r/amipregnant • • Feb 28 '21

“But what about a cryptic pregnancy?”

736 Upvotes

Is this you?

  1. Last had sex more than 3 weeks ago (sometimes months)
  2. Have had multiple negative home tests or blood tests for HCG
  3. (optional) Have had periods or withdrawal bleeds since having sex.

But you’re still concerned that you might be pregnant based on shows like “I didn’t know I was pregnant” or online stories about cryptic pregnancy. Could it be that?

So, in a word, no. If you have multiple negative pregnancy tests three weeks after having sex, you’re not pregnant. In order to support a pregnancy your body produces HCG. Without HCG, there is no pregnancy. HCG tells the corpus luteum to continue producing progesterone, and is required for major changes to sustain pregnancy like growing a placenta. Home pregnancy tests are very reliable at detecting even trace amounts of HCG, and blood tests as well.

There are three causes of false negatives with home pregnancy tests:

The first: Early measurement after conception. When people talk about cryptic pregnancy, they either never take a test, or they took a test too early and became pregnant after. It takes at least 7 days for a fertilized egg to float downstream and implant into the uterine lining. That’s why you have to wait about 2 weeks to take a pregnancy test after unprotected sex - 3 weeks makes it 100% solid result.

You’ll also see people say “I knew I was pregnant, but I didn’t test positive until I was 6 weeks”. This is because of how pregnancy is dated from the last menstrual period (the day your period started), but, embryonic development only starts after an egg is ovulated and fertilized. In a textbook 28 day cycle, this happens on day 14, and the first day your period is missed you get a positive test. In real life, bodies are a little more complicated, and sometimes people ovulate weeks later leading to a discrepancy - a doctor will tell them they are 6 weeks pregnancy based on their last menstrual period, but in embryonic terms they are only 4 weeks pregnant because they ovulated on the 28th day of their cycle. If they tested when they were ‘late’ on the 29th, it would have been a negative test. They weren’t pregnant, but they became pregnant later. For people who are more visual, I have made a very ugly calendar for the above example scenario.

For a longer, more detailed explanation: "Your period isn't late" Part 1 and Part 2

The second: Dilute urine specimen. If your HCG levels are low, drinking a lot of water can result in false negatives in very early pregnancy. This is typically why you’ll see folks talking about testing with first morning urine - it’s the most concentrated. HCG roughly doubles every 48-72 hours, and you can see in this figure how fast. At 20 days of embryonic development (aka about 3 weeks after sex), on average a pregnant person will have HCG around 1000 mIU/ml. At home tests are typically rated for detecting 10 - 25 mIU/ml.

The Third: The Hook effect. This is where there is too much HCG for a test to work properly. It is unlikely that this is happening especially if you’ve taken multiple tests. First, peak HCG is typically around 10-14 weeks pregnant - after this, it starts coming back down. Second, tests are often tested for the hook effect - wondfos (a very cheap test) showed no hook effect to concentrations of 200,000 mIU/ml. First Response Early Result showed no hook effect at 1,000,000 mIU/ml - much higher than any normal pregnancy. If you are concerned about it because you’re taking your first pregnancy tests 12-17 weeks after sex, you might dilute a sample of urine just in case for a second test. Although, that would be very unnecessary if you’re using an FRER.

When people do not figure out they are pregnant for months at a time, it is typically because they have not taken any tests. Denial of pregnancy is a more accurate descriptor.

If you believe yourself pregnant despite all the evidence, or having a lot of anxiety and fear around being pregnant, you may want to see a mental health specialist. If you’re feeling very unwell, or haven't had a period in months, you may want to see a doctor. Scarleteen has a great page on these things as well.

Want to learn about pregnancy tests? Great video

TL;DR HCG is required to support a pregnancy - if you've gotten multiple negative tests across a large time frame, there is no possible way you are pregnant from sex more than 3 weeks ago.

Feedback and questions welcome! Also if anybody has any resources they want to share, please do.


r/amipregnant • • Mar 14 '23

FAQs ANSWERED with Sources. Friendly PSAs for AmIPregnant

294 Upvotes

Hello friends! Mod Stress here to address a few things that come up often on this sub. Resources provided. :)

1.) You cannot get pregnant from fingering, with or without precum. Unless globs of fresh semen are being inserted into a vagina, fingering is just not going to cause a pregnancy. Dry humping also cannot cause a pregnancy. This article goes through all the sexual things that can happen that have no chance of pregnancy.

2.) It's extremely unlikely to get pregnant without PIV sex.* *Not including medical processes such as IVF to cause a pregnancy.

3.) If you're having unprotected sex, pregnancy is always technically possible. Doesn't matter if it's "just the tip" or "three strokes" or "pulled out before ejaculation." Pullout is 78% effective over the course of a year. Some of these scenarios are much less likely to result in a pregnancy than others, but we can't extrapolate the data like that. You're unlikely to get pregnant from one singular instance of unprotected sex, but it's always possible.

4.) Implantation bleeding is a misnomer. In fact, implantation is too small a phenomena to cause any symptoms.

5.) A test is mostly accurate 14 days after sex and definitive 21 days after. If you're getting negative tests 2+ weeks after sex, you are not pregnant. Regardless of if you have your period or not. In early pregnancy, concentration of urine matters. Take a pink dye test after a 3-4 hour urine hold without drinking too much water for the most accurate results. At 21+ days after sex, dilution of urine won't matter. Do not look at tests outside of their validity window and thoroughly read the instructions for your test before you take it.

6.) You cannot have a true period and be pregnant. Some women experience light bleeding in early pregnancy (this is NOT their period). If bleeding were related to pregnancy, a test would be positive.

7.) It takes more HCG to cause symptoms than a positive test. If you're testing negative, any symptoms you are currently experiencing are not currently related to pregnancy. Lots of early pregnancy symptoms overlap with normal PMS symptoms.

8.) Am I having a Cryptic Pregnancy?? No, you're not.

9.) The only way to truly know when you ovulated using an approved FAM method. Apps are not an accurate way to track, your body doesn't know to follow an algorithm off your phone. While things like CM and OPKs may indicate your body is gearing up to ovulate, they do not confirm ovulation. Check out the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility and [r/FAMnNFP](r/FAMnNFP).

Some other helpful tips:

  • Read the leaflet that comes with your birth control so you understand how your medication works, possible side effects, how to use it, etc. [r/birthcontrol](r/birthcontrol) is also a good source.
  • If you're on birth control and using it properly, you are having protected sex (from pregnancy). This is true whether or not you are using a condom. If you are using protection properly, you do not need Plan B.
  • Don't want to become pregnant? READ THIS before engaging in sexual activity.
  • The buddy system: using more than one method of contraceptive when engaging in sexual activities
  • How is pregnancy dated?
  • If you're taking Plan B, read the leaflet. It will go through all the possible side effects. [r/PlanBs](r/PlanBs) is also a good friend.
  • If your symptoms are of concern, visit a doctor.
  • Do not trust TikTok or YouTube as your medical advice.
  • A lot of our users are from the Philippines. [r/SafeSexPH](r/SafeSexPH) is a great resource!
  • Want us to look at your tests? [r/lineporn](r/lineporn)
  • Are you TTC? Check out [r/TryingForABaby](r/TryingForABaby)
  • Confirmed pregnancy? Head over to [r/pregnant](r/pregnant)

- Looking for abortion resources? r/abortion

  • Sex Ed Websites: scarleteen, bedsider, planned parenthood

r/amipregnant • • 38m ago

My bf thinks we’re preggers

• Upvotes

Earlier today my bf told me his aunt asked if I was pregnant.. mind you I don’t think we’ve ever met in person. She doesn’t see me at all, but I guess she said bc his face looks chubbier (he’s skinny lol). It’s funny bc last month I told him he looks like he’s gaining something. He has abs & they’ve always been pretty crisp to me. I noticed they’re starting to smooth out a lil 😭 but we do eat out a lot, which is what he told his aunt. But for me, I have trouble getting pregnant & so lil stuff like this makes my mind go into overdrive 😵‍💫 is this one of those things where it’s like “If you dream about fish your pregnant” or your older relative just overthinking?


r/amipregnant • • 55m ago

second late period after plan b

• Upvotes

late period after plan b (I posted this on planbs just want to know more about you guys experiences)

i took a plan b (august 30th) there was no ejaculation i just took it because the condom broke and to be safe. (september)My period came on time but it was shorter than usual as well as lighter.
Some days afterwards I decided to take a pregnancy test because i was just overthinking the length of my period, and it came out as negative (this was 21+ days after last encounter so i would think it was reliable)
My period is 9 days late, 3 days in i took another pregnancy test, negative, on the one week mark of my period being late I took another one, negative as well.
Just wondering if this is something common, and how long did it take for some you of guys to get your period?


r/amipregnant • • 2h ago

How soon after did you feel implantation cramping?

0 Upvotes

There is a period of time I could have conceived from last Friday to Sunday. Tonight I felt a deep sharp pain that really really reminded me of the implantation cramp from my child. It was over 15 years ago so I can’t remember how soon after but I will never forget that feeling and this felt similar. How soon after should I test? My most recent pregnancy was ended and that time period was a blur. Super nervous and worried right now.


r/amipregnant • • 2h ago

TTC for 5 Months

0 Upvotes

We have been on this journey trying to conceive. It is tough hearing people who we know were trying to conceive the same time as us getting pregnant, knowing we’d be almost 6 months had we been lucky with our first try, etc. Every day, it feels like we hear and see more pregnancies in our world and while we are so happy for everyone, it has really taken a toll on us. This cycle, currently on DPO9, BBT dropped below coverline on DPO8 and recovered and have been cramping last two days, which never have cramping symptoms pre/during period. Has this happened to anyone before? Really trying to stay positive here…


r/amipregnant • • 2h ago

I have a question!

0 Upvotes

Probably already know the answer.. what would be the likelihood I could get pregnant? He only did it 3 times inserting it (inside me) for a quick second.. from what I know there wasn’t anything on him. But we stopped after we knew what we were doing is wrong! Should I go get a morning after pill?! 💊


r/amipregnant • • 2h ago

period late after taking plab b…

1 Upvotes

so i reunited with my ex after two years and basically spent every day of this month having unprotected sex… it first started because i had period and it was okay to finish inside but we continued to do that every time because it felt amazing for both of us. i took plan b before my ovulation started and had bleeding for only a day (it was like my regular period flow). we continued with unprotected sex until 23rd. the thing that bothers me here is that i am supposed to get my period today and i have experienced some mild cramps and heavy discharge, but no period in sight. i got fired last month and it was kinda stressful for me and i got my period twice in september (the first week and the last)… so today is my 32nd day of the cycle. i saw that in july my cycle lasted 18 days so i guess my cycles are irregular. i have reasons to panic but at the same time i guess that my hormones are fucked up from the pill and my period will probably be late. (best case scenario). also i am terrified of the abortion pill because i ended up in the er from the menstrual pain many times and i don’t know how will i do that without anyone knowing. i forgot to add that my stomach is kinda swollen…


r/amipregnant • • 3h ago

Symptom Update.

1 Upvotes

I had posted a timeline of events yesterday but didn’t include my recent symptoms.
I'm experiencing acne breakouts on my body, slight bloating, drier and puffier vaginal walls, certain food cravings that I only get before a period, sensitivity to temperatures (As in I’d get hot or cold easily), and slight nausea. I also have noticed watery clear discharge in my underwear in the last 2 days but I have a weak pelvic floor.
My period was scheduled for today and it did not show up.
Are these symptoms signs of early pregnancy or just pre period symptoms? I plan to take a pregnancy test on the 30th/friday.


r/amipregnant • • 4h ago

Had sex and took Plan b immediately after

0 Upvotes

What are the likeness of getting pregnant? Just ended her period on Sunday.


r/amipregnant • • 4h ago

Please Help! First Time Using Plan B!

0 Upvotes

Hi, I never post on here but I genuinely need to ease my mind because I am absolutely petrified. I (18F) just started college where I met my boyfriend (18M) and we've been dating for 2 months now. I'm not on any type of birth control but we always use condoms. We did it on Oct. 10th, 21st, and 24th, using condoms on all these dates. I then got my period on Oct 21st and my last day was on the 25th. My cycle is pretty regular and usually around an estimated 28 days, both trackers currently say I’m in my follicular phase and around 5-8 days away from ovulation.

On the 27th we did it again but the condom broke and it wasn't until after he pulled out that he found a hole in the significantly empty condom. Within 7-8 hours I took an Aftera / Plan B. I feel nauseous and anxious but mostly terrified of getting pregnant which absolutely cannot happen at all costs. Please tell me what the chances are that I can get pregnant, and other precautions I can take to prevent it. This is literally my worst fear.

I also know these pills don't work when you're over a certain weight, I'm 5'8, around 135lbs/60kg. Please ease my mind.


r/amipregnant • • 4h ago

just the tip.. kind of?

0 Upvotes

so me and my girlfriend were messing around and my penis accidently went into the opening of her vagina, I didn’t purposely put it in there, she said she didn’t feel it go in. for reference she’s about 5 days from her period, give or take. she said she’s not wanting to take plan b because there’s no point. mind you I can’t say for certain if I felt it go in, if it did it was a few secs ( like two )


r/amipregnant • • 5h ago

I am 13 days late on my periods with multiple negative tests

1 Upvotes

Hi, I am too worried and want to know if anyone has had a similar situation.
My period is 13 days late; mine are always regular, between 24 and 28 days, and I checked my period dates in my app for past years, and I am always regular. My last period was on 19th September, and after that, I have been waiting. It's CD 40 today. I did 4 tests at home before CD 32; all were negative. After that, I got my blood test done on CD 33, and that came out negative. I waited and did a home test again at CD 37, and that was negative as well. I am trying to conceive and started my medicines in Sept. I was hoping for a positive test since I missed my period, but this is really weird. Mine are regular, always between CD 24 to CD 28 I always get them. I had unprotected sex with my partner till 12th of October.

Has anyone faced this? Did you get a positive at any later stage? Please help


r/amipregnant • • 5h ago

Possibly pregnant

0 Upvotes

Had unprotected sex 1.5 day before ovulation and he ejaculated inside.. couldnt get the pill whats the possibility of becoming pregnant. It happend friday night says i ovulated on sunday period isnt till the 9th of November. A lil anxious.


r/amipregnant • • 5h ago

Weight gain & college delaying my period???

0 Upvotes

So I’ve had my copper IUD for about a year and I’ve had intercourse with my ex boyfriend multiple times without a condom and everything was fine. Since coming to college, I’ve been through alot of stress because said boyfriend and I broke up, a lot of academic and life anxiety, and I’ve been gaining weight like crazy (around 15 pounds in the last 2 weeks)

But, I’m about 2 weeks late to my period and I’ve had sex 3 times since my last one, my periods are normally regular and usually come early, but my last period ended a lot earlier than normal which was strange because my periods are abnormally long due to my IUD.

I’m scared I’m pregnant but everything else added on top tells me my period is late due to stress and hormonal changes, I also smoke weed and drink on the weekends, should I still take a test?


r/amipregnant • • 7h ago

Tengo dudas

0 Upvotes

hoy mismo tuve relaciones con mi novia, al revisar su calendario me doy cuenta que es su dia de ovulación, tuvimos relaciones sin proteccion, y no estamos tan asustados sabemos que en caso de que pase la desicion es abortar, me vine afuera, pero aún el susto. Alguien me da un consejo que debería hacer? porque si se toma la pastilla del dia despues, y ya esta fecundada pues no serviría de mucho 😓


r/amipregnant • • 11h ago

Could she be pregnant?

2 Upvotes

Hi, my gfs period is currently late by a day. She is currently experiencing mild cramps (milder than usual) and she is urinating much more often than usual.

Around two weeks ago, we had a condom break AGAINST but NOT IN her vagina. And we took emergency contraception two days later. Before and after this event in her cycle we’ve had normal protected sex

What do you think?


r/amipregnant • • 8h ago

Pregnancy scare

0 Upvotes

My boyfriend and I had sex, but unfortunately, the condom broke. He did not ejaculate during sex, although he had ejaculated about four hours earlier and thinks he urinated before we had sex.
During sex we saw that there was already precum in the condom. When we noticed that the condom had broken, he did not see any white fluid in my vagina, although we understand that this does not necessarily mean that no fluid entered it.

My menstrual cycle is usually around 29 days, and my period ended about six days before we had sex. According to my period-tracking app, I was approximately four days away from ovulation, although I know that the app cannot predict ovulation with complete accuracy.

Because we were worried about pregnancy, I took Plan B approximately 27 hours after sex. I understand that it works mainly by delaying ovulation and cannot guarantee that pregnancy will be prevented.

What is the likelihood that I could become pregnant in this situation?


r/amipregnant • • 9h ago

taking ellaone on day 15 ovulation??

1 Upvotes

i had unprotected sex i got the ellaone pill and took it within the same day just wondering is it going to work?

on my flo app it say im on day 15 day one of fertile window does that = ovulation? im confused and scardd


r/amipregnant • • 10h ago

Should i be worried?

0 Upvotes

A couple days ago me and my fwb had sex with a condom but before we did it i kept telling him to not put it in raw and he kept trying to and his tip was only in. Could i get pregnant from that? Im worried cus this dude alr got a kid and and im way younger than him and dont want to deal with this.


r/amipregnant • • 10h ago

should i be worried?

1 Upvotes

my gf is currently on Day 34 of her cycle and she still has not gotten her period. Her usual cycle is 29–33 days, but she previously had a 38-day cycle followed by a 29-day cycle.

we had protected sex on Cycle Day 11 (October 5) and again on Day 31. on October 5, I experienced failed edging and ejaculated a small amount while wearing a condom, but we continued. After fully ejaculating, I pulled out and checked the condom. I found no tears or leaks, and it appeared intact.

on Day 31, we had sex twice. During the first round, I experienced failed edging again, so I replaced the condom, wiped my penis with tissue, and continued using the new condom until full ejaculation and I pulled out. I checked it afterward and found no signs of failure. During the second round, I used another new condom, and there was no ejaculation. Both encounters were protected throughout, with no noticeable breakage, slipping, or leakage.

she has not taken a pregnancy test yet. based on these details, is the pregnancy risk very low? could her period simply be delayed?


r/amipregnant • • 11h ago

Do you think I'm at high risk? Should I get the Copper IUD?

0 Upvotes

23F, So I made a naive and stupid decision this weekend by having sex without protection during my fertile window. For reference, I have a very regular cycle that lasts anywhere between 26-29 days, and my period lasts 6-7 days. I use the Flo app to track my cycle, however I have never tracked my ovulation using home tests before, so the estimates are purely from the app's algorithm.

My timeline for the month:
-- 10/10 period started
-- 10/16 period ended
-- 10/18-10/24 my predicted fertile window
-- 10/22 my predicted day of ovulation
-- 10/24 the day I had unprotected sex

First, we had sex without a condom until he finished on my stomach. He pulled out with enough time for nothing to end up inside of me at all. Then he went to the bathroom, peed, and washed himself off with soap and water and we took a break. Then we had sex a second time, except this time we put on a condom. However during the middle of it, the condom slipped off and got lost inside of me, and had to be fished out. He did not ejaculate at all the second time, so my main concern for this entire night is whether or not his precum can make me pregnant. I do believe I was still in my fertile window as I was plenty wet/had EWCM.

The morning after on 10/25, I took a plan B one step. It caused me to have some nausea and cramping but I feel completely normal since.

My main concern is whether or not I had been ovulating during the time I had sex. If I ovulated days before, and the egg had long disintegrated, then I had no risk to begin with. If I ovulated the day after having sex, then the plan B hopefully extended my ovulation long enough for any sperm inside me to die off. However, if I had sex during the 12-24 hour window of ovulation, then the plan B will not help at all and I could get pregnant.

I have no clue when I ovulated, so I'm afraid the plan B will just end up being useless. I have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow (4 days after sex) to get a copper IUD, however I'm also nervous that this too will be pointless. I'm probably done with ovulation by now as my discharge has dried up and I no longer feel horny/aroused as much, but that's just my guess.

I'm just so afraid that even after I go through the pain and potentially traumatic experience of getting the copper IUD that it will still be for nothing because my egg may have already been fertilized. Everything I've read online states that the copper IUD is not necessarily proven to prevent implantation, and that its main function is preventing fertilization. What if I'm already past that point?

I am completely torn apart over this and could use anyone's thoughts or guidance. I know that he never ejaculated in me at all, so my risk lies in whether or not his precum contained any sperm, so that hopefully helps my case. And I know I made such a stupid mistake that I never will again, but I need to know whether it will really be worth it to get this procedure tomorrow. I'm so afraid it's too late. Anyone with a similar experience that can share?


r/amipregnant • • 12h ago

Am i pregnant

1 Upvotes

I took only one pregnancy line test at night 36 days after intercourse and it was negative but i still havent gotten my period ( its been 51 days since my last period) i have pcos and had taken 2 plan b’s in a week even tho he pulled out. I wanna take another test just to be sure but now its gonna be almost 50 days since our last intercourse. Is there a chance we get the hook effect? Or can i trust the one test we already took? I dont feel any symptoms its just my late period


r/amipregnant • • 12h ago

I 24(M) had unprotected sex during fertile days but took a pill

1 Upvotes

Hey guys i need advice i am a beginner at this but i had unprotected sex with a girl whilest she was on her fertile days ,idk but i think i cummed abit in her and on her flo app it shows day 3/5 of fertile days now i gave her an emergency pill to take…we had sex on 2 days ago and her last period was 9/10 days ago…because i am new idk what to think i need advice


r/amipregnant • • 12h ago

he tried to put it in raw

0 Upvotes

I hooked up w a guy a couple days ago, he tried to put it in raw multiple times which I wasn’t really messing with but I was too tight so it didn’t go in anyway, nevertheless it did almost happen. That wasn’t the only thing we did but is that possibility enough for me to potentially get pregnant? Ik people say stuff about precum and how it can get someone pregnant but I’m not sure if there was any or not. This is only my second time doing something remotely sexual with someone else so I’m paranoid af because I’m also cramping and having a bit of stomach pain. I want to get a pill but my friend told me not to worry.