The Goddess is the Great Mother of all.
|