Confirming the Pregnancy It's an experience most women share: your period is late and you're starting to fret about whether you're pregnant or not. You may be going over in your mind symptoms you're feeling that might indicate pregnancy, such as: * no menstrual period * scanty period or spotting * fatigue (extreme tiredness) * light nausea * heartburn or indigestion * water retention * more frequent urination * occasional dizziness or faintness * food cravings or aversions * increased appetite * breast fullness & tenderness * mood swings The earlier you obtain test results, the more time you have to get counselling (if you want), and the more time you can take to make a decision about your pregnancy. While it is good to prepare yourself for a positive (or negative) test result, the stress we put ourselves through wondering if we are pregnant can be worse than knowing for sure. Besides, you might not be pregnant at all. You wouldn't be the first woman to freak herself out unnecessarily. There are several different ways to go about getting a pregnancy test: there are urine tests (either bought from a drugstore, or done in a doctor's office or a laboratory) and blood tests. It is very common for women to save themselves a trip to the doctor, by buying a drugstore pregnancy kit. These can be expensive (between $10 and $25), but provide a quick and easy result. Home pregnancy tests also allow you to confirm your pregnancy in the privacy of your own (or someone else's) home, with the support people you like around you. Home pregnancy tests are just a little less reliable (they're more than 99% accurate) as seeing a doctor. Home pregnancy tests work by detecting HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in your urine. Some of them can detect pregnancy as little as six days after conception, or on the first day of your missed period. If you do get a negative result, you should wait a few days, and if you still don't have your period, take another test. Even if your home pregnancy kit shows positive, you should still have the pregnancy confirmed by a doctor. If the home pregnancy test shows negative, and you're still not getting your period, you should seek medical advice, because something might be wrong. Doctor apointments are free in Canada (covered under your provincial medical insurance). If, however, you suspect that your doctor is against abortion, clinics (especially women's clinics like Planned Parenthood or a university/college clinic) can be a great substitute. Places like Planned Parenthood also provide women with non-judgemental, unbiased counselling. Be careful, however, that you don't end up going to one of the ubiquitous anti-choice agencies, such as Birthright or Crisis Pregnancy Centre.
	If you have questions about the decision-making process, please drop us a line. skye@prochoiceconnection.com