Information technology'due south very frightening when your period is belatedly, and you recollect you might exist unexpectedly pregnant. Fear chop-chop morphs into confusion when you take a pregnancy test, and the result is negative — only still no period. At present what?

Read on and learn more about why y'all could have a negative pregnancy test only miss your period. We'll also discuss causes for a false-negative pregnancy test and reasons other than pregnancy that may cause your flow to be late.

Lastly, nosotros'll propose what steps to take next when your pregnancy exam is negative, and yous all the same don't run across your catamenia.

Why Would I Accept a Negative Pregnancy Test but No Period?

The most probable caption for having a negative pregnancy test and no period is that you aren't meaning, and something else is delaying your period. We'll discuss this possibility in the next department.

It's likewise possible that y'all got a false negative pregnancy test result. There are several reasons this tin can happen, which include [i]:

  • You are pregnant, merely the pregnancy test can't detect the pregnancy hormones considering the levels are too low or very high.
  • You lot are pregnant, but a medical issue is causing a negative pregnancy test.
  • You are significant, only the pregnancy examination is defective.

How Tin I Have a Negative Pregnancy Test and Even so Be Pregnant?

Hither we'll discuss possible reasons you tin can precisely follow pregnancy test directions, get a negative test, and still be significant.

1. The pregnancy test can't detect pregnancy hormones because the levels are too low (or very loftier).

It takes at to the lowest degree 10 days later conception for your torso to produce enough of the human chorionic gonadotropin pregnancy hormone (hCG) for a home pregnancy test to notice [2].

There are several reasons hCG levels can be too low to annals a positive result, and they include:

  • You tested too early

Fifty-fifty if you've already missed your catamenia, you can go a false-negative upshot. Information technology'southward not common, simply it could happen if ovulation occurred later in your bicycle than usual.

For case, yous usually ovulate on day xiv of your cycle. But this month, you were under a lot of stress and ovulated on solar day 20 instead. So, if you became pregnant, it would take happened well-nigh six days later in your cycle than usual, which means yous won't go a positive pregnancy examination until half dozen days later.

If you become a negative result and doubtable y'all're meaning, endeavor testing again in a few days if you still don't get your period.

  • Your urine was diluted

You can besides get a false-negative result if your urine is too diluted when you take your pregnancy exam. For this reason, it's best to use beginning-morning time urine or exam later on you haven't had whatever fluids to drink for nearly half dozen hours.

A rare miracle called the "claw effect" can also atomic number 82 to a false-negative pregnancy test result [3]. A hook effect occurs when hCG levels are so high that the pregnancy test can't read information technology.

Situations that could cause a imitation-negative pregnancy test due to a hook effect include:

  • Being significant with multiples (twins, triplets, etc.)
  • Rare medical conditions such as a molar pregnancy

2. A pregnancy-related medical effect is causing a negative pregnancy test.

  • Ectopic pregnancy is when the pregnancy is located outside of the uterus — ofttimes in one of the fallopian tubes. An ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency that requires firsthand medical care.

3. The pregnancy test is defective.

An expired or defective pregnancy examination tin can also crusade a false-negative result. E'er exist sure the control line is present when you read the results window. If you don't see information technology, have a follow-up test.

Reasons You Might Miss a Period Other Than Pregnancy

As we stated earlier, the nearly probable reason your pregnancy test was negative is that you aren't pregnant. Only if you aren't pregnant, you wonder why your flow is late. Hither are possible reasons:

  • Breastfeeding
  • Hormonal birth control
  • Illness
  • Medications or medical problems
  • Perimenopause
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Poor sleep
  • Stress
  • Thyroid conditions
  • Likewise much exercise
  • Travel
  • Weight changes

Still, No Menstruum and a Negative Pregnancy Examination?

So, what should your next steps be if you take a negative pregnancy exam but no catamenia? Late or missing periods betoken that your body needs attention.

Your kickoff step is to repeat the pregnancy test and then reach out to your healthcare provider to decide when they adopt to see yous.

Seek medical attention immediately from a medical professional or emergency room if you take any of the following symptoms because they could point a severe medical trouble:

  • Severe pain on one side of your abdomen or pelvic area
  • Pain in one shoulder
  • Vaginal bleeding that isn't a period
  • Dizziness or fainting
  • Nausea or vomiting

Pregnancy Intendance Center Offers Pity and Answers

You don't have to continue worrying nearly what'southward happening with your body. Pregnancy Care Clinic offers no-price services to assistance you go the answers you deserve.

We can save you lot money by providing y'all with a medical-grade pregnancy test. If your test is negative, nosotros are happy to repeat it for you. Nevertheless, if your next pregnancy test is also negative with no period — or if you have signs indicating a medical result, we will recommend additional follow-up.

If your pregnancy test is positive, we can walk with you lot step-past-footstep, so you lot are empowered to brand an informed pregnancy decision. This may include a express ultrasound, pedagogy, and information about your options for an unexpected pregnancy.

Our licensed healthcare providers at Pregnancy Intendance Clinic are compassionate and skilled. You can visit united states with conviction, knowing that yous will never exist judged here. So contact us for your confidential appointment today.

Resources:

[1] Mayo Dispensary Staff. (2021, February 24). Abode pregnancy tests: Can you trust the results? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/home-pregnancy-tests/art-20047940.

[2] Cleveland Clinic Staff. (2021, January 26). Pregnancy tests. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/wellness/manufactures/9703-pregnancy-tests.

[iii] Winder, A. D., Mora, A. S., Berry, E., & Lurain, J. R. (2017). The "hook effect" causing a negative pregnancy test in a patient with an advanced tooth pregnancy. Gynecologic oncology reports, 21, 34–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gore.2017.06.008