Had Genital Contact With Partner. Feeling Bloated And Nauseous. Pregnancy Test Was Negative. Should I Be Worried?

Posted on Mon, 4 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 4 Nov 2013 Answered on

Mon, 25 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Been taking Loestrin 24 Fe BCP for over 2 years. I had an encounter with my boyfriend, where there was neither penetration or ejaculation, but there was brief genital contact. I had taken the second pill of my pack 12 hours late. I took a pregnancy test 20 and 21 days later, and they were both negative. Can I trust these tests? Is there a chance of pregnancy? I have been feeling a little bloated and nauseous lately.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (38 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Pregnancy is extremely unlikely Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic The pregnancy tests can be taken as conclusive. Pregnancy tests detect the level of HCG hormone, though this hormone can be detected earlier with blood tests it would normally be present by the time you would have done the tests. HCG is normally detected in the urine by home pregnancy test by day 11 to 14 after conception. This means that if it had been present it would have been detectable by day 20 and 21. The 12 hour delay in taking your contraceptive would not have significantly affected your contraceptive cover. In addition , it is extremely difficult to conceive in the absence of penetration. Based on the above, you are not likely to be pregnant. There are other causes for nausea and bloating that might be causing your symptoms such as GERD, food intolerance, use of foods such as cabbage/beans/turnips/broccoli/brussel sprouts, excess use of carbonated drinks. I hope this helps,feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar