False-Negative Pregnancy Tests
At Your Options Medical, we have found that when many of our patients have a negative pregnancy test result, they assume they are not pregnant. However, this is not always the case. False negative pregnancy tests do occur. Here is how it works:
A urine pregnancy test detects the hormone called hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin). This is the hormone your body produces during pregnancy. When urine is being tested for the presence of this hCG hormone and a woman is pregnant, the result of the pregnancy test should read positive. However, there are a few reasons a pregnancy test can give a false test result including the following:
- In early pregnancy, the hCG hormone levels may be too low for a pregnancy test to detect. The earliest time to test for an accurate result is 7-10 days after a missed period.
- The best time of day to take a pregnancy test is first thing in the morning when a woman’s urine is highly concentrated. Because urine may be less concentrated later in the day, the test may not be able to detect the hCG hormone.
- If you have had a negative pregnancy test, but are experiencing pregnancy-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, tiredness, loss of appetite, etc. it is always best to contact your doctor to access for causes unrelated to pregnancy.
- There is always the possibility of human error when performing home pregnancy tests. It is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Most pregnancy tests require you to let the test set for 3-5 minutes. If the test is left beyond the recommended set time, this could produce a false test result.
- If you had a tubal ligation (i.e. tubes tied), are experiencing pregnancy-like symptoms, and test negative on a pregnancy test, contact your medical doctor to assess for causes unrelated to pregnancy.
If you think you might be pregnant because you have missed your period, know that there are other reasons besides pregnancy. To learn more, check out our blog.
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If you think you might be pregnant, Your Options Medical can offer you pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling at no cost to you and insurance is not required.
Contact us today to learn more!
Hello, I have been having unprotected sex with my boyfriend for a while now and this January after I got my period around the 3rd we had sex on the 16th of Jan. Since then I have not been feeling okay I’ve been nauseous every morning, I get abdominal cramps and I’m always tired and I don’t have any appetite to the point where I won’t eat all day.
I’ve taken a lot of tests but they all come out negative , as we speak I’m 14 days late for my period.
Hi Zie,
Thank you for reaching out to Your Options Medical!
Typically, we recommend the best time to take a pregnancy test is one week after you are due to start your period. Also, the best time to test is first thing in the morning. If the test reads negative, we recommend testing again in about one week.You may want to consider requesting a blood pregnancy test from your primary care physician or OB/GYN as these tests are more accurate at detecting pregnancy than urine tests. This way if pregnancy is ruled out, your doctor can further assess your symptoms. If symptoms persist and pregnancy tests continue to be negative, seek medical attention.
At Your Options Medical, we provide free telehealth calls with a nurse, pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling. To schedule your confidential appointment, please call or text 508-251-9022.
Thank you, again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to contact us in the future if we can be of any further help.
Best Regards,
Gladys, RN
Hello,
I’m having symptoms such as: weird food cravings (pecan Sandies, fish and mustard), acne which normally only occurs with my menstrual cycle, moody/emotional, tired. I work 3rd shift so I couldn’t wait to get home to urinate. I tried two tests but both came back negative. I’m wondering if I should wait a little longer and retest? I did have my period but the cycle was weird. The first two days were heavy and the last few days there was barely anything. In my family the women generally have their period the first few months of pregnancy. I was pregnant before about 12 years ago. I had all of the symptoms: nausea, vomiting, smell and food sensitivity, cravings, breast tenderness and extreme fatigue. All of my pregnancy tests were negative except for one which showed two double lines but the second line was faint. I ended up miscarrying. Ever since then I have struggled to get pregnant. It’s very frustrating.
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for reaching out to Your Options Medical.
First I want to say I am sincerely sorry for your loss and the struggles you have been through trying to become pregnant. If you ever need to talk with someone about your miscarriage, please feel free to reach out.
Typically, we recommend the best time to take a pregnancy test is one week after you are due to start your period. Also, the best time to test is first thing in the morning. If the test reads negative, we recommend testing again in about one week. You may want to consider requesting a blood pregnancy test from your primary care physician or OB/GYN as these tests are more accurate at detecting pregnancy than urine tests. This way if pregnancy is ruled out, your doctor can further assess your symptoms. If symptoms persist and pregnancy tests continue to be negative, seek medical attention.
You may also be experiencing a missed period which can happen for several reasons including stress, medication, weight gain or loss, etc. To learn more, check out our blog: Reasons for a Missed Period.
Reasons for a Missed Period – Your Options Medical Centers
There can be multiple reasons for a missed period. If you’ve had a missed period and think you might be pregnant, Your Options can help.
youroptionsma.org
At Your Options Medical, we provide free telehealth calls with a nurse, pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling. To schedule your confidential appointment, please call or text 508-251-9022.
Thank you, again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to contact us in the future if we can be of any further help.
Best Regards,
Gladys, RN
I had sex on the 7th, 8th and 9th day of my circle. Later that day i took escapelle emergency pill and had side effects for 2 days. On the day i expected my periods they didn’t show up. I’ve done 3 tests so far and they all came back negative, 4 days after missing period, 3 days later and then a day later again(. Basically im 8 dys late as we speak and i have all pregnancy symptoms one could find in the book, but more especially bloat. Om the day i expected my periods i woke up from a painful sharp pain on my right ovary going down to my thigh and leg. I swear i feel pragnant but the tests kep saying negative and my periods are not showing up.
Hi Julia,
Thank you for reaching out to Your Options Medical.
Typically, we recommend the best time to take a pregnancy test is one week after you are due to start your period. Also, the best time to test is first thing in the morning. If the test reads negative, we recommend testing again in about one week. You may want to consider requesting a blood pregnancy test from your primary care physician or OB/GYN as these tests are more accurate at detecting pregnancy than urine tests. This way if pregnancy is ruled out, your doctor can further assess your symptoms. You could be missing your period due to taking the emergency contraceptive. If symptoms persist and pregnancy tests continue to be negative, seek medical attention.
If your blood test comes back positive, the next step would be to have an ultrasound to determine if you are definitely pregnant. You would want to ensure the person performing the ultrasound confirms the following four things: 1). If the pregnancy is in the uterus (rule out an ectopic pregnancy). 2). Measure to determine the dating of your pregnancy (how far along you are). 3). If there is a detectable heartbeat (assess for miscarriage indicators). 4). If there are multiple babies or just one.
At Your Options Medical, we provide free telehealth calls with a nurse, pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling. To schedule your confidential appointment, please call or text 508-251-9022.
Thank you, again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to contact us in the future if we can be of any further help.
Best Regards,
Gladys, RN
My husband and I had sex Nov 30 while early ovulation most likely happened. I did get a light three day period Jan & Dec, not thinking I could be pregnant & thinking they were just periods. Now feb just spotted two days and suddenly nauseous and cannot hold anything down but tested negative.
Hi Desiree,
Thank you for reaching out to Your Options Medical!
At this point, you may want to consider requesting a blood pregnancy test from your primary care physician or OB/GYN as these tests are more accurate at detecting pregnancy than urine tests. This way if pregnancy is ruled out, your doctor can further assess your symptoms. If symptoms persist and pregnancy tests continue to be negative, seek medical attention.
At Your Options Medical, we provide free telehealth calls with a nurse, pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling. To schedule your confidential appointment, please call or text 508-251-9022.
Thank you, again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to contact us in the future if we can be of any further help.
Best Regards,
Gladys, RN
Hi doc I had unprotected sex on 5th ,6 and 7th this month
And my last period started on 16th jan. I’ve been feeling tired,sleepy during day and a sharp pain on one side of my lower abdomen,I tested yesterday which is like 2 weeks after intercourse but it came out negative,could the results be wrong doc? I forgot to mention I have an irregular period.
Hi Biza,
Thank you for reaching out to Your Options Medical.
To answer your question: yes, it is possible that you could be pregnant and receiving a false test result on the pregnancy tests. This can be due to several factors including the fact that you could be pregnant but very early on. Typically, we recommend the best time to take a pregnancy test is one week after you are due to start your period. Also, the best time to test is first thing in the morning. If the test reads negative, we recommend testing again in about one week. You may want to consider requesting a blood pregnancy test from your primary care physician or OB/GYN as these tests are more accurate at detecting pregnancy than urine tests. This way if pregnancy is ruled out, your doctor can further assess your symptoms. If symptoms persist and pregnancy tests continue to be negative, seek medical attention.
If your blood test comes back positive, the next step would be to have an ultrasound to determine if you are definitely pregnant. You would want to ensure the person performing the ultrasound confirms the following four things: 1). If the pregnancy is in the uterus. 2). Measure to determine the dating of your pregnancy (how far along you are). 3). If there is a detectable heartbeat. 4). If there are multiple babies or just one.
At Your Options Medical, we provide free telehealth calls with a nurse, pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling. To schedule your confidential appointment, please call or text 508-251-9022.
Thank you, again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to contact us in the future if we can be of any further help.
Best Regards,
Gladys, RN
Hi doc I had unprotected sex on 5th ,6 and 7th this month
And my last period started on 16th jan. I’ve been feeling tired,sleepy during day and a sharp pain on one side of my lower abdomen,I tested yesterday which is like 2 weeks after intercourse but it came out negative,could the results be wrong doc? I forgot to mention I have an irregular period.
Hi Byiza,
Thank you for reaching out to Your Options Medical.
To answer your question: yes, it is possible that you could be pregnant and receiving a false test result on the pregnancy tests. This can be due to several factors including the fact that you could be pregnant but very early on. Typically, we recommend the best time to take a pregnancy test is one week after you are due to start your period. Also, the best time to test is first thing in the morning. If the test reads negative, we recommend testing again in about one week. You may want to consider requesting a blood pregnancy test from your primary care physician or OB/GYN as these tests are more accurate at detecting pregnancy than urine tests. This way if pregnancy is ruled out, your doctor can further assess your symptoms. If symptoms persist and pregnancy tests continue to be negative, seek medical attention.
If your blood test comes back positive, the next step would be to have an ultrasound to determine if you are definitely pregnant. You would want to ensure the person performing the ultrasound confirms the following four things: 1). If the pregnancy is in the uterus. 2). Measure to determine the dating of your pregnancy (how far along you are). 3). If there is a detectable heartbeat. 4). If there are multiple babies or just one.
At Your Options Medical, we provide free telehealth calls with a nurse, pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling. To schedule your confidential appointment, please call or text 508-251-9022.
Thank you, again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to contact us in the future if we can be of any further help.
Best Regards,
Gladys, RN
Hi doc,
I’m 3 days late today, 33 days cycle. I’m always on Regular Period, never missed. I tested BFN since 12DPO until now. What should I do? Cravings, Bloating, Fatigue (If my alarm rings, I don’t have the energy to get up). And, lately, I’m always crying, sometimes. I also experienced backpain around 12 DPO, I thought I’m expecting my period a week after. Until now, I’m still hoping for BFP test. What should I do? I’m so frustrated and stressing me so much.
Hi Mary,
Thank you for reaching out to Your Options Medical!
At this point, you may want to consider requesting a blood pregnancy test from your primary care physician or OB/GYN as these tests are more accurate at detecting pregnancy than urine tests. This way if pregnancy is ruled out, your doctor can further assess your symptoms. If symptoms persist and pregnancy tests continue to be negative, seek medical attention.
At Your Options Medical, we provide free telehealth calls with a nurse, pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and pregnancy options counseling. To schedule your confidential appointment, please call or text 508-251-9022.
Thank you, again for reaching out and please do not hesitate to contact us in the future if we can be of any further help.
Best Regards,
Gladys, RN
Hi I had my last period on January 31st to February 3rd and had sex on February 7th….my period was expected to start around the 4th but it is now late by 8 days. I’ve taken 3 tests but all came out negative. I’ve been feeling nauseous, feeling tired alot and even felt tired enough to take a nap the other day, my parents noticed the other day I was running to the bathroom alot within the 3 days I was there, I’ve also been having points where I get hot out of nowhere especially when I’m at work, and I’ve been having alot of moods, I’ve also been having heightened appetite, and I can smell alot of smells I didn’t before. I used to eat alot of watermelon flavored things but the other day I couldn’t stand the taste of watermelon candy. I also got the craving for bagels the other day and I don’t usually eat bagels. I’ve also have had craving for oth