BLOG: When an Early Pregnancy Test Is Negative

By Heather Johnson

Early Pregnancy Test

When you're trying to conceive, the urge to take an early pregnancy test as soon as possible is sometimes overwhelming. You think you know when you ovulated, so patiently wait out your luteal phase until a few days before your next period. You pee on the little stick and look down. Negative. Your disappointment is overwhelming.

Luckily for you, a negative pregnancy test does not always mean that you're not pregnant. There are myriad reasons why a home pregnancy test — when taken too early — could come back negative when you are in fact pregnant.

Took the test too early. The earliest home pregnancy test on the market promises the potential to detect a pregnancy six days before your missed period. But many women miscalculate when that sixth day is. The day of your missed period is actually the day after you expect your period to begin. If you count back from the day you expect your period, you could be counting back too far. Some tests also have different earliest dates. In other words, always follow the directions on the pregnancy test box very closely. Otherwise, you may actually be out of the date range of the test, which could then give you a negative result when you are actually pregnant.

Didn't ovulate when you thought you ovulated. Although the average woman has a 28 day cycle and ovulates on the 14th day, many women have different cycle lengths and ovulate on different cycle days. Unless you are charting your cycles or using an ovulation predictor kit, then the date on which you think you ovulated is at best a guess. If you did ovulate later than usual, you could be testing too soon, getting a negative result instead of the positive result that you would have gotten a few days later.

Not enough hormones. Some women do not have enough pregnancy hormones in their system to produce a positive test result until a few days after their missed period. Hormone levels rise at slightly different rates in different women. I personally got my positive test result just nine days post ovulation. However, another woman might have to wait until two or three weeks after she ovulates to have enough hormones in her body to get a positive test result.

Thus, if you are hoping for a positive home pregnancy test but are greeted with a negative early pregnancy test, do not despair. Test again in a few days. You might be pleasantly surprised.

When did you get your first positive pregnancy test result? Share below in the comments section!