just an observation

[worriedbabe]

i think this page is in dire need of a standard answer to the age old question - am i pregnant?

[LauraB78]

I concur, this is one of the reasons I dont visit this board as much as I used to..

There should be a commonly asked questions link or something...

[rdh1981]

I agree! Not to be rude, but seriously how are we supposed to answer that question.  I know the stress of ttc and I know how hard it is to wait, but we cannot take out our crystal balls and give you an answer.

That is the main reason why I just skip over those threads. LauraB- good suggestion with the commonly asked link, that might actually stop some of the craziness!!!

[Melissa0116]

I too agree and totally understand what you are saying.  If you really need to know if your pregnant; all you have to do is go to the docs or take a test.  Noone can tell you if you are pregnant by what your symptoms are since their are so so many of them and other problems can cause the same symptoms.  So, take a test or go to the doctor.  

Sorry, if that sounded rude.  I didn't mean it to be.  Just being honest.

[Mumita]

I'm all for the frequently asked questions link or a sticky note on the top of the forum.

Which should be answered with "anytime you have had unprotected sex your chances of getting pregnant increase, however the only way to know is to take a HPT when your period is late.  And then it should be followed by "early pregnancy symptoms" no one has the same symptoms and yes, they are very close to PMS symptoms.

[smjmekg]

I agree with you ladies 110%. I usually answer all the Am I pregnant questions, and I may sound rude when I do but all I say is "We can't tell you if you are pregnant. Take a test."
It's the honest truth, we can't tell anyone if they're pregnant or not. And of course if you have unprotected sex you could be pregnant, even if you don't have unprotected sex there are possibilities. There should be a frequently asked questions thread titled "think you're pregnant? Check here." And then list all the ways you could get pregnant, and address ways you can't (i.e. all the "I gave my bf a hand job, washed my hands and fingered myself after" or "we were making out with all our clothes on and my bf ejaculated in his pants" post questions). And then a list of POSSIBLE pregnancy symptoms...I'd say a good 75% of the posts here are asking the same, "can I be pregnant?" I wonder if anyone who asks even thinks to look at other posts with the same question...

[smjmekg]

Oh and we should list when to test and what to do with the result...like if it comes back BFN and they still think they are pregnant/haven't gotten AF to test again in X amount of time, and if no AF and another BFN seeing a dr for a blood test and to get checked for if it's something else.

[GRose]

I agree, I also think there should be a specific link for "can I get pregnant from fingering" Gosh I am so sick of that question, it more common in the womens health forum but I see it here too.

[sweetangel7]

I agree...I actually have been copying and pasting the "am I pregnant" health page found as a link on the bottom left of this site...it is tiring and annoying!

[amy0013]

Medhelp already has this:  

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Pregnancy/Am-I-Pregnant---Could-I-be-Pregnant-FAQ/show/132?cid=98

BUT I think it needs to be stickied at the top of the forum so people can see if before they post the infamous question.  In fact, I think a "commonly asked questions" sticky would be awesome with links to different articles like the one above!!!  :)

[worriedbabe]

i didn't know there was a link...and i've been on here since november lol. I agree, it should be at the top of the page and if anyone still poses the question, we can just tell them where the link is.

[LauraB78]

I guess that is what I meant.. I have a hard time finding things sometimes and I have been on this board for well over a year! =)

I meant they should have links at the top of the pregnancy forum for commonly asked questions. =)  This way.new members could search for common questions and possibly avoid repeating posts that have already been answered countless times, you know? =)

[Michele, Katy, TX]

I agree w/ all of you ladies on this!  It does get frustrating.....Hopefully we can get something like this!

[gillianl]

I hate to be bad to all of you women but i'm one of the people who comes on near the end of a cycle asking " Could i be pregnant"  as my symptoms are so like pregnancy symptoms it is hard to know unless yes i take a test, most of the women on this who are ttc are more or less from my experiences looking for someone to express their thoughts and feelings to as maybe thay have no one else they can talk to about whether they are or aren't pregnant.

i thought this site was supposed to help people ttc and who had conceived, yes i'm the same with the am i pregnant question i get fed up but i know after 18months of ttc how hard it gets every month with a BFN and all you want is support through the hard times.

I'm also fed up with posts like " can i drink caffeine drinks while pregnant" some people really have to think of the questions they are posting before doing so.  Again i like this site and many of the people on it but i feel for us ttc who get the BFN every month and no one answers because you ask the same question, could i be pregnant.

Think of people's feelings before you give an answer you don't know how the person at the other end is going to feel, sorry but i needed to vent!!!

[Mumita]

Its kinda sad how many women know absolutely nothing about sex or their own bodies.  
I think that we also have to give real answers and not even entertain the possibilities.  Just a straight answer will do.

And what is up with all these girls thinking that every time they get their period or just some spotting that they are pregnant? I mean implantation spotting isn't even THAT common to begin with!
My last complaint is, every one of these girls are sooooooo worried about being pregnant, but they are not so worried about catching STD's, I'd be more scared of getting sick than pregnant.  1 out of 5 people in this country have genital herpes, that's 20% of the population, that's SUPER high.  And HPV aka genital warts is the leading cause of cervical cancer, there's HIV, Hepatitis, Gonorhea, Syphilis, Clamydia, even pubic lice!  Isn't anyone scared?  

Please have a sticky note at the top and I think it should also provide some information about contraception.

[rdh1981]

Amen Mumita!!!

[Mumita]

I think that the general consensus is about those NOT trying to get pregnant and asking am I pregnant questions.  The people TTC are not the ones that we are talking about.

BTW early pregnancy symptoms are pretty much the same as bad PMS and sometimes (like me) you don't get any symptoms at all until much later.

Please don't feel like this post is in any way directed towards you.

[heatherlynn22]

i think the "am i pregnant" question runs rampant through most of the pregnancy forums. even on the "pregnancy and parenting multiples" we have girls coming in "am i pregnant?" "can i be pregnant from this or that?". the "can i be pregnant from fingering" question baffles me as well. imho if you don't know the ways you can get pregnant/std's you shouldn't be having sex. i agree mumita fully. i'd be more scared of catching an std than getting pregnant. as my mom always said...no glove no love. lol. great way (not 100% effective) to prevent those am i pregnant questions and you don't have to worry about those pesky std's.

[gillianl]

I know the post wasn't directed at myself and i do understand where u are coming from when you have silly little girls as i will call them asking stupid questions like the can i get pregnant from fingering etc.  Some people forget there are those like myself who genuinely want to conceive but have problems doing so.  It think they should all take a good long look in the mirror those who " forget" to take a weeks worth of pill, you don't 'forget' you deliberately don't take them.

I feel to many people know very little about sex and the consequences and until they know more they should keep there legs closed and their pants up.  Sorry had to vent again just gets me so frustrated!!!

[Princessa745]

I totally agree with what your saying after miscarriaging and wanting so much
TC,sometimes you just want to have someone to talk to and get their opinions.

[pause_21]

I know you all are agravated but I do see where these kids are coming from to they could be afraid to talk to there parents so they come on here to ask questions me I was one of them kids at the age of 15 I got pregnant and I was afraid to ask questions from my mom so to say but im 24 almost 25 now and im pretty good at knowing my body but I still have questions!

I see where you all are coming from though!

[worriedbabe]

yeah, i checked out that link and as another poster commented, it could do with more detail...eg i gave my bf a handjob, washed my hands then fingered myself...could i be pregnant etc. also, it could do with the odds of the different types of contraception failing as well as the success rate of tube ties/vasectomies reversals etc. it would cut out a lot of questions that we're repeatedly answering.

[worriedbabe]

in the original post i wasn't having a go at anyone at all... it's just it's such a commonly asked question that we can't truly answer. when i see posts about symptoms of pregnancy i always advise that women try to ignore the symptoms and wait till they can test. i know that's easier said than done but i've seen so many women convince themselves they're pregnant from symptoms only to get a bfn. it would be great if pregnancy symptoms were exclusive to being pregnant and not also symptoms of other things but unfortunately, that's not the case. totally understand just needing support and someone to talk to though...i think we've all come to this site for that at one time or another.

[Mumita]

Yeah, I was on the same boat when I was TTC asking about symptoms too and when I got pregnant, I never had symptoms and I got all worried at first and then I realized there's nothing in nature that is the same.  Everyone, everything is different , may be similar but still different so what happens in my body is not always the same as everyone else...so that's what I generally tell people when they ask.  Symptoms are based on an average...but they are not necesarilly what everyone experiences.

I think getting pregnant is easy when you are not thinking about it :) If you think about it too much it becomes complicated when there's probably nothing wrong.  That's probably why it seems like everyone that isn't trying to get pregnant gets pregnant soo much quicker and makes the TTC'ers think that there's something wrong with them.

[worriedbabe]

definitely. only one of my boys was planned and i'm not kidding when i say i had myself CONVINCED i'd conceived every month we tried for him. looking back, it was probably mind over matter and i think that can do strange things to a woman's cycle too.