I (or my girlfriend) might be pregnant. How do I find out for sure?

If you had unprotected sex within the past five days, click here.

Lots of people write in hoping that we can tell them immediately whether they or their girlfriends are pregnant or not. But it is impossible to do this over the Internet. Some of the symptoms of pregnancy are similar to symptoms of a period. So there’s only one way you can find out for sure whether you are (or your girlfriend is) pregnant: A pregnancy test.

There are two kinds of pregnancy tests: a urine test, which can be done at home or at a health care provider’s office, or a blood test, which must be done at a health care provider’s office.

When can a girl take a pregnancy test?

It is usually most effective for a girl to wait until after she has missed her next period to take a pregnancy test. If she is a day or two late for her period, then she can take a home pregnancy test. (It is important to follow the directions exactly to ensure that the results are accurate.)

Why wait till then?

When a sperm meets an egg inside a girl’s fallopian tube, it is called “fertilization.” It takes about a week for the fertilized egg to travel from the fallopian tube into the uterus. At the end of this journey, the fertilized egg might attach itself to the lining of the uterus, which is called “implantation.” This is when pregnancy is considered to begin.

Once this happens, a girl’s body starts to release a hormone called hCG. Until her body begins producing this hormone, the test can’t tell whether a girl is pregnant.
A blood test generally will detect pregnancy a little sooner than 10 days after the last unprotected intercourse. This is because hCG is detectable in blood before it is in urine. So if a girl doesn’t want to wait until she has missed a period and it is at least 10 days after having unprotected sex, she and her partner can make an appointment with a health care provider to take a blood test.

Where can I get a pregnancy test done?

You have a few choices. You can:

• Go to a family planning clinic. You can find one in your area by looking in your local yellow pages under "family planning" or "clinics." Or, you can call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) to be connected automatically to the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you or click here to find a confidential clinic.

• Go to your regular doctor or health care provider.

• Get a home pregnancy test and take it at home or at a friend’s house.

A quick push in favor of going to a clinic

While home pregnancy tests are very accurate, you might want to consider going to a clinic for a pregnancy test. There are two reasons for this:

1. Girls need regular checkups. About three years after a girl becomes sexually active, or when she reaches age 21, she needs to see a gynecologist every year. A gynecologist is a doctor who specializes in women’s reproductive health. Her exams will include a Pap test, which is done to see whether the girl or woman has any pre-cancerous or cancerous conditions. This is why it’s so important to go in every single year.

If a girl is under 21 or has not been sexually active for three years, then she can still go to a doctor and gynecologist when she has health concerns, like if she wants to get emergency contraception, hormonal birth control or if she is experiencing any unusual pain or bleeding. These visits do not always involve a pelvic exam where the gynecologist checks a girl’s reproductive organs.

2. Pregnancy isn’t the only thing you need to be worried about. There are more than 30 sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) out there, and many have no symptoms. So you can’t tell who has one just by looking at them. And basically, if you are at risk for pregnancy, or you could have caused a pregnancy, you’re at risk for an STD.

So, if you had unprotected sex of any kind, you and your partner should be tested for STDs. Then be sure to use condoms every time you have vaginal or anal sex and dental dams or condoms every time you have oral sex, unless you know for sure that you AND your partner are STD-free.

How much does it cost?

A pregnancy test at a family planning clinic might cost anywhere between $5 and $20, or it may even be free.

Pregnancy tests typically cost between $5 and $20 at a drugstore or grocery store. Most chain drugstores offer a wide selection of at-home, non-prescription pregnancy test kits, so that people can find one within their price range.

Will my parents know that I’ve been tested?

If you go to a Planned Parenthood clinic, or a clinic listed here, then no, your parent(s) will not know that you’ve been tested for pregnancy. These are confidential clinics for teens and adults. However, it is always a good idea to confirm the clinic’s confidentiality policy first by asking them when you call.

It’s normal to feel nervous about telling your parent that you might be pregnant or that you might have caused a pregnancy. This sometimes keeps teens from talking with their parent(s) about it. However, lots of teens find that telling a parent about what’s going on can be really helpful. Teens don’t have to go to the clinic alone, if a parent knows and is willing to help. Parents can offer some support during a really stressful time. So it’s always good to consider talking with a parent, or at least, an adult in your life who you know well and trust, so you don’t need to deal with this all by yourself.

Now, there are some situations in which telling a parent may result in harm to you, like getting kicked out of your house or some other terrible situation. With that in mind, parents shouldn’t find out about a pregnancy test, unless one of the following things were to happen:

• A girl takes a home pregnancy test and leaves the packaging in the garbage.

• A girl takes a home pregnancy test at a friend’s or her partner’s house and leaves the packaging in the garbage.

• A girl goes to a health care provider and provides her insurance information, which is on her parent’s plan, and they receive a report that she went to a health care provider without their knowledge.

And YES, a girl can get pregnant if:

• it’s her first time having intercourse

• she still has a hymen (sometimes called a cherry)

• her partner only put his penis in for a few seconds or a minute or any duration of time even if he didn’t fully ejaculate (cum)

• she has her period

So, put your mind at ease, and get tested for pregnancy and STDs.

If you need a hotline, check out our list here.

Your Comments

RE: im scared

Posted by: DanR on Apr 9th, 2008 9:54am

As long as it is used properly, pregnancy tests are usually
pretty accurate if taken 1 or 2 days after a missed period.
If you are having unprotected sex frequently you are
definitely at risk for getting pregnant (and also putting
yourself at risk for STDs). The fact that you have an
irregular period, and the pregnancy test came back negative
may mean you are not pregnant this month, but the longer you
continue to do this, the greater your chances will be of
getting pregnant.

im scared

Posted by: lilmontierra on Apr 7th, 2008 11:46pm

me in my boyfriend has been having unprotected sex for the
last couple of times. well last month i missed my period i
never been the type to have a regular period i might come on
one month skip a month come on again. well i took to
pregnancy test and they both came back negative i haven't
been having any signs breast not sore not sick axcept for
one day i came from red lobster. the onlyy reasoni can think
of i missed this period is because i had sex alot this
month. could i be pregnant

RE: Sex with the bf.!!

Posted by: DanR on Mar 25th, 2008 11:07am

Most girls ovulate, or release an egg, about 14 days before
she gets her period. The egg can only survive for about 24
to 36 hours. She can only get pregnant if sperm reach the
egg while it's still alive. Sperm can live up to five days
inside a girl's reproductive system. You wouldn't know if
you are pregnant for sure until you miss your period. If it
has been less then 5 days since you had unprotected sex, you
can still take plan b to avoid pregnancy. See:
http://www.sexetc.org/page/plan_b.

RE: I Don't take my pills at the same time every day!?!?!?!

Posted by: DanR on Mar 25th, 2008 10:44am

Each time you do not take your birth control pills on a
regular basis, the rate of effectiveness decreases, so you
do run a greater chance of getting pregnant. Condoms can
help lower this risk, and can also help decrease your risk
of STDs as well. If you do have unprotected sex at anytime,
it can be a good idea to take the morning after pill, but do
not take this regularly as it does make some girls feel very
sick after taking it. Here is a site with info on EC:
http://ec.princeton.edu/.

RE: my friend might be pregnant

Posted by: DanR on Mar 25th, 2008 10:32am

Sounds like you are being a great friend in this tough
situation. Ultimately, your friend is the only one who can
decide to take the pregnancy test or not. You are doing all
the right things by offering to help her and be there for
her. Maybe you could try just buying one for her and tell
her you wait for the results together? You could also show
her this site and maybe she will do some exploring and get
answers on her own. Keep being supportive and let her know
you care.

Sex with the bf.!!

Posted by: chloe-x on Mar 24th, 2008 10:37am

Hey, i had sex last night with my bf, and he cummed inside
me. i do have a few questions, like how long until i will
know for definate, how long does it take for sperm to reach
the egg? how long does sperm live for? and if i am, when
would i start to realise it. Thanku xx

I Don't take my pills at the same time every day!?!?!?!

Posted by: Teak on Mar 23rd, 2008 11:46pm

I keep taking my birth control at different times every day.
Will I get pregnant if I decide to have sex? Also if I have
sex the day before my expected period and my period doesn't
come should I consider taking the morning after pill?

my friend might be pregnant

Posted by: curiousgirls114 on Mar 23rd, 2008 11:22pm

wat do i do she is so scared i told her that she should go
buy a pregnancy test but she's imberessed to so i dont kno i
offerd 2 buy her one but she said no do u think that i
should tell her mom or dad or someone that could help her
becuase i am worried sick for her and she is always sick and
throwing up in the morning but i told her that its probably
morning sickness cuzz u get that when ur pregnant and she
thinks its jst a cold thats goin around HELP ME!!!
CURIOUSGIRLS114 THNXS :*s

how 2 find out if u or ur friend is pregnant

Posted by: curiousgirls114 on Mar 23rd, 2008 11:15pm

well this is a serious thing but u should tell ur mother or
father or if u dpnt feel comfortable telling them then u
could tell a diffrent parent or grownup i kno u may not want
2 but u hav 2 so in case something happens u dont get sick
or ur baby if ur pregnant but if u doont feel like telling
anone yet then u couls=d go buy a pragnancy test at the
store and if u do end up being pregnant then u will hav w
tell an adult also another way you could know is if u or u
dont feel good in the morning !

RE: am i pregnant?

Posted by: DanR on Mar 19th, 2008 12:32pm

Some women do experience spotting when they are pregnant, so
I understand your concern. There are a lot of things to
think about here. Did you use any kind of birth control
(the pill, patch, condoms, etc.) during your experience? If
you used any form of birth control correctly, your chances
are very low. Did your boyfriend ejaculate inside or near
your vagina where sperm could have gotten in? If he did not
ejaculate inside you there is little to no chance that you
could be pregnant.

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