my period

[lopeawaysonny]

ok.. so i have had my period every month since i was 12. i am now 16.  i have just started being sexually active, but used a condom AND pull out every time.. can having sex make your cycle a few days longer? ever since mine have been 2-3 days longer. ive been told there is very little chance of getting pregnant this way and it makes sense to me. another question: can stress make your cycle longer? i am now in my junior year of high school and i am constantly stressed about tests and assignments etc. last question: i live in a VERY rural area with no health clinics near. can i drive to the nearest health clinic and get it even if it is in another county for a low price? what is involved in getting it at health care clinics? i am not getting this through my parents or telling them for that matter for an obvious reason.  any advice would be great

[grendslori]

There is a few things you need to understand: for instance you can continue to have a period AND still be pregnant at the same time so don't think that if you have your period, you can't be pregnant. many women continue to have periods while still being pregnant. Stress can certainly change the pattern of your cycle as well, everything from lightening it to completely stopping it. Using a condom and 'pulling out' are certainly not going to necessarily keep you from becoming pregnant. If you do happen to become pregnant you may want to consider, as well as picturing yourself, telling the same mother you can't talk to right now, that you are pregnant. The present "love of your life" will probably blame you for becoming pregnant and split. You will more than likely end up hating each other and then be forced to deal with each other for the next 18 years of your child's life. At your present age that is longer than you have been alive. This is not an 'it' as described above; this is a baby and babies are not only expensive to raise, they need 24/7 care around the clock and they don't care if you can't sleep all night because they can't either. Keep your fingers crossed you do not end up with a sick baby who must spend countless days in a PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) The bills for that type of care can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. It happens, in fact, one in every one hundred babies born is born with some form of Congenital heart Disease. That's pretty common. Think hard about the adult activity you are involving yourself with and ask yourself if this is all worth the risks involved.

[Jo177]

Hey, I'm 17 and a Junior too. Stress can change up your menstral cycle, and it can always cause you to not even have your period for that month. For me, I've had my period since 7th grade, and it was never that regular to begin. But last year I was extremely stressed and I missed it for like 3 or 4 months. (I was actually pretty happy about that! lol)
You could always get pregnant as long as you're having sex. But I know how you feel about the parent thing because I'm the same way. I was never given "the talk" I was just expected to know it I guess. My mom sometimes say I can talk to her about anything and if I want to be put on the pill, but for me I don't feel comfortable talking to her about it. I don't know about the clinic thing, you could always do some research and then call and ask.
If you are still having your period, then don't worry about things. Cycles are going to change for the first 2-5 years I heard. After that most likely it'll be like on certain days or weeks. Or if it's still not on a schedule, then you might just be one of those people who don't get them on the same days. But etiher way, it's perfectly fine.
Hope this helps!

[capegirlnoshoes]

Your cycle can become longer for no apparent reason whatsoever.  And yes stress can make your cycle longer.  
You seem to be rather nervous at the possibility of getting pregnant.  Yes, using a condom and pulling out reduces the chance of pregnancy, but it is ALWAYS possible for you to get pregnant.  Pulling out is actually a very unreliable way, and I'm sure you've heard of condoms failing.  So you should take pregnancy tests regularly and have a plan for if you get pregnant.  Also try using even more contraception, like the pill and spermicide.  Of course this will only decrease the chance not get rid of it.  But most importantly, have a plan for if you get pregnant.  You don't want it to take you completely unawares if it does happen.  I'm 19 and I have an arrangement with my mother that if I get pregnant she'll look after it while I finish my degree.  If you absolutely can't handle the idea of having a baby, then maybe you shouldn't be having sex.  
I live in New Zealand so I don't know anything about health care clinics where you live, I'm afraid.