History Main / PregnancyScare

* Several years ago there was a series of ads for pregnancy tests which had three sets of couples:

* In ''Film/PreachersKid'', Angie manages to get positive results on two pregnancy tests, making her think that Devlin has gotten her pregnant. Ultimately, it's revealed that she somehow "messed up" the tests.

* ''Literature/ToSailBeyondTheSunset'': Happens to one of Maureen's daughters when her then-boyfriend refused to stop after the condom broke. She's not pregnant, her period shows up two days later, but it's still a valid concern -- the daughter in question had been refusing to admit she was sexually active, so Maureen hadn't been able to give her any sex ed, and the pre-World War I era [[{{Understatement}} wasn't exactly accepting of unmarried mothers]].

* In a gender reversal played for laughs, the finale of HannaBarbera's ''WesternAnimation/WheresHuddles'' (a summer prime time show from 1970) had Ed's neighbor and Rhinos center Bubba [=McCoy=] getting an exam and is mistaken to be pregnant.

Note that there are many reasons a period may be late or absent, ranging from menopause to diet or exercise programs to health issues of various sorts. But in this trope, she always jumps straight to "I'm pregnant".

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* In a role reversal played for laughs, the finale of HannaBarbera's ''WesternAnimation/WheresHuddles'' (a summer prime time show from 1970) had Ed's neighbor and Rhinos center Bubba [=McCoy=] getting an exam and is mistaken to be pregnant.

* This is exploited by Hermes Conrad's wife [=LaBarbara=] in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode [[Recap/FuturamaS7E7TheSixMillionDollarMon "The Six Million Dollar Mon"]]. When Hermes is depressed over getting fired, [=LaBarbara=] tells him that she is pregnant and that he isn't the father. After her husband panics, she assures him that she isn't pregnant and only said so to help him realize that losing his job isn't so bad when compared to an unexpected pregnancy.

* In LoisMcMasterBujold's ''[[MilesVorkosigan Barrayar]]'', Dru is very afraid that she's pregnant after sleeping with Lt. Koudelka. She doesn't tell him about it, but acts so nervous that he becomes convinced that he had been mistaken about her consent and had raped her.

* Part of a story arc in an episode of ''{{Roseanne}}'' between Dan and Roseanne. The scare ends up convincing them they actually ''do'' want to try for a fourth child.

* This is exploited by Hermes Conrad's wife [=LaBarbara=] in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode [[Recap/FuturamaS7E7TheSixMillionDollarMon "The Six Million Dollar Mon"]]. When Hermes is depressed over getting fired, [=LaBarbara=] tells him that she is pregnant and that he isn't the father. After her husband panics, she assures him that she isn't pregnant and only said so to help him realize that losing his job isn't so bad when compared to an unexpected pregnancy.

* The ''Series/GoldenGirls'' episode "The End of the Curse", Blanche believes that she's pregnant and spends the first part of the episode trying to work out who the father might be, when in fact she's entering menopause.

* In ''Film/{{Grease}}'', Rizzo and Kenickie's pregnancy scare is a major subplot.

* Happened to SilverSable in the MarvelUniverse during her own short-lived series. She thought she was pregnant after sleeping with her ex-husand and starting making plans to retire from the adventuring business. It turned out to be a glitch in her cycle and her doctor pointed out this was probably for the best as the reckless actions she had taken while she thought she was pregnant indicated she really wasn't ready to be a mother.

* Happens to Tibby in the fourth ''Series/SisterhoodOfTheTravelingPants'' book, after a condom accident. Though it wouldn't have been quite so bad if she hadn't been juggling multiple {{Idiot Ball}}s during the whole thing. Without waiting for any indication that she was actually pregnant, she freaked out over the exact timing of when her period is due (is it one month after the last one began or after the last one ended?), and broke up with her boyfriend out of fear of the pregnancy.

* This is exploited by Hermes Conrad's wife [=LaBarbara=] in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "The Six Million Dollar Mon". When Hermes is depressed over getting fired, [=LaBarbara=] tells him that she is pregnant and that he isn't the father. After her husband panics, she assures him that she isn't pregnant and only said so to help him realize that losing his job isn't so bad when compared to an unexpected pregnancy.

%%* In ''Film/{{Grease}}'', Rizzo and Kenickie's pregnancy scare is a major subplot.

* PlayedForLaughs in [[http://www.littleteacup.net/fallonme/2011/12/fall-on-me-273/ this]] ''FallOnMe'', where the female character lies about it to scare the male character out of his hiccups.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': "I Married Marge": Marge thinks she might be pregnant. While she goes out to have a pregnancy test in the hospital Homer tells Bart and Lisa about the time Bart was born. After this {{Flashback}} Episode comes to an end Marge returns home to inform Homer that she is not pregnant after all, causing them both to do a high five.

* ''Series/{{MASH}}''. A subplot of "What's Up Doc?" has Margaret believing she's pregnant after having spent R&R in Tokyo with Penobscott, and worries that giving birth will result in an automatic discharge. For confirmation, Hawkeye borrows Radar's female bunny for Margaret's pregnancy, which results turn up negative; apparently, Margaret was simply having gallbladder problems.

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