False Negative Pregnancy Test

pregnancy diabetes


It is yet another circle and still the big fat positive test is still elusive. However, this time you feel differently- like you might probably, “pretty please” be pregnant. You have observed different symptoms like a tender and swollen breast, unexplainable food craving and a little bit of spotting here and there. Of course, you are also aware that these early signs of pregnancy can also possibly be just pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms, but this time around, your feeling is so different and you are beginning to think this could be it. So you are asking, is it possible that your pregnancy test produced a false negative.  The answer is a big fat YES. It is absolutely possible and there are lots of reason why a pregnancy test could be a false negative. 

Testing Too Early 

I know you are in a hurry to get pregnancy but it is important to know how this pregnancy tests work. Home pregnancy test work by detecting the presence of Human Chronic Gonadotrophin (HCG) in your urine. After conception, the growing placenta begins to secrete Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) as soon as the embryo implants into the uterus. This usually occurs approximately 7-10 days after ovulation.  Even though the levels of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) increases rapidly in the first few days- they double every 48-72 hours- if you take a home pregnancy test around day 5-6 post ovulation, it is completely in the realm of possibility, even if you have conceived, that you will not have enough Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) in your urine to get a positive result. A negative result in those early days of pregnancy could be a false negative. 

Low Test Sensitivity 

As you are probably already aware of, home pregnancy kits come in lots of ‘sizes and shapes’. There are test strips, digital tests, and midstream tests. Also, Home Pregnancy Tests have different sensitivity as well.  Some Home Pregnancy Tests are highly sensitive to Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) and are calibrated to detect a relatively low amount like 20 mIU/ml for example.  On the other hand, other , Home Pregnancy Tests have low sensitivity to Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) and are designed to detect a much higher amount of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG), 50 mIU/ml or 100 mIU/ for instance.  A newly pregnant woman might have 50 mIU/ml of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) by 7 days after ovulation. If you are just 7 to 8 days post ovulation and you test with a Home Pregnancy Test kit calibrated to detect 100 mIU/ml, the test will definitely be negative. 

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Diluted Urine

When women drink a lot of water and/ or urinate frequently, they may not realize the fact that they are lowering the amount of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) that is detectable in the urine. If you received a negative test result on a pregnancy test, it is advisable to test again using first morning urine, as this will surely have the most concentrated amount of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG). 

Fortunately, it is quite easy to determine if you are a victim of a false negative pregnancy test result. All you need to do is to test again a couple of days later. For best result, be sure to test using your first urine in the morning and a highly sensitive early pregnancy test kit. 

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