Late Period, Negative Pregnancy Test, What Now?
Believe it or not, this is a quite common occurrence and you are certainly not alone in your confusion. There are several reasons why your home pregnancy test could have come back negative.
Firstly, you may have tested too early. Human chorionic gonadotropin, more commonly known as HCG, is the hormone that your body secretes once the fertilized egg has reached the uterus. If you are getting a negative result, it may be due in part to the fact that your body has not had time to start secreting the hormone into your system. Another reason may be that the hormone IS being secreted, but not in large enough amounts to be detected by the body just yet. It is often best to wait about a week, and then retest.
HCG levels multiply as the days go by, and by giving yourself a few days, you are allowing your body to produce enough of the hormone to be detected with your next pregnancy test.
Many women also do not pay enough attention to the testing instructions that come with the home pregnancy test. Most of the time they are far too anxious about the result and may not use the test correctly. There are specific instructions for each different test that you choose. For home pregnancy tests, there are two different ways to obtain your results. You can put the test strip into your urine stream for X amount of seconds, usually five, or you can collect a urine sample in a cup and then hold the test strip in the cup for X amount of seconds, this is usually five seconds as well. You would have to consult your instructions to be certain. It is very important to follow the step-by-step directions precisely. Failure to do so may result in a false negative or a false positive. You can also get a false result if you read the test too early or wait too long. The instructions will tell you exactly what time frame is valid for reading your results.
Another factor that may have affected your period and caused it to be late is stress. If you have been under more stress than usual, it is probable that it may be the culprit causing your late or missed period.
If you are several weeks late and continue to experience negative results with a home pregnancy test, you should consult with your doctor. Your doctor will be able to order a blood test, which is more accurate in identifying the HCG hormone early in pregnancy, and can detect smaller amounts than a home pregnancy test can. If your urine tests and your blood tests come back negative, you are not pregnant. Your doctor may discuss other medical reasons why your period is absent.
It is true that many women often experience pregnancy symptoms right away. It is really a fifty-fifty change, however, that you may or may not be pregnant. Many women that claim to have pregnancy symptoms often times find out that they are in fact not pregnant. There have also been cases of women who have had the symptoms and gotten a negative result just to find out later that they actually were pregnant. In either case, the best solution is to wait a week and then test again.
You can always call your doctor and request that a blood test be done. Blood test results normally come back within twenty four hours, and are a quick and reliable method of putting your mind at ease.
