Is It Possible To Get A False Negative Pregnancy Test Result
Yes. The most common cause of a false negative result is performing the test too soon after conception, when hCG levels are too low to be detected. If your ovulation happens later than usual, this means that the first day of a missed period can be too early to get an accurate result .
Waiting a week or two after a missed period before performing a urine pregnancy test will minimize the chance of getting a false negative.
Rarely, false negative results can be caused by very high hCG levels associated with pregnancy-related tumors.
Look For Signs Of Pregnancy
If you are pregnant with negative urine test, you can detect the early pregnancy symptoms. Though these symptoms can be caused by various other reasons but in your case, pregnancy might be the most likely cause of them. Here are the most obvious early signs of pregnancy.
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Nausea
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Headaches or backaches
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Cravings for food
In some cases, you might experience a mild spotting in the first month. You dont need to feel alarmed, as spotting is not always about a miscarriage. Spotting in the first month of pregnancy might be the result of implantation bleeding . Or it may represent decidual bleeding . Its a common symptom of early stage of pregnancy. Once placenta and lining are joined, you wouldnt have to face it any more.
Its Too Early To Check
There are great chances that you have chosen a wrong time for test. Home pregnancy tests measure their result based on the presence of a hormone named hCG . This specific hormone is present from the very initial stage of pregnancy. But not all the tests are capable enough to detect its presence, especially with levels too low. So, different tests with varying sensitivities may affect the result. That is the very reason why many brands recommend to retest to make sure if youre pregnant.
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Taking The Test At The Wrong Time Of Day
While theres technically no right time of day to take a test, the concentration of your urine can make a difference. Its best to take the test first thing in the morning as this is when your levels of human gonadotropin will be highest in your urine. Throughout the day, they have the chance to be diluted by any fluids you drink.
Negative Pregnancy Test And Pregnancy Loss
Early pregnancy loss and miscarriage without symptoms are sadly quite common. If statistics are taken based on blood tests from just after implantation , as many as 30% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage.
However, if youre trying to conceive and using HPTs around the time your period is due, a negative result does not necessarily mean pregnancy loss. The only clear indication of miscarriage, which would still have to be confirmed by a doctor, would be to have a positive result followed by an increasingly faint line if you tested again in the following days. This would indicate that the hCG levels in your body were falling instead of rising.
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I Have Pregnancy Symptoms But Negative Test
If youre absolutely certain you cannot be pregnant, you may be experiencing symptoms of PMS instead. Two examples of this are breast tenderness and stomach cramping the latter of which can be confused for implantation cramps.Again, wait a few more days for your period to start, and if it does not come, it may be time to take a test.
Could My Medications Be The Culprit
In general, painkillers, antibiotics, or other forms of medication unrelated to fertility wont affect your hormone levels or delay ovulation. Although fertility medications can produce false positives, they rarely produce false negative results.
However, if you use birth control, blood pressure medications, or allergy relief meds, they could interfere in other ways. Some may change when you ovulate or create irregularities with your period, which can lead you to suspect pregnancy.
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Does An Early Positive Test Mean Twins
First of all, congratulations! Those early positives might be one clue that youre having twins, but dont count on it. Heres why: Home pregnancy tests look for the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine, and levels of that hormone are indeed higher in multiple pregnancies but not right away.
Are Test Results Accurate
While no test is 100% accurate, pregnancy tests are considered to be very accurate.
A positive result in someone who is not actually pregnant can occur after menopause or when taking hormone supplements. A negative result in someone who is actually pregnant can occur when a test is done too early after conception, when insufficient hCG levels are present. If a negative test occurs when a pregnancy is suspected, the test should be repeated a week later.
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You Are Still Testing Too Soon
In order for a home pregnancy test to detect the life growing inside you, a number of days must have passed since ovulation. Technically, your pregnancy starts at that point, not when you conceive. Sometimes, we ovulate later than usual, due to overtraining in your fitness program or increased stress. So if this is the case, your period isnt even late yet .
Best Time Of Day To Test
Youre more likely to get an accurate result if you take the test in the morning. This is especially true if your period is not yet late, or if your period is only a couple of days late.
Your urine is usually more concentrated when you first wake up. This generally means that the amount of hCG is a bit higher, and youre more likely to get a positive result if youre pregnant.
However, you can still take a pregnancy test at a different time of day. Youre just more likely to get a false negative, especially if youve been drinking a lot of water and your urine is diluted.
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You’re Taking The Wrong Test
Not all tests are created equal! The first thing you need to consider before you even buy a pregnancy test is “Where am I at in my cycle?”
For instance, if you’re not supposed to start your period for another four days, you don’t want to buy a rapid response test because it’s meant to read your urine quickly and will need a really high amount of HCG, normally found after your missed period, to even read it. Likewise, if you’re still a few days out from starting your period, you don’t want to mess with a digital test because those also take higher levels of HCG to produce a positive result. Taking one of these tests early on and getting a negative result doesn’t actually mean you’re not pregnant, it means the test isn’t right for you at this stage of your pregnancy. Instead, you need an early result test – one that tests for low levels of HCG.
What Other Moms Have Experienced
Not Pregnant Actually
I always had a very normal cycle. Once my period delayed for a whole month and I was pretty sure of my pregnancy. I opted for the test and quite surprisingly, the result was negative. On consulting my doctor, she told me that factors like stress or any dietary changes may affect the cycle, no matter how regular it was. Turns about I was not pregnant.
A Tilted Uterus
Of course, you can be pregnant with negative urine test. Even a negative blood test is a possibility. I am saying it with authority because this is what exactly happened to me during my second pregnancy. I was pretty sure of my pregnancy but all the urine and blood tests were giving negative results. Even when I was 8th week pregnant, ultrasound resulted in negative. It was my 20th week when I was confirmed that I was pregnant. That sounds so hilarious. But it all happened because I had a tilted uterus. Later, on my request, the doc examined me again, did an ultrasound and finally announced me as pregnant with a 20-week fetus. From the very beginning, I was sure of my pregnancy. So, all the ladies out there, sometimes, trusting your body is also very important.
Happened in Both Pregnancies
I have been pregnant twice and in both cases, no blood or urine test detected my hCG. It was later on, when I opted for an ultra sound and came to know about my 4 months pregnancy. So, this is another possibility that you dont get an hCG at all.
Confirmed the Pregnancy in Other Ways
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How Accurate Is A Pregnancy Test 12 Dpo
A negative result at 12 DPO isnt always accurate especially if the pregnancy test doesnt detect lower levels of hCG. Many at-home tests are most effective at determining pregnancy from the date your period was supposed to start. In fact, some women at 12 DPO get a BFN then a BFP result a few days later!
Youre Not Pregnant And Youre Breastfeeding
If youve already had a child and are still breastfeeding its very common to have irregular periods or no period at all.
While youre breastfeeding your body continues to produce several special hormones, including prolactin hormone which allows your body to produce milk and it also prevents menstruation.
Some women do have periods while theyre breastfeeding, but many women experience very irregular periods often with longer cycles and longer or shorter periods when they do come.
And many women find that they dont have a period at all until they stop breastfeeding completely or until their child is taking milk less frequently.
And when you stop breastfeeding, it can take time before your menstrual cycle returns to normal although it may be almost immediate, it may be between 6 months and 2 years after breastfeeding stops that a mother gets her first period!
Our bodies all adapt and adjust to pregnancy, motherhood, and lactation differently.
So, no period while breastfeeding, or in the months after you stop, doesnt necessarily mean youre pregnant.
But its important to remember that it is possible to get pregnant while you are breastfeeding so dont use it as birth control if you dont want to conceive again.
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What If I Cant Retest
If you dont want to wait another week before testing again or youre 100 percent convinced youre pregnant, see your healthcare provider. They can test your blood to either confirm or deny your pregnancy.
This is a quicker, more reliable method than an at-home test and is especially advised if youre experiencing many early pregnancy symptoms, or usually have regular periods.
Are There Any Tell Tale Signs Of A Twin Pregnancy
Although theres not much science to support it, some moms of twins report feeling movement earlier and more frequently in pregnancy, sometimes as early as the first trimester. It might even be their first clue that there are more than just two tiny hands and two tiny feet waving around in the womb.
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Pros Of Early Pregnancy Tests
These early detection tests may offer advantages in some circumstances. You may want to discuss your testing plans with your doctor first.
Early Detection
Except for having a physician order an early hCG blood test, which is usually done only when there are medical reasons to detect pregnancy as early as possible, early home pregnancy tests are the fastest way for you to find out whether you are pregnant during a particular menstrual cycle.
The most sensitive tests on the market can potentially give you a positive result four to five days before your period is due, meaning you don’t necessarily have to wait for a missed period, or watch for other pregnancy symptoms, to find out whether you are pregnant. However, there is a significant chance of getting a false negative with these tests.
Need to Start or Stop Medications
Very early testing can be helpful if your physician plans for you to start or to discontinue any medications as soon as you discover you are pregnant.
Birth Control Failure
Early pregnancy tests may also be helpful if you were not intending to conceive but had a birth control failure around the middle of your cycle, and you want to know as soon as possible whether you are pregnant so that you can determine your desired course of action.
Pregnancy Lifestyle Changes
My Stomach Looks Like Im Pregnant But Negative Test
This ones probably the biggest bugbear for women who arent trying to get pregnant! Weve all heard the mortifying stories of being asked when the babys dueonly for there to be no bun in the oven whatsoever.
Lets rule this one out for starters, your bump does not start to show until the second trimester, around 12 to 16 weeks in. By this point, youll likely have experienced other symptoms such as morning sickness or missing your menstrual period.
Bloating can be caused by many things including eating a large meal, consuming too much salt , or your menstrual period. Wait until your expected period date before taking a test.
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What Does The Test Measure
A pregnancy test measures a hormone in the body called human chorionic gonadotropin . hCG is created at higher levels during pregnancy. There are two different ways hCG results are reported:
- Qualitative: Qualitative hCG tests give a positive or negative result depending on the presence or absence of hCG in the sample. Qualitative tests can be done using either a blood or urine sample. This type of testing is done most often to confirm a pregnancy.
- Quantitative: Quantitative hCG testing measures the amount of hCG present in the blood. These tests frequently use a blood sample, but some urine tests can provide a degree of quantitative measurement. Along with confirming a pregnancy, quantitative hCG tests can also be used as part of the diagnostic process for abnormal pregnancies and other health conditions not related to pregnancy that can raise hCG levels.
When To Call Your Provider
If your period is one to two weeks late, and you still are getting negative pregnancy tests, a visit to your gynecologist for a pregnancy blood test is recommended. If your periods are frequently irregular, talk to your provider about when theyd like you to call. Depending on your circumstances, many providers will want to induce a “period” if you go more than two or three months without menstruating.
If your cycle used to be regular but has become irregular, or your periods are irregular for more than three months after stopping birth control, you should see your provider. Irregular cycles can be a risk factor for infertility.
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Youre Pregnant But Youre Overly Hydrated
The more diluted your urine is, the less hCG will be present and the less likely you are to get a positive result. What dilutes your urine? Good ol H20.
If youre a committed hydrator , its possible youre too good at flushing out your system. Who knew?
Dont cut back entirely on water, just dont drink too much the night before or the morning of taking your test.
When Is The Best Time To Do A Pregnancy Test
hCG doubles about every 48 hours in early pregnancy, so a home pregnancy test that is negative on Monday could very likely be positive on Wednesday. However, if it’s positive with first-morning urine, later on in the day, when the urine is more diluted, it could test negative. It is also important to remember that despite the advances in urine home pregnancy tests, blood tests are still the best at detecting early pregnancy.
The timing of a positive pregnancy test depends on implantation. If you are pregnant, a urine pregnancy test is not expected to be positive until 3-4 days after implantation , which is about 10 days after ovulation/fertilization, and 4 days before the next period. About 51% of pregnant women have a positive pregnancy test two days before their next expected period.
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What Is A Pregnancy Test
Pregnancy is confirmed with a pregnancy test. A pregnancy test can be done on either urine or blood. Pregnancy tests find the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone . This is a hormone made by the placenta about 10 days after fertilization. Levels of the hCG hormone approximately double every two days during the first 60 days of pregnancy. Pregnancy tests that use the woman’s blood are done by a healthcare provider usually to get a very early diagnosis of pregnancy or to confirm an at-home pregnancy test. Blood tests are very accurate and can find pregnancy by the second week after conception.
Women can conduct an at-home pregnancy test by testing a sample of urine about two weeks after conception, or about the time a period is due. Home pregnancy tests have become more accurate in the last decade. If the test is used correctly, most home pregnancy tests are 97% to 99% accurate.
Always talk with your healthcare provider to confirm a positive at-home pregnancy test with a more reliable pregnancy test and physical exam. If your at-home pregnancy test results are negative, and you think you are pregnant, you should also talk with your healthcare provider.
Can You Be 6 Weeks Pregnant And Still Have A Negative Test
There are frequent cases where a woman has been six weeks pregnant with a negative pregnancy test and had a healthy baby about 34 weeks later. If youre sure of your dates but still testing negative at home, it might be worth visiting your gynecologist for a blood test or an early ultrasound. Although its usually too soon to see a heartbeat, a transvaginal ultrasound can often find the yolk sack where your tiny embryo might be growing.
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