There are few things worse for a woman who is trying to pregnant than seeing a negative pregnancy test result. This is even more frustrating if your period is late. Most women believe that when they miss their period that they are pregnant, but that isn’t always to case. While there are other reasons for a missed period besides just pregnancy, a negative test reading may be due to other factors. This means that even though you get a negative test result that you may actually be pregnant. Each instance is a case by case event and to know which one applies to you, you must first check for the factors that can help you determine the problem.
How do you know if you have missed a period?
Before you have a late period negative pregnancy test result, you need to first know how to recognize if you have missed your period. A woman’s menstrual cycle, like most things in life, is a completely personal thing. This means that it will be different for each person. While some women experience their normal period cycle every 26 days and it will last for 4 days, other women get their period every 30 days and it may last up to a week. To know which one applies to you, you have to calculate your normal cycle. While you might be able to nail down a time when your period starts in just a month, each month can be different. For the best results, try to keep track of your period for three months in a row so you can be able to understand your own period pattern. The way to do this is to calculate how long between your cycles by counting back from the day your period starts to when it starts the following month. Take those three lengths and time and divide them by three to get an average how long your cycle is. For extra measure, do the same with how long your period lasts.
It is also important to know when your ovulation begins. This is especially important for women who are trying to get pregnant each month. An ovulation cycle is generally one and a half to two weeks after your period ends. This is when your body will release an egg and that is when the sperm can find its way to the egg to fertilize it. While this is the time where you have the most possible chance of getting pregnant, you can get pregnant at any time. You can even get pregnant during your period, even though it is extremely rare. If you know when your period is set to start and it still doesn’t, that is when you should take a pregnancy test. If you have a late period negative pregnancy test result, it is time to start exploring other factors other than just pregnancy.
Why did you miss a period?
It may surprise you to know that there are a few other things that may be causing you to have a late period negative pregnancy test result. One of the biggest reasons for this is a change in your lifestyle. This includes weight loss or gain. A drastic change in your weight can delay your period. This is because your body is trying to regulate itself and readjust to a sudden change in your body’s environment. One of the things that change within your body during weight change is a change in your hormones. To get a positive pregnancy test result there has to be an increase of the pregnancy hormone known as hCG in your system. This is also the hormone that regulates your period. This hormone works by releasing an egg during ovulation and when ovulation is delayed, your period will be delayed. The best way to know if this is the case for you is to know your body. If you have gone through drastic weight loss, give your period a little bit of wiggle room and wait an extra week before taking a pregnancy test in hopes to avoid a late period negative pregnancy test result.
Another reason why you may be getting a negative pregnancy test result if you have a late period can be due to stress. Many people forget about the toll that stress can take on their body. This is not only true for your outward appearance but can also affect you internally. One way that stress affects women specifically is in the way hormones release within their body. This is especially true when it comes to your menstrual cycle. Women who are under extreme stress often times not only are late with their period, but they may skip a month all together. Many times women confuse this change in their body with pregnancy which may lead to a negative test result.
When determining what might be affecting your pregnancy test results, you need to also consider what medications you are on. If you are taking hormone supplements or antibiotics you should know that the chemicals in these medications may be effecting your menstrual cycle. If you are trying to get pregnant and are worried about how certain medicines might interfere, you should ask your primary care physician and tell them about every medication you are on so they can better guide you so that you can get a positive outcome. Like most lifestyle changes, medication often times needs a little bit of an adjustment period until your body gets regulated. If this is the case with you, try waiting a month to see if your period returns to its regular cycle. If your period still isn’t normalizing, you need to see a doctor to see if there are other reasons for a late period negative test result.
Is the pregnancy test you are taking the problem?
Another reason for a late period negative test result is the pregnancy test itself. This can be in combination of human error and a dud test which can be a perfect storm. To know if the pregnancy test you are taking is the problem, make sure that you check which style of test you are using. If you have irregular periods it may be hard to figure out when your period is set to start. If this is the case for you, try using an early detection pregnancy test instead of a standard test. Early detection pregnancy tests are much more sensitive in the way that they collect and process your sample. Depending on the test you use, each test needs a certain amount of pregnancy hormone to give you a clear answer. Early detection tests need very little of this hormone because of how sensitive they are, so they may be able to give you a better reading than general pregnancy tests.
You should also consider using an early detection pregnancy test if you have a late period negative pregnancy test result because of the amount of hormone in your system. Even if you are pregnant and implantation has already taken place, there still may not be enough of the pregnancy hormone in your system for a clear test. There is no reason why you can’t use an early detection pregnancy test long after you have missed your period. You may get a positive result from one of these tests even after getting a negative reading from a standard test. You may also want to consider the time of day you are testing. Testing first thing in the morning has been proven to be more accurate than if you were testing late at night. This has everything to do with the amount of hormones in your system in the morning. So if you still think you are pregnant but keep getting negative results try switching up the time of day.
The last thing women worry about when they have a late period negative pregnancy test result is whether or not the test is working properly. The ensure that you have correctly taken your at home pregnancy test, always read the instructions carefully. Even if you have taken a hundred pregnancy tests before, each one is different and these special tests are constantly changing and advancing. The biggest mistake that women make when testing is using too much or too little urine as a sample. To avoid this, try using a collection cup method. It is the easiest and most fool proof way to keep you from taking the test improperly.
Wrapping it up!
Some of the top reasons for a late period negative pregnancy test result can be easily remedied by just taking it slow and making sure that you are testing properly. It is also a good idea to keep track of when your period starts and end so that you are making sure that you are not testing too early. Some women think that they have a missed a period when in fact their period may be days away and those precious extra few days can make all the difference in the world. If weeks pass and you are still not getting your period and there have been no major lifestyle changes, always see your doctor for a second opinion. Good luck.
