Am I pregnant? A step by step guide

1. Has semen or pre ejaculate come in contact with my vulva in the past couple of months? If no, then your chance of pregnancy is low. Remember that sperm cannot travel through layers of dry cloth and once the semen has dried or is not visible (like if you wiped it off) the sperm is generally dead or gone. Sperm can’t really live in mouths for long. Be careful of dripping during outercourse or anal.
2. Am I using an effective method of birth control? Even if you are, even if you take the morning after pill, you can still get pregnant but using good birth control methods effectively will reduce the risk quite a bit.
3. Have I missed my period or has my period been lighter or shorter than usual? If you have yet to miss a period I really wouldn’t worry about it until you have. When you have officially missed you period take a pregnancy test and maybe take one a week after just in case. It’s also a good idea to take a pregnancy test if your period was lighter than usual as it may not actually be a period. A lot of things may cause a missed period or make your period lighter/shorter, including the morning after pill, so don’t worry too much if it happens. Just get a pregnancy test.

Pregnancy tests can be found in pharmacies and groceries, or you can see a doctor for a test. A lot of free clinics, university health clinics, and Planned Parenthoods will provide free or reduced price pregnancy tests. You can get a cheaper brand, but just know that usually they aren’t as effective as quickly as brands like first response.

I tend to not put much stock in pregnancy symptoms because they could be symptoms of a million different things, including an incoming period. The main thing you need to look for is a missed period. If you have irregular periods try to keep as much track of them as possible by marking them down on a calender an counting approximately when they should start and end based on any patterns you find. Know that if you have irregular periods a missed period is more common but it’s good to check just in case.