Did you get a negative pregnancy test, even though your period is late? Are you trying to conceive and the pregnancy test remains negative?

Indeed, it’s frustrating when you are trying to conceive and the you get a negative pregnancy test. And I’m sure you are also desperate because your period has been delayed and you don’t know the reason. You may be wondering, Am I pregnant or not?

Some moms who have been in the same situation. In some cases when they’re trying to conceive, usually they are under stress and consequently their period can be delayed.

In other cases, pregnancy tests are not applied correctly, or at the right time and read a false negative.

Below we go over some reasons why you may have gotten a negative pregnancy test:

Reasons why you get a negative pregnancy test

negative pregnancy testLet’s assume that you have done a pregnancy test for any reason. You have also missed your period, and feel some early signs of pregnancy. If you were really pregnant, there could be two simple reasons for why your pregnancy test was negative:

1. The pregnancy test that you bought is probably not very sensitive to detect the pregnancy hormone (hCG), which is produced by the placenta in the very early stages of pregnancy.

This doesn’t mean that the test does not work, or is not effective. Simply you should wait a few more days for the test to detect this hormone. However, if you are really desperate to know if you are pregnant, you should acquire another more sensitive test, or wait 3 to 5 days to try again the test. Based on some studies, it is considered that a test has a high sensitivity with a 20mIU/hCG threshold (mIU, or International Units, is a level of measurement) and can detect the pregnancy hormone even 8-10 days after ovulation.

Some brands specify a threshold about 100 mIU / hCG, for which you must wait longer to perform the test, about 15 days.

2. You may have miscalculated your period. While regular periods occur every 28 days, there are always some factors that could affect your period, such as variations in your ovulation, or more importantly, the date when the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus. You will get a positive pregnancy test until after implantation occurs.

Another reason why you may get a negative pregnancy test is when there is an ectopic pregnancy.

Recommendations:

I suggest that you perform the pregnancy test first thing in the morning, and avoid drinking lots of fluids that might dilute the concentration of urine.

Ask your pharmacist for a pregnancy test with high sensitivity, preferably about 20mIU/hCG threshold.

If you have missed your period and you have performed the test for the second time with a negative result, it is time to visit your doctor.

Read package instructions carefully and check the response time of the test (typically 5 to 10 minutes). Make sure that the test has not expired.