My periods are delayed. Am I pregnant?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have a couple of questions regarding pregnancy. About two days ago, my partner and I had unprotected oral sex, and I was in a position where my vagina was on his penis, but we did not have sexual intercourse. Although he did finger me, he did not seem to have any body fluid on his fingers. Yesterday, I noticed that I have an urge to urinate more frequently than usual, and I am bloated. I have not missed my period yet because I usually get it in the earlier days of the month but, it was late anyway, and it still has not come. Today around 11 AM, I had some minor blood spotting. If I take a pregnancy test in a week, can I still take birth control to avoid the pregnancy? What are some ways I can prevent this possible pregnancy? Please write back soon. I really need help. I have never been in this situation before, and I have no one to talk to.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I do not see any reason for you to worry. Let me explain. You have mentioned that your periods usually occur in the early days of the month. Usually, a lady ovulates around the 12th to the 16th day of the periods. The life of the egg is 24 hours and that of the sperm is 72 hours. So, there is no chance that the egg was available at the end of the cycle and the sperm will not survive until the next ovulation, even if there was any sperm. As he had fingered your genitals, maybe there was some infection from his fingers or he was quite rough with your vagina, which could have allowed some infection to enter the bladder and you might be having some urinary infection. Just have lots of water and if the burning is severe, I suggest taking some urinary antibiotic like tablet Norfloxacin 400 mg twice a day for five days. There could be three reasons for your delayed periods:

Until the age of 21 years, the hormonal axis between your brain, pituitary, and ovary is not mature. So, once in a while, you can have a missed period. It will get corrected on its own.
Your weight. The expected weight for your height is 115 to 125 lbs. This excessive weight can occasionally alter the hormonal balance and prevent the ovulation. Try to reduce your weight for future regular periods.
Any significant physical or mental stress, even the stress of sex close to the period's date, an anxiety about pregnancy, or any other depression, etc., can alter the periods.

So, as there is no chance of pregnancy, there is no question of avoiding it. To have your periods, I suggest you have any of the birth control pills. You can ask for them, saying it is to regularize your periods which is another indication for these pills. Have one tablet twice a day for 10 days. Throw away the 21st pill and the dummy or placebo pills, if any. No matter what the cause is, you will have periods within seven to 10 days of the last pill.

Hope I have clarified your query. Do write back. All the best.