Negative pregnancy test 1 week after missed period

This can be very frustrating to all women who want to conceive. Having a late period or the absence of menstruation, you patiently wait for a week after your expected menstrual period is due, only to get a negative test result. It becomes disappointing for most women but with enough knowledge, you can understand why it happens and you will know the important things to be considered to have a successful pregnancy.

What is a pregnancy test?

A pregnancy test checks a woman’s urine or blood. The test detects the presence of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone is made by the placenta and when human chorionic gonadotropin is present, it may indicate that a woman is pregnant.

Missed period and negative pregnancy result

Every woman’s cycle is difference and ovulation occurs at different times for different women. The standard 28-day cycle is a guide only. Several well-spaced pregnancy tests with a negative result are likely to mean that you are not pregnant. If you have missed a period and have several negative pregnancy test results, you should see your doctor for a blood test to confirm a positive or negative result.

The timing of a positive pregnancy test depends on implantation. If you are pregnant then a urine pregnancy test is not expected to be positive until, at the very earliest, three to four days after implantation. This is roughly 10 days after ovulation (around four days prior to the next menstrual period), and about 51 percent of pregnant women have a positive pregnancy test two days before their period is due.

Reasons for late menstrual period

• Low oestrogen levels
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – roughly 10 percent of women suffer from PCOS and many don’t know that they have this condition. This condition is mainly characterised by hormonal imbalances. Symptoms include body hair, acne, weight gain, pain in the area of your ovaries, and heavy or irregular periods.
• Menopause (or perimenopause) – This condition is not common to women who are of child-bearing age. The average age for the onset of menopause is around fifty, although early menopause can begin in a woman’s thirties.
• Pregnancy resulting in a very early miscarriage.
• Stress, anxiety or illness.

There are other reasons your period can be late but this is not an indicator of your fertility

After a negative pregnancy test, might I still be pregnant?

Yes, it is possible to get a false negative. Most home pregnancy tests (HPTs) suggest women to take the test again in a few days or a week if the result is negative. Your reading will depend on when you ovulated – if you ovulated later in your cycle then you may get a false negative result.

To help avoid a false negative, early morning urine has the highest levels of hCG, therefore you are likely to get a more accurate result if you test first thing in the morning. If you cannot use the first morning urine you need to use urine that has been building in the bladder for four hours or more.

Avoid drinking too much water before taking the test as it can dilute the hormone levels therefore raising the odds of a false result. If you have missed a period and have several negative pregnancy test results, you should see your doctor for a blood test to confirm a positive or negative result.

I’m 5 days late for my period. I took a pregnancy test when i was 2-3 days late.. could i still be pregnant?

If you take a pregnancy test after your period is late and get a negative result, you’re unlikely to be pregnant. Home pregnancy tests are very accurate — about 99 percent — but a false negative is still possible. Try taking another pregnancy test in a day or two to double check. 

There are many reasons your period could be late other than pregnancy. Stress, illness, and changes in weight or nutrition can all affect your menstrual cycle. If you’re taking hormonal birth control or took emergency contraception, that can also change your period.

If you’re still worried, you can contact your nurse or doctor, who can give you a pregnancy test and help figure out what might be going on with your period.

Tags: late period, period, pregnancy test

Great question – it is sometimes frustrating to determine if you could be pregnant, and if you aren’t, why your period might be late! The simple answer is yes, you could still be pregnant even with a negative test, depending on when you took it, but there are also other reasons your period could be late.

A pregnancy test detects HCG levels in your urine which increase the longer you are pregnant. If you took a pregnancy test before your missed period or within the first couple days after, it is possible there wouldn’t be enough HCG in your urine yet to detect the pregnancy. You could also get a false negative if you tested later in the day, rather than with your first-morning urine, especially very early in pregnancy, since there wouldn’t be as much HCG in your urine yet.

You are most likely to get pregnant about 14 days after the start of your last period – this is the typical time women ovulate in their cycle. It is extremely important to remember that this varies from woman to woman and even from month to month. If you happened to ovulate later than expected, or if you did get pregnant closer to your expected period than what is typical, the pregnancy wouldn’t be far enough along to show up on a test yet if you tested right around your missed period.

Why else could your period be late other than pregnancy?

• You ovulated later in the month than usual which caused your period to come later as well
• Birth control
• Hormonal changes
• Stress
• Weight Loss or Gain

If you got a negative pregnancy test but still haven’t started your period, we recommend you test again about 5 days later and first thing in the morning or make an appointment to have a pregnancy test done in our office.

Have additional questions or need to make an appointment? Call (877) 883.7264 or go to www.fpawomenshealth.com to book an appointment online.

How accurate is a pregnancy test 1 week after missed period?

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