Home Pregnancy Test With A Low Sensitivity
A home pregnancy test will only detect pregnancy when the level of pregnancy hormone,also known as human chorionic gonadotropin ,reaches a certain threshold, and it simply may not be sensitive enough to produce a positive result. Certain brands state that they can detect lower thresholds of hCG depending on how soon you are taking the pregnancy test after the missed period, it may be worth trying again with a more sensitive brand, ensuring you are using the first morning urine for your test .
You Have An Ectopic Pregnancy That Delays The Production Of Hgc
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself somewhere other than the uterus , which delays the production of hCG hormones and causes severe pain in the lower abdomen or to one side.
This condition is quite rare and occurs in only 1 out of 40 pregnancies, but it is very dangerous and must be diagnosed early to prevent life-threatening consequences.
How Soon Is Too Early To Test For Pregnancy
When you think you might be unexpectedly pregnant, it can feel like torment waiting to know for sure. You might have sore breasts, mild cramping, and other signs of early pregnancy that could also be premenstrual symptoms, and it causes you to waver back and forth, thinking you are pregnant and then thinking you are not. That can leave you feeling more confused and wondering how soon you can get the answers you need. You have seen ads for pregnancy tests that claim to detect pregnancy five days before your expected period. So, should you test that early? And how soon is too early to test for pregnancy? We will answer those questions here.
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Can A Pregnancy Test Be Wrong
The at-home tests are about 99 per cent accurate.
If you get a positive result, it is highly likely that you are pregnant.
This is regardless of the colour of the line or how faint it is.
“False positives” very rarely occur.
While some women may do another test hoping for a negative result, women also fear that a positive test result is wrong, if they have been trying for a baby.
A staggering 62 per cent of mums carry on taking tests, despite already having a positive result, as they worry about the health of the pregnancy or the initial test being wrong spending an average of £30 on tests.
Meanwhile, a negative test is more likely to be incorrect than a positive one. This is called a “false negative”.
There are a few circumstances where you still could be:
- You took the test too early
- The test is past its expiry date
- You didn’t take the test correctly
- Your urine is too diluted as you drank a lot of fluid before taking the test
Negative Pregnancy Test But No Period 10 Common Reasons Why
Your periods late. You dig that pregnancy test out from the bottom of your drawer and pee on the stick, expecting to see a big fat positive show up in the results window.
But it doesnt.
Negative pregnancy test but no period.
If youre trying to get pregnant, this can be a huge emotional blow.
And if youre not trying to get pregnant, it might be a relief.
But either way youll probably wonder why the test is negative when you have missed your period.
Was that pregnancy test accurate?
Is it possible to be pregnant when a home pregnancy test is negative?
Are there any reasons other than pregnancy to explain a missed or late period?
To help you work your way through the confusion and stay calm until youre 100% sure whether or not youre pregnant, here are 10 reasons why you might have missed periods and a negative pregnancy test.
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What About Early Pregnancy Tests
Early pregnancy test manufacturers market to your desire to get answers as early as possible. It is not hard to see the advertising on the box and read the claims of 99% accuracy along with the ability to detect pregnancy six days before your missed period.
But let us take a closer look, so you do not test too early for pregnancy. The first thing to consider is that the percentage provided on the front of the package is only accurate when you take the test on the day of your expected period and in a laboratory setting by professionals. The same goes for the the instructions printed inside the pregnancy test kit the claims of accuracy are elevated because they do not reflect real-life testing in real-life situations. The results from a University of New Mexico study reveal the chances you can anticipate getting the right answer from an early home pregnancy test:
- One day past your expected period: 100% of pregnancies detected
- On the day of your expected period: 96% of pregnancies detected
- On the day before your expected period: 93% of pregnancies detected
- Two days before your expected period: 81% of pregnancies detected
- Three days before your expected period: 68% of pregnancies detected
- Four days before your expected period: 42% of pregnancies detected
- Five days before your expected period: 33% of pregnancies detected
- Six days before your expected period: 25% of pregnancies detected
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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Early Result Pregnancy Tests
Some pregnancy test kits boast early results that promise an answer three or four days before your missed period. These tests assume a 14-day luteal phase, which is the time between ovulation and when you get your period. The problem is that you may have a shorter or longer luteal phase.
If your luteal phase is usually 12 days, four days before your missed period would be nine days after ovulation. Thats way too early to test. For you, taking the test four days before your missed period would be pointless.
If you have a luteal phase of 15 days, four days before your missed period is 12 days after ovulation. You still may not have enough hormones that early. However, you have a better chance than someone with a shorter luteal phase.
If youre having fertility treatments and you have had an hCG trigger shot, then you should not take an early pregnancy test. An early test may detect the remains of fertility medication.
If You Are Having Other Pregnancy Symptoms
If youre having other symptoms of being pregnant, and theres a good chance that you are pregnant, schedule an appointment.
Youre going to drive yourself crazy if you wait the week to re-test. Instead, simply go to the doctor and have some bloodwork done. This can confirm or deny your pregnancy rather quickly.
If theres a chance you could have an ectopic pregnancy, youre having other symptoms, such as severe cramping, etc. head over to the ER.
They can also do a blood test to confirm or deny the pregnancy, and can check to make sure you and the baby are okay.
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Is This A Bad Sign
In some rare cases, a pregnancy test result that does not increase as expected might be due to an ectopic pregnancy. .
An ectopic pregnancy is when the egg attaches anywhere outside the womb. This can be dangerous for many reasons and could affect the rise in hormone levels needed to test positive for pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies generally increase in hCG but the numbers bounce around and do not increase in a typical fashion .
Take Note
Dont Rush The Process
Wait until you have to pee naturally, and not right after consuming a lot of liquids. Just pee normally, following the instructions, and then set the test aside and wait the full amount of time suggested.
Staring at the test anxiously can cause you to react too soon, or even throw it away before its done processing. It can also lead to dropping, bumping, or damaging the stick, making the whole ordeal a waste of time.
Its always best just to wait patiently, as hard as that may be.
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Rare Causes Of A False Negative
In rare cases, an ectopic pregnancy can cause a false-negative test result. An ectopic pregnancy is when the embryo implants somewhere other than the uterus. This usually occurs in the fallopian tubes, but it can also happen elsewhere.
An ectopic pregnancy does not develop properly and will not become a viable fetus. The formation of the placenta is delayed which impedes the production of hCG. An ectopic pregnancy can be dangerous if it causes the fallopian tube to rupture.
If your period is late and you are experiencing severe pain, call your provider right away or go to the emergency room.
Ectopic pregnancies are rare, occurring in around 1 in 40 pregnancies. However, they can be fatal. Around 9% of pregnancy-related deaths are caused by an ectopic pregnancy.
Another rare cause of a false negative test is gestational trophoblastic disease , more commonly known as a molar pregnancy. GTD is a rare type of tumor that forms from a developing embryo. In less than 1 in 100 cases, a healthy baby can develop from a molar pregnancy. Usually, however, a molar pregnancy ends in miscarriage.
GTD causes extremely high levels of hCG. As mentioned above, elevated levels of hCG can throw off an at-home pregnancy test and give a negative result. While GTD is a tumor, its rarely cancerous. The treatment is usually having a D& C. If pregnancy hormone levels remain high, chemotherapy might be needed.
Reasons For A Missed Period And Negative Pregnancy Test Result
Susana has worked extensively with pregnant women and families. She runs a pregnancy website and a pregnancy support group on Facebook.
Reasons for a negative pregnancy test result
Do you feel sure that you’re pregnant but ended up with one or more negative pregnancy test results and still no period? You’re not alonegetting a negative test with a missed period is more common than you might think.
Many women become concerned about the reasons for a negative test when they feel sure they are pregnant.
For instance, that a medication they’re taking could affect the pregnancy test resultwhich is extremely rare but not impossible. .
Often the answer as to why a pregnancy test is negative is more obvious.
While home pregnancy tests have improved over the years and are an extremely accurate predictor of pregnancy, there have still been many instances of a test giving a false negative result.
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I Got A Negative Result What Should I Do Next
If youre still not sure about the result, you wait until the day of your expected period to test, or test again in three days time if youve missed your period, with a pregnancy test from a reliable brand and follow the instructions carefully. You can also go to your doctor if you have doubts. You may get tested at the clinic or your doctor may recommend another brand of test to use.
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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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.
Days Late Negative Pregnancy Test
Many women suspect that they are pregnant after they are day or two late on their periods. By day 12, they are almost certain that they are pregnant, even if they are not showing any outward symptoms. However, when they take a pregnancy test and it shows a negative result, women may wonder if the test is faulty or if they may have another health condition that is causing their delayed menstrual cycle. Before they panic, they should understand some of the reasons that a pregnancy test may give a negative reading, especially with being 12 days late.
Of course, it may be logical to assume that the test is faulty or has such poor quality that it is not giving an accurate reading. It is true that sub-par tests can be found for sale in supermarkets and discount stores. If a woman suspects that the test is just poorly made or faulty, she should invest in one made by a name brand company and one that perhaps cost a bit more, but also is known to give more accurate results. In fact, these higher quality tests are often used by doctors and health care professionals in their own clinics, which is why many people prefer these brands in the first place.
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