False Negative on Home Pregnancy Test?

Updated on April 07, 2007
S.C. asks from Bartlesville, OK
11 answers

I'm extremely disappointed and confused about now. My period was due on March 28th, no period...I feel nauseous and have tender breasts...I just feel pregnant...but I've taken about every brand of pregnancy test I can find and they all read negative. My first child, whose now 4, had a very strong pregnancy positive the day my period was due, so why am I a week in with no period and no positive result? I've recently ditched the pill, after four years of use, is it possible that these are withdrawl symptoms from the pill, and explaining why my period is so late? I've always been regular, even prior to the pill...I took the last pill on February 24th and had one period shortly after...

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone for your great advice. I did go see my doctor, and we did a blood test. It was negative. We are going to wait it out, and hopefully my cycle will return to normal in the next couple of months. It is difficult to want to be pregnant and not be, and have no control over the fact, I have a very strong sympathy for women with serious fertility problems. I'm sure I will wind up pregnant within the year, patience is a virtue! Thanks again for the great responses.

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M.R.

answers from Charlottesville on

I think it's most likely that you are late from being on the pill. I was off and on the pill for 10 years when we decided to try to get pregnant the first time. It took us 2 years to get pregnant that time. The second time around, we were pregnant within three months of being off the pill. Even the most regular cycles get a little wonky after being on the pill for a while. Mine definitely did. I'm betting that you're just late since you just stopped the pill, but if you really want to know now, go get lab test. Good luck!

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A.M.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Call your doctor and get a blood test. I stopped the patch with my last child, and it threw my cycle off. I kept thinking I was pregnant and after 3 test being negative, I thought I was wrong. Then when I was a full 2 weeks late, I took one more test and it was positive. I would give it around 2 to 3 weeks and retest. Your ovulation could have been off.

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K.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I can attest that after going off birth control your body goes crazy. Two weeks after I stopped mine (yasmin) I started having horrible pains in my lower right abdomen...later to find out it was a ruptured ovarian cyst. Why? My body got confused as to what it was supposed to do since the BC wasn't strong in my system. The next month my cycle hit 4 days early (march 5)and was a bit heavier than usual than on March 31 I started another cycle... This is how crazy our bodies can get when we screw with them. We wanted to start trying for baby number to, right around now so I stopped taking the pills in early Feb to give my body time to adjust because I knew it could take up to 3 months to get all of it worked out of my system.
Try again in 2 weeks if you haven't started by then, if its still negative I'd say your not pregnant and need to see your GYN.

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D.T.

answers from Tulsa on

First off are you sure you ovulated? Ovulation can often envoke the same symptoms as pregnancy. You haven't felt an ovulation in 4 years and in that 4 years your body has changed although your period has not.

See stating that your cycle is every 28 days while on the pill is misleading. Those pills keep you regular, and going off of them may sometimes make you ovulate the first month, but more often than not you don't ovulate that first month off the pills. It may take 45 days before your body realizes it has to send the hormones to make you ovulate rather than having a pill introduce those chemicals that keep you from ovulating.

Another thing you don't realize while you're on the pill, stress can mess with your cycle. See, now, you have to pay attention. You have a lot going on in your life. If the schedule has you stressed or you're not eating right because of the schedule then your body uses the extra energy it would spend on regulating your ovulation on handling the stress.

I can offer you one glimmer of hope, it's more often that you get a false negative with a pregnancy test than a false positive. However if you switch brands and it's still negative well, you probably didn't ovulate.

I didn't ovulate right for years. Sometimes I could go for months then boom, I was throwing up and having all the symptoms of pregnancy 2 weeks before even a blood test could confirm I was pregnant. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with PCOS that I realized that was Ovulation symptoms. I still get them every month. I know I'm not pregnant because my husband is sterile, thanks to his vastectomy in 2005.

If you're looking to get pregnant, do all you can to make sure your body is healthy enough for the pregnancy. Eat right, stay away from smoking, no alcohol and excercise. If you have any doubts about this, go have blood tests done. Make sure there's not a chemical imbalance preventing you from ovulating like low thyroid, high insulin, or low estrogen. Get them to do it all.

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L.G.

answers from Springfield on

I had the same problem when I was pregnant with my son. I didn't get a positive for three weeks after my missed period. I had just stopped taking my birth control that month. I would say that your cycle got off from stopping the pills, and (A) you are probably pregnant or (B) your cycle is shifting and will be different for a few months.

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E.Y.

answers from Topeka on

False negatives and false positives are common. My son was a flase negative on a pregnancy test. When did you last have sex with your husband? You don't actually have to answer that. LOL. The reason I ask is because if it was recent you might not be pregnant enough for it to register. Your body does go through changes after you stop taking the pill. Do you feel pregnant? I would go to a doctor and see if they would do a blood test, although with my son it was a blood test that showed negative... but I was like 7 days pregnant at the time. Good luck!

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W.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi S.,
1st part- The bleeding you had after you stopped taking the pills isn't a "period" it's what is called "break through bleeding" this happens anytime you stop birth control. This is normal and it may last as long as a "normal period" or it may only be a couple of days.
2nd part- It may take up to three months to get the pill out of your system fully and it may take this long to get your period regular without any help which is what the pill was doing.
3rd part- the key to getting pregnant is "no stress" about anything. you have to put it out of your mind that you are trying. otherwise you will be disappointed after each test that says "no" also not to get to personal but. you want to build up the "potenency" so to speak. (spelling?) every 2 or 3 days but not any longer or any closer.
4th part- do your normal activities, eat healthy and what you normally do and either start taking prenantal vitamins or take multi vitamins until you are.

There is a really good website to get on, it gives when the days you will ovulate ruff estimate anyway, and due date calculator and when you should expect your period or positive pregnancy test. also mark on the calender when you start your period, when you finish your period and the magic moments that way you know mosty likely when conception was. It is www.americanpregnancy.org
the first child I was young, stupid and didn't know any better but worthit.
With my second child I went off the pill in Janurary and got pregant in april. With the thrid child we were livin on the edge so to speak and it was my fault. The fourth went off the ring the week of christmas 05' and was pregnant late febuary.
Also let me say spice it up, get a sitter for a night (you don't have to go anywhere) you got plenty to do at home!! if you know what I mean. The fun part is making the baby. Have fun. goodluck and it will happen give it some time. W. mom of 4.

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M.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Sounds like you need to go see your doc. It's very possible to have false negatives. You may be more pregnant than you think. After a certain amount of time, a home pregnancy test won't pick up the pregnancy hormone, so only a blood test from your doctor will tell. But it could be withdrawal symptoms, or maybe something more serious. See the doctor!

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R.H.

answers from Kansas City on

All the ladies have said good things. I just want to add that it's quite possible that you could be pregnant but your hormones aren't yet high enough to register with a HPT. Or if you are pregnant and the egg implanted late, it would take a little longer for it to register on the test as well.

Your body could be trying to regulate itself from being on BCP. Anything can be going on. Since you are trying for #2 and are hoping to be pregnant, wait a little longer before testing again or go see your Dr.

Good luck and keep us posted.

BTW...you should check out the website www.fertilethoughts.com
It's great and others may have some input on what you're going through.

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

My best advice is to try not to get too excited. I know, that's pretty much impossible. About half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. We don't know that dismal news usually because most of the miscarriages happen extremely early and people think that a heavy, late period was just that when in reality it wasn't. You might have had a false start with a pregnancy or your just late because your trying so hard.

Of course, you could go and request an hcg test. Is it possible you were wrong about your period due date?

Suzi

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R.U.

answers from Oklahoma City on

With my second pregnancy I tested and tested and kept getting negatives. Finally on cycle day 43 it popped up "Pregnant"! So don't give up. If you really want to know, just hop over to your pcp or ob and have them run a blood test. HCG hormones show up in your blood sooner than in your urine. Good luck!

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