Does missing a period mean pregnancy?

Many usual tests for pregnancy look for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin hormone (hCG) in urine. Therefore, if one tests too soon in pregnancy, even with a sensitive test, the amount of hCG in the urine may not be high enough to detect pregnancy. Most strip urine pregnancy tests will give accurate results if one tests at the time the period would normally be due, (about two weeks after ovulation) but if negative, one can still repeat the test about one week afterwards.

A test may be negative for several reasons, including one not being pregnant. Also, one may have ovulated later than she thinks and even when she is pregnant, not enough hCG will have been made hence not high enough to detect pregnancy. Substituting this for an ultrasound scan may not be helpful because scans will not detect pregnancy at this time. A gestational sac, which houses the unborn child, (the first clear sign of pregnancy), first appears at about four weeks of pregnancy (two weeks after a missed period).

A blood test can also detect hCG but much as they are more sensitive than urine tests and can detect pregnancy from about six to eight days after ovulation, they are very expensive and hence, not routinely done. Tender, swollen breasts, fatigue or being sleepy, nausea with or without vomiting, warmth, food cravings, and mood swings are some of the early signs and symptoms of pregnancy that cannot be ignored when a woman has missed her period. However, many of the same signs and symptoms can happen with mere stress and anxiety of an unwanted pregnancy or other reasons.

Please visit an antenatal clinic for further tests and help.
Meanwhile, eat a balanced diet, avoid self-prescription or other drugs you could be taking and certain foods such as liver, fast foods, caffeine and alcohol.