Am I Pregnant? Having Lower Abdominal Pain, Been Sick, Missed Period

I’m seventeen. I had unprotected sex on the 2nd of September, i think & took Next Choice the day after. The period before this started on August 20th & ended on the 26th. I have not had a period since then & today is the 3rd of October. I have taken several at home tests and they say i am not pregnant, but since then i have been having lower abdominal pain & I’ve gotten sick. Does this mean I’m pregnant? What should i do?

better than this (17)

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Dear better than this,

Taking Next Choice so quickly after having unprotected sex will give  you a very high probability of “success.”  Next Choice is typically around 95% effective when taken during the first 24 hours (it’s always best to take it asap – don’t even wait until 23 1/2 hrs!!). It’s not uncommon for Next Choice to make your next period be irregular (i.e. it might come early, it might come late, or you might skip it altogether). Most likely, your period will get back on schedule during October; however, definitely keep an eye on it and be sure to take another pregnancy test by the end of October if you don’t have a period.

As far as lower abdominal pain and being sick, that could be caused by a variety of things (i.e. flu, virus, stomach bug, etc.). If the stomach pains keep up, then you’ll definitely want to see your doctor to see what is going on. My best bet is that you are not pregnant, assuming that you’ve taken a very recent pregnancy test and that it was negative. Next Choice, when taken that soon after having sex, is usually quite effective.

Best luck,

Hannah