Having Pregnancy Symptoms but Negative Tests

Pregnancy symptoms negative test is a dilemma for an increasing number of women today. While pregnancy tests are designed to be accurate, they are not entirely dependable. They can give false negative false or positive results.

However, this is very rare. Therefore, if the results of this test show that you are not pregnant, but you are still experiencing pregnancy symptoms, it is advisable to either see your doctor for further examination or get a home pregnancy test kit and repeat the test.

Early Tests

For a pregnancy to be detected, the body needs some time to manufacture sufficient pregnancy hormone. As such, if you have the pregnancy test done before missing your period, you are likely to get inaccurate results. Many clinics will tell you that you only need to have missed your period by a day for the pregnancy to be detected. To avoid having pregnancy symptoms but negative tests, it is advisable to wait until the period is about a week late.

Poor Timing

If you do not time the test properly, you are also more likely to get false negative pregnancy test results. For more accurate results, it is advisable to wait for at least 15 minutes after the urine sample is collected and before administering the test. Additionally, you also have to allow the required time after administering the test. If you are carrying the test at home, you may use a kitchen timer to ensure that the timing is as accurate as possible.

Testing Diluted Urine Sample

For more accurate pregnancy test results, it is advisable to take urine sample first thing in the morning. This is the time of the day when the urine is most concentrated. Waiting until later in the day or taking too much water prior to taking the test can lead to false negative results because the urine is more dilute.

False Pregnancy

This is called pseudocyesis, a condition where the patient experiences most of the pregnancy symptoms while she has no fetus in the uterus. Currently, it is estimated that 1 to 6 people out of 22,000 live births experience this condition. Intense desire to get pregnant can lead to this condition. Following infertility, impending menopause, increased desire to get married or repeated miscarriages, many ladies tend to become desperate for a baby. 

This increased desire to get pregnant can make the bodies of such ladies to produce pregnancy symptoms, including enlarged breasts, swollen belly, and fetal movements, while they are actually not pregnant. In such a case, the brain will then misinterpret such signs as a pregnancy and trigger the release of production of pregnancy hormones, such as prolactin and estrogen, leading to pregnancy symptoms.

A missed period and a negative pregnancy test, can I still be pregnant?

It is common to get a lady who has missed her period with a negative test, but she is pregnant. The main reason why ladies get wrong results in this case is miscalculating their period. 

On average, the menstrual cycle for many ladies is 28 days. If you are lucky to have regular 28 day cycles, you can accurately estimate when your period is due. The problem is that not all ladies have regular menstrual cycles. Again, the ovulation dates as well as the implantation varies from one lady to the other. This can lead to negative results while the lady is actually pregnant. Therefore, it is possible to be pregnant after missing your period and having negative pregnancy test results.

Can a pregnant test fail?

Owing to various factors, a pregnancy test can fail. Such factors will lead to negative results while you are actually pregnant. One of the main factors that can lead to this is using the pregnancy test kit wrongly. Again, the kit you are using could be expired or defective, hence leading to false results. 

• Digital test kits normally have a timer on the window, which comes on while the kit is being used. If this timer is not being displayed, the kit is probably faulty and should not be used.

• In the event that you are using a line test, a line should appear as soon as you place the absorbent tip in the urine. This is an indicator that the test kit is working properly. If this line is not showing, the test kit is faulty and will most probably give you false results.

A pregnancy test can fail and you will not be in a position to tell whether the test has failed unless you get a confirmation test from your doctor. However, you can minimize the chances of your pregnancy test failing by ensuring that the kit is working properly and that it is not expired. If the kit gives you negative pregnancy test results and you are still having pregnancy symptoms, it is advisable to wait for a few days and then repeat the test.

When is the time to take a pregnancy test?

For more accurate at-home pregnancy test results, it is advisable to wait until you have missed your period. Missing your menstrual period is among the initial signs of pregnancy. Alternatively, you should wait until 14 days after the suspected day of conception. This is the earliest time that a pregnancy can be detected.