Pregnant or not?

Did you have unprotected sex less than 5 days ago? Read about what you can still do to prevent a pregnancy.

Did you have unprotected sex more than 5 days ago? Do you want to check whether you're pregnant or not? Read here how it works.

1. Wait to see if you have your period first

Wait until the date you would normally expect to have your period. Why? Because, until that time, there won't be enough pregnancy hormones in your body to do a pregnancy test.

• Did you have your period as normal? 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.

Don't forget! You can be pregnant, but still lose a very small amount of blood. So if you lose a tiny amount of blood, but are not sure if it’s a proper period, do a pregnancy test to be sure.

2. Do a pregnancy test

You can do the pregnancy test from the first day after you should have had your period. In other words, from the first day you are overdue. There are various ways of doing the test:

• You can buy a pregnancy test at a pharmacy or chemist. The test is easy to do yourself. You dip the test strip in your urine sample (or stream) for a few seconds, preferably in the morning. The test result is visible after a few minutes. Read the instructions first. Then you can be sure you carry out the different steps in the correct 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 the doctor will inform your parents. Because all doctors have a duty of confidentiality, and can only tell your parents if you want them to.
• Keep in mind: in some cases, your health insurance may charge you for the test.
• Buying a test online. Google ‘pregnancy test’ and you'll get plenty of search results.

• 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 if you're pregnant from your urine. It makes sense to do the test again after a few days. 

If you are pregnant, you will notice physical changes:

• Painful breasts: this might indicate a pregnancy but could also happen because you’re going through puberty.
• Tiredness: this might indicate a pregnancy but could also be caused by something else.
• Nausea: ave you had morning sickness for a few days already? Then it makes sense to have a pregnancy test.
• Your periods have stopped.
• You only lose a tiny amount of blood when you have your period. Some women lose a tiny amount of blood even though they are pregnant.

Remember: you can also be pregnant without noticing anything at all. This is why it’s important to check whether you have your period every month as normal. And, of course, to always have safe sex.