Your period is late. You feel nauseous and you’re craving Twizzlers. You hate Twizzlers! Your boobies feel tender. Could you be… pregnant?

Sure, you watch shows like “Teen Mom” and “16 and Pregnant” but you never had any intention of living them! You try to get info online but it’s WAY overwhelming. You’re scared and confused. What now?!

The fact is, if you have had sexual intercourse, genitals-to-genitals contact or if your guy has ejaculated anywhere in the vicinity of your vaginal area, you may be pregnant. No contraception is 100 percent effective. It doesn’t matter if it was the first time you had sex or the tenth time. You can also still get pregnant even if you don’t have regular periods yet.

But when you think you might be pregnant, it can be hard to think straight and figure out what to do. Here’s your emergency cheat sheet, girl. You can thank me later (when you’re not freaking out as much):

1. Take a deep breath.
Calm down. Worrying won’t help. You need to find out if you’re really pregnant. A missed period could be due to excessive physical activity, poor nutrition, stress or your cycle just being irregular.

2. Be sure.
Either get to a doctor or buy two home pregnancy tests. Costs may range from $8 to $16. Follow the directions carefully and confirm your results with the second test. You might want to have a trusted friend or your partner with you for support when you take the test, but that’s really up to you.

3. Talk to Mom
Talking to your mom about a pregnancy scare is . . . scary, but it can really help you out. If you are pregnant, she can help you work through the decision making process and figure out what to do next. If you’re not pregnant, she can help get you on the best birth control to keep you from getting pregnant in the future. Do not text or email her. The best way to have a conversation of this magnitude (it’s pretty big) is face to face. If you’re really nervous, practice what you’re going to say in the mirror first. If you have two parents you may tell them together or tell the parent you feel safest with first.

Try to remember that no matter how your mom or dad reacts, they are almost definitely coming from a place of love. If they freak out it’s only because they want you to be happy and know this is a hard thing to go through.

4. Know your options.
If you are pregnant, you now have a potentially life-changing decision to make. Beating up on yourself won’t help. You’re not a bad person. Think carefully about what YOU want to do. No matter what, DON’T go through this by yourself. Talk to your boyfriend, best friend or a close family member.

Your options are (a) becoming a mom, (b) terminating the pregnancy or (c) adoption. No matter what your choice is, if you are pregnant you will need medical attention.

Remember, whatever you decide to do with your body is your choice. I shared my own experience with an unplanned pregnancy here. And no matter what, I have faith in you. Everything will be okay. You are not alone.

Have you ever had a pregnancy scare? Has a friend ever thought she was pregnant and told you about it? Tell us how you dealt in the comments!

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