When Is It Too Early To Test
It depends on the test. Some tests are sensitive enough to detect hCG in your urine . Read the instructions on the pack to understand what the brand of test youre using means by early detection. Some women still prefer to test on the day they expect their period, when all home pregnancy tests claim to be over 99% accurate.
Conception usually happens around two weeks before your period would normally be expected. If youre trying for a baby you can use an not only to know your peak fertile days, but it will inform you about your cycle, so you know when its best to take the test. This can help you feel more confident in the results you see.
How Soon Can You Take A Pregnancy Test
The sensitivity of each pregnancy test is variable, but the soonest the most sensitive test can detect a pregnancy is at least 12 days after conception. Conception happens around the time a woman ovulates and, in a typical 28-day cycle, ovulation happens on or around day 14. This means that if you have a 28-day cycle, the earliest time you can take a test and get an accurate result is four weeks after the first day of your last period.
Long and Irregular Cycles
Many women have long or irregular cycles. If you have not been carefully tracking your ovulation cycles, or if you cant predict it, it is hard to say when the earliest possible time is for an accurate result is. For women with long or irregular cycles, or if you dont know exactly what your cycle is, it is best to wait for the day the next cycle is supposed to begin to take the home test.
Wait a Week
Its hard to play the waiting game, but try to wait for a week to see if your period starts. If not, take a new test.
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What To Do If You Miss Your Period
If you miss your period, you should wait at first. Give it a few days to make sure you didn’t miscalculate or do something to mix up the dates or that you aren’t simply late. Many practitioners at this point, may recommend a pregnancy test.
You can take a pregnancy test at home or your can go into your doctor’s office. If it’s positive, you have your answer: You missed your period because you were pregnant. If it is negative, you may want to wait a bit and try again.
Seeing your doctor if you are worried is never a bad option. If you are planning to get pregnant soon, you can use the visit to start your preconception health plan. This is a great way to get your body on track to be pregnant. This helps you have the healthiest pregnancy possible.
If you are not ready to be pregnant, they can help you determine what your reproductive life plan may look like to stay healthy and avoid pregnancy until the point where you make a decision to have children or permanently decide to not have children.
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Negative Pregnancy Test But No Period
Absolutely! It is not uncommon for a woman to get a negative test result, when she is indeed pregnant, even when testing after her period is due.
The biggest reason for getting a negative test result is miscalculating your period. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days. If you are fortunate enough to have a regular 28-day cycle, you would count 28 days from the start of your last menstrual cycle to determine when your next period is due. The problem with this method is two-fold. One, many women do not have a 28-day cycle and two, this does not account for variations in ovulation dates and, more importantly, the date of implantation.
Negative Results For Pregnancy Test
There is a very small chance that you can still get a negative pregnancy test result even a week after your period is due because your body is producing low levels of the hCG hormone.
A negative pregnancy test
So, youve got a negative pregnancy test result. If youre hoping to have a baby, its a real letdown.
Does a negative pregnancy test mean that you are not pregnant? The answer is it depends. Maybe you did the test too early.
Trying to get pregnant is pretty exciting and, if youre anything like me, its absolutely impossible to wait a whole two weeks or more till your period is due before doing a pregnancy test, so youll go for the most sensitive test you can and try to find out as early as possible.
Its disappointing when you get a negative pregnancy test result but, if you did do the test more than a day or two before your period is due, theres often that question in the back of your mind maybe I am pregnant?
What do I do after having a negative pregnancy test?
Pregnancy tests are not the only signs that you are pregnant sometimes, negative pregnancy test or not, youll spot other early pregnancy symptoms, like extreme tiredness, swollen and tender breasts.
Unfortunately, these are sometimes pre-menstrual signs too so theyre not the most reliable indication.
If you are really hoping to be pregnant, its easy to mentally reject a negative pregnancy test result and convince yourself that you really ARE pregnant.
For more information see conception.
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Why Is My Period Late If Im Not Pregnant
Its also possible for your period to be late when youre not pregnant. Below is a list of factors that can affect the timing of your period:
- Irregular menstrual cycle – It is not uncommon to have the occasional delayed period
- Stress – high stress levels can increase the release of cortisol and corticotropin-releasing hormone that help control your body’s response to stress. These can suppress normal levels of reproductive hormones and lead to a delay in the menstrual cycle.
- Diet – consuming too much caffeine, not eating enough food or being overweight can have effects on your hormonal system and your body.
- Lifestyle changes – such as starting up intense or excessive exercise, poor sleep patterns or if you have been traveling can all impact your cycle.
- Breastfeeding – your period can be unpredictable after having a baby and take some time to go back to normal. The frequency with which you breastfeed can change as the baby gets older and may interfere with your cycle.
- Medical conditions- such as polycystic ovary syndrome , thyroid problems, or menopause can cause irregular periods.
- Medications – like birth control pills, infertility medications, certain allergy pills, and other medications can throw your cycle out.
If you havent had your period for a few months then see your healthcare provider to help find out the cause.
Treatments For A Late Period And Pregnancy
In general, if youve missed a period and you know youre not pregnant, you dont need specific treatment or care. However, if you were having a regular cycle and youve stopped, if youre experiencing bleeding at unexpected times, if its been more than 45 days since your last period, and if you have additional symptoms that point to other concerns, your doctor will likely look into treatment options. Depending on the cause, your doctor may prescribe hormone therapy like birth control pills or other medication, or they might be able to suggest lifestyle changes to help you have a regular period cycle.
If your late period is a sign of pregnancy, your doctor can help you come up with a treatment plan to be sure you receive the proper care and regular checkups throughout your pregnancy.
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You Didnt Follow Instructions Correctly
Read the instructions on your home pregnancy tests package carefully so that you can administer the test properlythe test is only as good as your ability to follow the instructions! Since the tests are qualitative, this makes them sensitive to the process of testing.
Most home pregnancy tests ask you to hold a test strip in urine, and pee on it while on the toilet. Some make you dip the test strip in a clean cup where you have collected the urine .
These are the main reasons for a missed period and negative pregnancy test but there are others. Periods can be late for a number of reasons.
What If My Period Is Late And Pregnancy Tests Are Negative
If your period is late yet your pregnancy test keeps coming back negative, youre not aloneDr. Price notes that this happens very frequently, as there are a number of reasons for late periods that have nothing to do with a potential pregnancy.
Some women do not always ovulate on a perfectly regular basis, he says. And if you dont ovulate, then youre going to not have a period or will be late on your period.
However, if irregular periods are a routine occurrence, then this could signal an underlying issue. If its a chronic occurrence, women that just have irregular periods, there are several medical disorders that can cause that, says Dr. Price.
This could include disorders such as thyroid conditions and polycystic ovary syndrome . Aside from medical disorders, factors like stress, excessive exercise and a low body weight can also cause someone to miss their period.
Timing Is Everything
Leaving things to chance can be funbut also inefficient. With over 99.9% accuracy, Bird& Be’s Ovulation Tests predict when youre about to ovulate.
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Youre Spending Too Much Time At The Gym
Your daily workout routine might help you with those #BootyGains, but be careful not to overdo it.
Excessive exercise can cause your metabolism to slow down as your body tries to conserve energy, and in some cases, your period may become irregular or stop altogether. This could also happen if youre not eating enough to balance the daily calorie burn.
What Are The Different Types Of Pregnancy Tests
Pregnancy tests check for the hCG hormone in two ways:
- Urine test. This type of pregnancy test can be done at home or at a doctor’s office.
- Blood test. This type of pregnancy test can only be done at a doctor’s office. It takes longer than a urine test to get results, but it can detect a pregnancy earlier than a urine test . Your doctor may use one or both types of blood tests:
- A quantitative blood test that measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood. It can find even tiny amounts of hCG. It can also tell you and your doctor how many weeks you are pregnant.
- A qualitative hCG blood test checks to see whether the pregnancy hormone is present or not. The qualitative hCG blood test is about as accurate as a urine test.
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You Waited Too Long To Read The Results
This doesnt happen very often mainly because when most of us take a pregnancy test we want to know the test results as soon as possible!
But if you have peed on a stick, left it, and then come back to it a few hours later and found a negative test result, this cant be trusted.
Home pregnancy tests must be read within the time frame listed in the instruction booklet or on the packet.
If you leave a test standing for a few hours after use it can dry out the urine on it evaporates, and a positive result can disappear.
Youre Not Pregnant But Medication Is Or A Medical Condition Is Affecting Your Menstrual Cycle
Some medication can change or suppress your usual menstrual cycle.
These include:
- Hormonal birth control, including oral birth control and the hormonal IUD
- Anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen
- Tranexamic acid
- Some herbal remedies, such as St Johns Wort
If youre unsure whether your cycle is being affected by medication youre taking, make an appointment to talk to your doctor about it.
A number of clinical conditions may also change the rhythm of your cycle, or prevent you from having a period.
Among these are Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Endometriosis thyroid issues Uterine Fibroids Diabetes and eating disorders.
If you have a medical condition which affects your menstrual cycle, or you think you might have one, its a good idea to discuss any questions or concerns you have about your periods or fertility with your doctor.
It can be difficult to get those conversations going, but your physician is there to help and should be able to offer the support you need.
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Wait Until At Least 24 Hours After Your Period Should Have Started
While some tests claim to work days before your period is even due, a test cant force your body into producing HCG, and it doesnt know when you ovulated.
If you decide to try those early detection tests, be prepared for a potential false negative. If your result is negative, relax until at least a day after your period shouldve started, then test again. We know that waiting is the hardest part, but it will save you time, money, and your sanity.
Weight Gain Or Weight Loss
Whilst there is no defined amount of weight that a woman can put on or lose for it to affect her period, the more significant the gain or loss in a shorter period of time the more likely her period may be late. Excessive weight loss is more likely to cause a late period than weight gain.
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You Are Pregnant But Youre Too Far Along For The Test To Detect It
It might surprise you to learn that one potential reason for a negative pregnancy test is that your pregnancy has progressed too far for a home pregnancy test to validated it.
But dont worry its uncommon for this to be the cause of your missed period and negative test.
How is this possible?
Well hCG is a complex hormone which becomes more complex the further along you are in pregnancy.
In early pregnancy, hCG is produced in a simple, complete form the molecule is intact and can easily be detected by a home pregnancy test.
But over the weeks as your pregnancy develops, your body produces other variations of hCG with different molecular structures.
Home pregnancy tests are not designed to pick up on these different variants of hCG so they become a less reliable method for testing for pregnancy.
If your last period was more than 5 weeks ago and home pregnancy tests are coming up negative, go to the doctor and ask them to do a blood test to find out for sure whether or not youre pregnant.
You Are Pregnant But Your Hormone Levels Are Low
Home pregnancy tests work by picking up on a pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin .
Levels of this hormone rise quickly in your body as soon as the egg implants into the wall of the uterus.
If youre testing quite early either before the first day of your missed period, or just a few days after the levels of hCG in your urine may not be high enough for a positive test result even if you are pregnant.
Some HPTs can detect the hCG hormone at very low levels but many of them are not so sensitive.
In addition, in very early pregnancy if you use a pregnancy test late in the day when youve already consumed lots of water or other fluids, the strength of the hormones in your urine will be diluted.
Thats why its best to use your first wee of the day for a pregnancy test.
This is one of the most common reasons for a negative test in early pregnancy. Wait a few days and then test again.
Heres a short video about Pregnancy Hormones you can look into:
At the beginning of a healthy pregnancy hCG levels double every day, so if you are pregnant it wont be long before a home pregnancy test can confirm it.
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Other Causes For A Pregnancy Test To Not Detect Pregnancy
Other causes for a negative test include diluted urine, expired test, improper testing, and ectopic pregnancy. If you have received a negative test result a day or two after your period is due, it may be as simple as testing too early. Retest again in a week, and if the test is still negative, consult your doctor.
Are you pregnant? Find out your due date with JM’s Due Date Calculator.
Related Topics
What Does White Vaginal Discharge Mean
White vaginal discharge that is white and sticky, thick, slippery or wet is completely normal!
Women of any age can have white vaginal discharge.
Your amount of white vaginal discharge may increase and decrease at various points of your menstrual cycle, or during pregnancy.
You may find that, during pregnancy, or right before your period, you experience more white vaginal discharge , where as during ovulation, you may experience clear, slippery discharge instead .
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Pregnancy Tests And Implantation
Another factor to consider is when implantation occurs. You will not get a positive pregnancy test until after implantation occurs. Although HCG is produced almost from conception, it is not until the egg implants that the HCG can be released into the woman’s bloodstream in sufficient quantities to result in a positive pregnancy test. The time implantation occurs varies. Implantation can occur anywhere from 6-12 days past ovulation. Some women may notice slight spotting or bleeding, known as implantation bleeding, when the egg implants.