spotting, but not period? pregnant?

Could I be pregnant? ... well, I mean, how likely is it that i'm pregnant?

I've had unprotected sex with my boyfriend a few times, and I checked an online ovulation calculator, and I had sex around the time I was probably ovulating.

Now I'm almost a week late for my period, but here's the weird thing.

I've been ..."spotting" i guess you could call it. On the day I was supposed to get my period I had pink spotting.. like minuscule amounts of spotting.. i checked often.. and then I went a couple days with NOTHING.. and then I had another day of light spotting. and still nothing..

is this a symptom of pregnancy? Or am I having the lightest period known to mankind?

Original Post by ilike2eatapplesandbananas:

 Now I'm going to have to come to terms with the fact that I was pregnant, but I probably flushed the baby down the toilet, or threw it away in a pad.

That brought tears to my eyes!  I feel a little silly sitting here weeping, but I just wanted to say that I hope this isn't a miscarriage and you'll go on to sustain a healthy pregnancy.  I'm sorry that you have to play the waiting game.  I can't imagine how nerve wracking it must be, but hopefully this story will have a happy ending.  I'm keeping you in my prayers! 

I agree! That sentence broke my heart! I can't imagine feeling like that :(

oh honey you didn't know!!  i can't imagine the pain and remorse you're feeling now.  there's nothing i can say to comfort you right now.  pls don't think of it like that-  i know it's so much easier to say than to feel-  after 5 weeks; its so tiny-  soo soo sooooo tiny-  there's no way you could have known.  my heart is aching for you.  i'm just so sorry.

Original Post by ilike2eatapplesandbananas:

i just got off the phone with the doctors..

they told me my pregnancy hormone levels were only at 33. i took an ept 2 days earlier than they took the blood yesterday.. those only detect 25 units of the hormones.. and those hormones are supposed to double every 2 days.. so my levels should be AT LEAST 50 right now.

so i am probably having a miscarriage. I'm so devastated!!1

It'll be okay. I know it sucks--I was 19 years old when I found out I was pregnant the first time. I found out right about the same time as you and miscarried about two weeks later--on my 20th birthday.

However, after my husband got back from Iraq we went straight back to trying for a baby (when I had gotten pregnant the first time, we had decided that we wanted kids probably the same week I conceived--lol--talk about good timing!), and I'm pregnant now.

You'll get through it. Just think--it wasn't in God's plan for you to have a baby right now, if you truly are miscarrying. I'm a little more than 11 weeks along with this pregnancy now, and it feels like it's going strong! You'll have your chance, trust me. And when you get it, you've already shown that you'll be a great, responsible mother. =)

Original Post by ilike2eatapplesandbananas:

i just got off the phone with the doctors..

they told me my pregnancy hormone levels were only at 33. i took an ept 2 days earlier than they took the blood yesterday.. those only detect 25 units of the hormones.. and those hormones are supposed to double every 2 days.. so my levels should be AT LEAST 50 right now.

so i am probably having a miscarriage. I'm so devastated!!1

 I totally missed this post. Here's what I found off the American Pregnancy Association's website:

hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* :

• 3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml
• 4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml
• 5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml

You're completely within the normal range for hCG levels at this point. You said the cramps and bleeding had tapered off, right? I'm not trying to be overly-optimistic but it's not for sure yet. Check these out:

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregna ncy/hcglevels.html

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancylos s/

I woke up this morning, and the bleeding is pretty much gone. I don't need a pad.. it's back to just being a light pinkish color. So either it was a false alarm, or everything is finished....... no cramping...... i still FEEL pregnant.. .so sick to my stomach. But that could just be anxiety. i don't know..

whatever it is, you guys have been so great to me. You have said ALL the right things, and I'm just so glad that you're all here with me wishing for the best.

I go in on Monday to have blood taken. I'm hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst.

Keep me in your prayers!

Oh honey.  Thinking about you SO much.... what a rough spot to be in.

Hey ilike2eatapplesandbananas.....wondering how you were doing... I know the suspense is getting to me and you're the one going through this! Hope things are going in your favour! Let us know ok? We're all here for you honey!!

I've been following the thread since it started but hadn't posted.. I guess this is as good a time as any to start. I hope you are doing well and know that whatever the outcome of the test, you have a great support system both at home and here.

Hope all is as well as it can be. Been thinking about you all weekend.

You guys have been so great. I really don't know what I would do without this kind of 24/7 support that I've found here with you.

The doctor called yesterday after I'd had my blood taken for the second time. My hCG levels dropped from 33 to 4. Anything less than 5 is not pregnant. I had a miscarriage.

This is so hard.. my mother was soo relieved, and even got angry at me for crying and being depressed. I don't know what to do.. she has had a miscarriage before, but she says it's different, because she was TRYING to have a baby, while I wasn't. It's like she is telling me I'm not allowed to be sad and grieve this loss. I know I shouldn'g have a baby at only 18 years old, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be allowed to be upset when I know I have lost a life... flushed down the toilet. I wish I hadn't even thought to buy a pregnancy test, and that I could just think that I just had a period a few days later than I'd expected. This makes me wonder if this really is the first time I've actually been pregnant.. i think back to all those times I was a few days late for my period, and wonder...

Right now, I'm just trying to take it one day at a time, and just try to think of this as a blessing.. I know I'm not ready to be a mom.. this experience has shown me how badly I do want to be a mom in the future.. Sometime after college etc.

Thank you all for being here.

So, so, so sorry for your loss. Your mother wants what she thinks is best for you. She probably doesn't understand how you could be upset when it wasn't something you planned. She's probably thinking that you'll be able to go on to college and lead a "normal" young-adult life. I am in no way defending her; she should realize that you just lost a life and she should remember what she went through.

When you are ready to start having children, you will be a fantastic mother.

Oh my poor dear.....i'm so sorry for your loss.  I guess it just wasn't the right time for you.  But that doesn't mean you won't be able to be a momma some day.  And when you do become a mom; you'll be an amazing one.

Your mother is probably dealing with the shock of all of this and is lashing out on you.  It's just her way of dealing with this; and is scared for you.  When they have no control sometimes the react in anger.  Let her sort this out; you two will grow from this and you will get her support.

Thinking of you-  we'll be here for you!!  Perhaps you should look into talking to someone to help deal with your grief.  It is normal and natural to mourn the loss of a pregnancy.  Don't shut your mom out-  but maybe reach out to a professional.

Aww, that sucks. Your mother's reaction, while hurtful, was probably natural for her. Obviously, she wants what's best for you, and she probably thought that having a child at 18 would be detrimental for you, even though it's very obvious you would make an excellent mother. 

The fact that you miscarried so early is probably also a blessing: I imagine it felt like nothing worse than a normal period for you. My miscarriage sucked, and I was only two weeks further along than you. I have pretty bad periods to begin with, and that was by far the worst experience I've ever had. Taking it one day at a time is definitely the best thing you can do for yourself. You are very much so allowed to be upset, because losing a baby--even one you didn't plan--is a rather painful experience, emotionally and physically.

I think you'll be just fine when you finally do decide to have a child. =)

If that is a misscarriage then im pretty sure ive had one too....But you probably wouldn't have noticed it without the pregnancy test, I might sound a little stupid but I never knew a misscarriage was that.."simple" I thought you had to go to the hospital if someone has a misscarriage....So the fetus....Isn't even a fetus yet...Barely. 

Don't attack me for this Im just saying in general terms---Can there be an emotional attatchment to what is only a month old?  And barely there..yet?

@55: absolutely an emotional attachment-- we women are built that way.  we are built to become attached and protective of any little ball of cells tucked up in there, whether or not we want to be.

and typically at 5 weeks the miscarriage isnt easy-- its more like "the worst period you have ever had" and some people claim they can feel contractions.  a few weeks later is much worse, anecdotally, with a larger more recongizable ball of cells. 

and yes this is not considered a fetus yet-- it is a embryo.  you can look up all the technical terms and when they change over based on time periods.  its pretty interesting.

back to the emotional stuff-- i think we all deal with it differently, depending on our circumstances.  grief is a natural process-- and even those who profess to not care, i think it eventually bites them in the strangest ways. 

and no to the hospital thing-- they only really need to do a d and c if  there is a missed miscarriage or if there are retained products of conception.  otherwise-- nothing the hospital can or will do for a early miscarriage.

hope that helped...

@iwantapples: i am so so sorry.

lets say you had a period....or you thought it was and it was really painful...but there was barely any blood...is that most likely a misscariage? Thats really scary and frightening...And what do you mean "Balls of Cells"?

At least 25% of all miscarriages happen within the first few weeks.  Many women who do not even know they are pregnant miscarry.  Sometimes our bodies recognize that something is not right, and this is the result of the miscarriage.  This is completely natural.

I am so sorry you are going through this pain, and it IS normal and expected.  There is nothing to feel ashamed of, and I am sorry that your mother reacted like she did.  I am sure her heart is in the right place.  She obviously loves you dearly.

Definitely continue to reach out to people.  This, I believe, is very important.  The ladies on this site are great.  If you need someone to talk to face to face, and you don't feel comfortable talking to your mother, please please see a counselor.  Maybe a school counselor could help with this?