Pregnant or not?
Have you had unprotected sex? Check here how you can find out whether or not you're pregnant. And what you can do to prevent a pregnancy.
Less than 5 days ago?
Did you have unprotected sex less than 5 days ago? Read about what you can still do to prevent a pregnancy.
More than 5 days ago?
Did you have unprotected sex more than 5 days ago? Then you can no longer prevent a pregnancy. Read here about how you can check if you're pregnant.
1. Wait and see if you have your period
First, wait until the date when you would normally expect to have your period. Why? Because until that time there won’t be enough of the pregnancy hormone in your body to do a pregnancy test.
- Did you have your period as usual? Then you are not pregnant.
- Did you miss your period? Are you ‘late’? Then maybe you are pregnant. In that case, do a pregnancy test.
Important to know: you can be pregnant, but still have some spotting. So if you have a small bleed, but are not sure if it’s a proper period, do a pregnancy test just in case.
2. Do a pregnancy test
You can do a pregnancy test from the first day that you should have had your period. In other words, from the first day that you’re late. There are various ways to do a test:
- You can buy a pregnancy test at a pharmacy or chemist. The test is easy to do yourself. You dip the test strip or stick in your urine sample (or stream) for a few seconds, preferably in the morning. The result is visible after a few minutes. Read the instructions before taking the test. Then you can be sure you do the different steps in the right order.
- You can have a free pregnancy test done at your doctor’s practice or a Sense clinic. You don’t have to be afraid that the doctor will inform your parents. That’s because all doctors have a duty of confidentiality, and may only tell your parents if you want them to.
- Important to know: in some cases, a pregnancy test is listed on a statement of health insurance costs.
- You can buy a test online. Just search for ‘pregnancy test’ and you’ll get plenty of results.
Early pregnancy test
You can do this test as early as 4 to 6 days before you should have your period. These early detection pregnancy tests are less reliable. That’s because soon after a possible fertilisation, your body hasn’t yet produced much pregnancy hormone. So the test might say you’re not pregnant even though an egg has been fertilised.
Test result
- Is the test positive? Then you’re pregnant.
- Is the test negative? You’re probably not pregnant, but that’s not entirely certain. In the early stages, you can’t always tell from your urine that you’re pregnant. It is advisable to do the test again after a few days.
Signs in your body to look out for
If you are pregnant, you’ll notice changes in your body:
- Painful breasts: this could indicate a pregnancy, but might happen because you’re going through puberty.
- Tiredness: this might be a sign of pregnancy, but could also be caused by something else.
- Nausea: if you’ve had morning sickness for a few days, it’s advisable to do a pregnancy test.
- Your periods have stopped.
- You only have a small bleed when you have your period. Some women have some spotting even though they are pregnant.
- Important to know: you can also be pregnant without noticing anything at all. That’s why it’s important to check whether you have your period every month as usual. And, of course, to always have safe sex.
She wasn’t supposed to get pregnant – what now?
If a pregnancy is unplanned, you have to make a difficult choice: continue with the pregnancy or have a termination.
Do you both want different things? It’s important to respect each other's opinions. Don’t get angry if you can’t agree. Look for a solution together that will be acceptable to you both. And if you can’t find that, get help and advice from your doctor, a Sense clinic or infopuntonbedoeldzwanger.nl.
Also look at
Unprotected sex? Do something now!
Morning after pill
Pregnant, what now?
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