I have not missed a period but I still feel I'm pregnant and I feel the baby moving?

Answer 1

Twelve weeks is very early to be feeling any movement, as your uterus would still be tucked down behind your pubic bone. An embryo at twelve weeks would weigh just half an ounce (14 grams) and be about 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) long. If you have not taken a pregnancy test this might be the right time to do so.

If you are experiencing symptoms of pregnancy, with or without a period - at 12 weeks an EPT or HPT will be accurate. Prior to conception your normal level of hCG is (less than) < 5mIU/ml. Once an embryo implants in the uterus the levels start to rise and will double every 72 hours in the early weeks. Depending on the brand, your HPT will show positive for pregnancy once the hCG level in your urine reaches 50mIU/ml to 100mIU/ml. By 12 weeks of pregnancy a woman's hCG level will be 25,000mIU/ml to 250,000mIU/ml.

There are other changes in your body that can provoke many of the symptoms woman feel in early pregnancy. An ovarian cyst, can cause similar symptoms and is a fairly common occurrence in young women, it will usually resolve within in 3 months time without treatment, but should be monitored. Some thyroid conditions can cause a woman to "feel"pregnant - fatigue, nausea, weight gain and will even cause menses to stop if the gland becomes completely nonproductive.

The serum hCG test will read positive once the level is 25mIU/ml, over 5mIU/ml but less than 25mIU/ml will show inconclusive (not likely to happen at 12 weeks) 5mIU/ml or less is negative.

The beta-hCG can be a helpful tool in the early weeks for determining a healthy pregnancy. As the test will show the exact hCG level, in a healthy pregnancy the level rises daily until the twelfth week - at thirteen weeks the placenta takes over and the level drops gradually by six weeks after birth the level will be back to it's normal level of 5mIU/ml or less.

If your HPT is negative I would suggest making an appointment with your Gynecologist, 12 weeks is more than long enough to suffer through feeling miserable without knowing what is causing your symptoms. Obviously, if it is positive you should get in to see your Midwife or Obstetrician.