Question here

[sprtskhne33]

Ok, well last night/this morning my girlfriend and I had sex our first time without a condom, and it kinda worries me. We don't know how it happened, we were just in the mood, and it happened. I am not very well educated in this aspect, but how soon within symptoms or through a pregnacey test to tell if she is or not. I know it takes not a while but it don't show up right away. What makes it hard is she's moving far down south from here and I don't want her to have to raise a baby herself and there isn't anyway I can go down with her until she's done with school in 2.5 years, and she's only 18. Yes we have talked about starting a family but we're holding off til we're both ready. So all I'm asking is how soon will we find out and what's the best way to check it out? I don't know if this matters, but she is on BC, the shot type and her last shot was back in april, just about a full month ago. She also has told me that she does not get her periods regularly so we can't ever check about if she missed her period.

[Brandye]

You are correct in identifying that you are not very well educated on these things. From the sound of things, she is not too well informed, either. Time to learn.

If she is current on the shots, you should have little to worry about. If she is not current, then anything can happen. A side-effect of the shot is to cause messed up cycles for a few months after the last one. The hormone hGC appears in the blood about twelve days after implantation and in the urine a few days later. Implantation can be several days after intercourse and conception. hGC is the hormone that all pregnancy tests look for and it is triggered by the fertilized egg implanting in the uterine wall.

Because this event took place last night, you are still in the window for Plan B, the "morning after pill," but you need that in the next day. If you do not use that, she will have to lay out all the facts for the prescriber of the shots and get a reading on how to best establish pregnancy.

[sprtskhne33]

She is current on her shots. The way she had them was every 4 months. I do know there was different not types but times to be taken. She had them taken all around the same time of the month, and she started them back in October in 09. For the morning after, does she need a prescription for them? How would she take them? Does it take right when she gets up or how? So you think by about Wednesday if she uses a pregancy test kit it will show?

[Brandye]

If she is current on her shots, there should be next to no problem. The morning afterr pill would be redundant. In most places, the Plan B is over the counter with no prescription. The instructions come with them. I would not take the morning after because of being current with the shot.

You did not read straight. The hormone indicating pregnancy will not show up until after implantation by several days and it may take several days for implant to occur. So about two weeks after the event is when a pregnancy test will show anything. Also, if she started the sots in October 09 and had them every four months, she would not have had one in April.

The best idea is for you to get out of the middle and have her ring her doctor. The information filtered through you will not be as good as asking her own doctor. Given the protection she has, your reaction indicates a level of emotional maturity not appropriate for sexual activity.

[sprtskhne33]

Well I got good news, she isn't. Last night she had her period for the first time in months since she has changed her BC method. Instead of the shots now, she had something placed into her, some sort of ring, not really sure what it's called. I did talk it over with my doctor and he said to have her looked at and she did when she had the ring placed in. And to clear up with the shots, it was every 3 months not 4.