Am I pregnant?

Women find out that they are pregnant in different ways. Usually, women who are pregnant do not get their periods when they expect them. I know some women who found out that way. A couple of girls I know say that they could just feel that something was different; their bodies just felt . . . off.  One girl said her breasts started to hurt; another felt sick to her stomach a lot. But this can differ from woman to woman.

The quickest and most accurate way for a woman to know for sure whether she is pregnant or not is to have a pregnancy test. Anyone can buy a pregnancy test from a drug store (they won’t ask for I.D. because you don’t have to be over a certain age to buy one) or get a cheap or free test and counseling at a local family planning clinic.

Getting tested at your doctor’s office or a family planning clinic can be a really good option because if you find out that you’re pregnant, you’ll probably have a lot of questions that a doctor (like my Aunt Lucia), nurse or family planning counselor will happily answer. They can help you to get connected to whatever care or services you need.  And they can also help you talk with your parents because finding out you’re pregnant when you weren’t planning on it is a big deal that can be hard to bring up with them.

My aunt always tells me that the sooner a woman finds out that she’s pregnant, the more options she has. “Maria,” she says, “if you think you might be pregnant, don’t wait! Get a pregnancy test as soon as you can.  Keeping your head in the sand doesn’t help you!”  As usual… she’s right!