I have a feeling that I may have conceived 11/10. My period is not due until the beginning of next month, but I have a Dr.'s appointment this afternoon. Is the blood test she does sophisticated enough to detect pregnancy this early? I took a home pregnancy this morning and it was negative, but I know that it was way too early to try using one of those.
Do you know what day you ovulated? What day of your cycle was the 10th? 9 days past ovulation is right at the limits of detection. It’s possible that you could see something on a quantitative hCG test, but you could also get a “negative” reading (less than 5, usually) and still be pregnant. Most doctors would probably tell you to wait.
But if your period isn’t due until “the beginning of next month,” the odds are not very good that you could conceive from sex on the 10th. Generally the luteal phase (the time between ovulation and menstruation) is pretty consistent from month to month (cycle variability is much more likely to come from the time from menstruation to ovulation) and it’s usually about 14 days, plus or minus one or maybe two. That would suggest that if your period is due on the 1st, you would have ovulated on the 15th at the earliest. It’s possible to get pregnant if you have sex on the 10th and ovulate on the 15th, but it’s not very likely - that’s pretty close to the limit on longevity of sperm. And if you ovulated on the 15th, there’s no way any pregnancy test could detect it - the embryo probably wouldn’t even have implanted yet.
Bottom line - you’re probably going to have to wait it out. Is there a reason that you don’t want to?
Thanks for the great info! Basically, I’d like to know asap because I would need to ween myself off of Lexapro and Alprazolam.
In general, doctors will tell you that home pregnancy tests are plenty good enough for most purposes. My wife insisted on an actual lab test during her first pregnancy with our daughter for reasons that I can’t remember. The doctor finally obliged but said such a test was not necessary with a positive result from a home pregnancy test. They are pretty cheap. You could take one every other day if it is that important to know early.
Did the doctor you’re seeing today prescribe them? I’d ask him what he thinks about weaning (and when you need to do it). You may be able to shift to a different SSRI that is more compatible with pregnancy, which can help a lot with the discontinuation syndrome.
Are you taking folic acid? If not, you should ask your doctor if you should start right away. My understanding is that it’s best to have been taking it for a few weeks before you conceive and throughout the first trimester to minimize the risk of neural tube defects.
Good luck!