Pregnancy cramps versus period cramps?

is there a difference between menstrual cramps and preg cramps. is 18 days late to early to test and see if I am pregnant?

I am a mom of 4, and also miscarried 2 pregnancies so I think its safe to say I am somewhat of an authority on the whole prego thing! YES YES YES, I agree with stephanief987...go get a test! they are not that difficult to use and most often very accurate. if you are 18 days late your results should be very accurate. as far as the cramps. pregnancy, and how your body responds to it, is different for each person...and actually the same person can have very different experiences from one pregnancy to the next. I, however, would go to a med professional at this point no matter what the results. if you are pregnant you need care for both you and your baby, so you both have the best chance of a safe and healthy pregnancy. if you are not pregnant, you need to get to the bottom of what is causing a missed period and all that cramping. It could be a harmless ovarian cyst or fibroid tumor. as I said, they are harmless...but not without symptoms. in other words, you will not die from them, and they do not cause cancer. they develop in almost all women at sometime in their life, and can cause problems with hormone fluctuations, cramping, and even the lack of a period. if this is the case, your doc will prob do an ultrasound to find the little bugger and then decide based on its size, what is the best treatment plan for you. this can range from nothing except a few tylenol if the cramps are annoying you, to a hormone that will shrink the cyst/ tumor, to surgery...but only if you have a very serious sized cyst/ tumor...and that is not as common! As I said, TAKE A TEST, and then go see a doc whether it is pos. or neg.! just make sure to take care of yourself...you are the only 'you' that you've got!

You could have tested 18 days ago.
Pregnancy tests are very accurate the first day of your missed period, even before sometimes. So go get a test and if its negative test again in a week. Period cramps and pregnancy cramps often feel the same so I'm told.