Aa
fear of pregnancy
i am 20 years old with a 16 month old baby girl and not in anyway ready to have another. it has been 30 days since my husband and i had intercourse, i have taken 6 pregnancy tests 2 of which were at the doctors office all of them came out negative. we barely did anything because of the fear of becoming pregnant and he pulled out long before he was about to ejaculate. i had my period on august 26th and it was pretty heavy. all the tests say negative so im not pregnant right? i mean they can detect pregnancy at 3 to 4 weeks right
Okay, almost 3 weeks on the meds. Remember it takes a good 4 to 6 weeks to really get the dosage to the optimal level to where it is working well. You said you noticed a significant difference. Each week will be better and better. Also, the medication isn't a magic bullet. If you have more stressors in your life, you can have more anxiety. Even with the right dose, there will be some ups and downs, you will just be able to handle them better. So the best thing is to talk this over with your doctor. I was where you are as far as the anxiety and obsessing goes, and now I'm fine. Not OCD free, but able to handle the little ups and downs. So don't throw in the towel yet. You have come so far!!!!
i have been on the meds now for 20 days, i have noticed a significant difference but the thoughts are STILL coming. they went away for a while and recently everything started coming back really bad :( i feel like its going to be a never ending battle and i feel helpless and like theres no point in going on. its not only the fear of being pregnant its drama around me and other things that are unrealistic that are giving me this obsessing anxiety. if anyone can help me this is my cry for help
I know how you feel. I'm seventeen and we just had sex last saturday. My period is never regular so it hasn't came yet. I was ovulating when we had sex how ever he pulled out. He still might have precame in me. I've literally worried myself sick over this. I don't know what to do. Its only been a week but I feel like I know for sure. I've also checked out wvery pregnancy site there is trying to get advice. I'm so scared.
Don't beat yourself up. If we could all just "let it go" we would. It just doesn't work that way.
I don't know how long you have been on the meds but they take a good 4-6 weeks to see the full benefits. I know you have a toddler so you are probably trying to do this without your xanax when possible. The waiting is the hardest part. I first found this site because I was in your shoes. I was taking Wellbutrin and I was jittery, anxious, etc. And they told me just give it time. I wanted to throw in the towel so many times but I listented to the people on the Anxiety forum and they were right. I hit the sweet spot, the wellbutrin had built up in my system, and I was like my old self again. I also had to take klonopin (similar to xanax) during the bad times.
When you start to second guess things, try the techniques I listed above and also you can try visualizing reaching up and pulling on a red handle and say STOP. Sometimes we have to yell at ourselves to get through. I know that sounds stupid but it helps me.
So keep seeing the therapist, stay on the meds, practice the relaxing techniques, and you will get there. Just keep posting when you need to talk. I check the site a couple times a day.
I don't know how long you have been on the meds but they take a good 4-6 weeks to see the full benefits. I know you have a toddler so you are probably trying to do this without your xanax when possible. The waiting is the hardest part. I first found this site because I was in your shoes. I was taking Wellbutrin and I was jittery, anxious, etc. And they told me just give it time. I wanted to throw in the towel so many times but I listented to the people on the Anxiety forum and they were right. I hit the sweet spot, the wellbutrin had built up in my system, and I was like my old self again. I also had to take klonopin (similar to xanax) during the bad times.
When you start to second guess things, try the techniques I listed above and also you can try visualizing reaching up and pulling on a red handle and say STOP. Sometimes we have to yell at ourselves to get through. I know that sounds stupid but it helps me.
So keep seeing the therapist, stay on the meds, practice the relaxing techniques, and you will get there. Just keep posting when you need to talk. I check the site a couple times a day.
i have to tell you, i am so scared i have never experienced the feelings of anxiety and fear and depression and loss of control over my own thoughts like i have been this last month. it has become a sickness and i have made myself physically ill. i am so stressed. reading your replies is the only thing that gives me comfort and hope so thankyou. i am seeing a therapist once a week, it seems to help so far. i also am taking 100 mg of zoloft and have xanax for the anxiety attacks which helps when the self soothing does not. but like for instance, today i have sensitive teeth, just today they are randomly sore and automatically i am thinking it must be because i am pregnant :( i am also having alot of back paing and automatically i think its because i must be pregnant. i just wish i could really really force myself to know that i am not. i want to be free from this.
What you are doing is obsessing about this one issue which is pregnancy. Doubt about test results is a common theme of OCD. You ae doubting it because you fear being pregnant. Don't be scared, you are not pregnant, you are just stuck in the irrational thought process.
There are a few things you can try that do not involve seeing a therapist. If these don't work, then I would make an apopintment with a psychologist who can teach you CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy which are ways to get past this irrational thought and the whole irrational thought process in general.
The first is a breathing technique. When you start to panic about this, take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for 5 seconds and count this out in your head, and then let it all out through your mouth. You can do this standing up, lying down, whenever you need to and nobody will even notice. You may have to do it throughout the day at different times but it will calm you down.
The other thing you can do is self-coach yourself. You know in your heart that you are not pregnant because the test results say so. So when you start to doubt the test results, you need to replace that negative thought with a positive one such as "I have done 10 tests and they are all negative therefore I cannot be pregnant." It helps to keep these thoughts in a journal. So write down the negative thought and then follow up by writing down the positive one. Keep doing this. After a while it will become a non-issue but it does take work.
IIf for some reason you just cannot get past this, then make an appointment with a therapist. Sometimes we just need a bit of outside help.
Let me know how you are doing.
There are a few things you can try that do not involve seeing a therapist. If these don't work, then I would make an apopintment with a psychologist who can teach you CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy which are ways to get past this irrational thought and the whole irrational thought process in general.
The first is a breathing technique. When you start to panic about this, take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for 5 seconds and count this out in your head, and then let it all out through your mouth. You can do this standing up, lying down, whenever you need to and nobody will even notice. You may have to do it throughout the day at different times but it will calm you down.
The other thing you can do is self-coach yourself. You know in your heart that you are not pregnant because the test results say so. So when you start to doubt the test results, you need to replace that negative thought with a positive one such as "I have done 10 tests and they are all negative therefore I cannot be pregnant." It helps to keep these thoughts in a journal. So write down the negative thought and then follow up by writing down the positive one. Keep doing this. After a while it will become a non-issue but it does take work.
IIf for some reason you just cannot get past this, then make an appointment with a therapist. Sometimes we just need a bit of outside help.
Let me know how you are doing.
thankyou so much, that makes me feel better, but all though im hearing that and its comforting right now, i will go on with my day and once again be in fear that i am pregnant, i dont think that i would be feeling the symptoms if i wasnt making them up in my head and thinking about them so much. i was on birth control right after i had my baby may of 2010 i had the implanon, i hated the side effects so i had it removed july 31st. august 11th is when we had unprotected sex just ONCE and he pulled out long before anything happened, and like i said i have taken 6 tests one at the e.r and one at the doc and 4 home pregnancy tests but i just keep telling myself that somehow it just didnt pick it up since its only been 30 days?? :( i am making myself sick over this and im just really scared
thankyou so much, that makes me feel better, but all though im hearing that and its comforting right now, i will go on with my day and once again be in fear that i am pregnant, i dont think that i would be feeling the symptoms if i wasnt making them up in my head and thinking about them so much. i was on birth control right after i had my baby may of 2010 i had the implanon, i hated the side effects so i had it removed july 31st. august 11th is when we had unprotected sex just ONCE and he pulled out long before anything happened, and like i said i have taken 6 tests one at the e.r and one at the doc and 4 home pregnancy tests but i just keep telling myself that somehow it just didnt pick it up since its only been 30 days?? :( i am making myself sick over this and im just really scared
Welcome to the OCD forum!
The pregnancy tests you have had would have detected a pregnancy so you can relax, you are not pregnant. I can understand your anxiety. You have a lot on your plate trying to take care of a 16 month old. I wouldn't go back there if you paid me :)
I agree with vanillacandles, you really need to find some sort of protection especially if you don't want to get pregnant right now. There is no need to put yourself under so much stress when all it takes is a condom to relieve your anxiety. Just talk it over with your husband and find a type of protection that is going to make both of you happy.
All the best!
The pregnancy tests you have had would have detected a pregnancy so you can relax, you are not pregnant. I can understand your anxiety. You have a lot on your plate trying to take care of a 16 month old. I wouldn't go back there if you paid me :)
I agree with vanillacandles, you really need to find some sort of protection especially if you don't want to get pregnant right now. There is no need to put yourself under so much stress when all it takes is a condom to relieve your anxiety. Just talk it over with your husband and find a type of protection that is going to make both of you happy.
All the best!
What symptoms have you had that make you feel like you may be pregnant? Have you thought of any form of birth control?
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