Care Advice
Pregnancy Suspected or Possible
What You Should Know About Late Periods if Having Sex:
- Menstrual periods stop when a woman becomes pregnant.
- A woman with a missed or late period should think about pregnancy.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Pregnancy Test, When in Doubt:
- If there is a chance that you might be pregnant, use a urine pregnancy test.
- You can buy a pregnancy test at any drugstore.
- It works best first thing in the morning.
- Follow all package instructions.
Call Your Doctor If:
- You have trouble with the home pregnancy test
- Pregnancy test is positive
- Misses 2 periods and pregnancy test is negative
- Your teen develops any serious symptoms
First Period Started Less than 1 Year Ago
What You Should Know About First Periods in Young Teens:
- Skipping periods is common during the first 1 or 2 years after they start.
- It doesn't mean anything serious or cause any harm.
- A girl can normally go up to 6 months between the first and second periods.
- Also, a girl can go up to 4 months between the second and third periods.
- Normal irregular periods can go on for 2 years.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Misses 4 periods
- New symptoms suggest pregnancy (such as morning sickness)
- You have other questions
Recent Stress Causing Late Period
What You Should Know about Stress and Late Menstrual Periods:
- Stress can disrupt normal menstrual cycles.
- Try to help your daughter deal with the stress by talking about it.
- Also, try to avoid or decrease stressors.
- If this does not help, seek help from a counselor.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Misses 2 periods
- Your daughter needs help coping with stress
- New symptoms suggest pregnancy (such as morning sickness)
- You have other questions
Remember! Contact your doctor if you or your child develop any "Contact Your Doctor" symptoms.