Feel pregnant but not
Negative Pregnancy Test but Feel Pregnant: 10 Possible Causes
You’re exhausted, your breasts are swollen, your period is 5 days past due… and is that a twinge of morning sickness you’re feeling? Could you be pregnant?
We would say there’s only one way to tell — take a pregnancy test! — but that’s actually kind of untrue: Over-the-counter pregnancy tests are a quick and convenient way to know if you’re pregnant, but they’re nowhere near 100 percent reliable.
There are false negatives, false positives, and every result in between. (Hands up if you’ve ever been caught holding that pee-soaked stick under a light while you try to decode symbols that look like Egyptian hieroglyphics… yeah, us too).
Why is it so hard to find out at home if you’re pregnant, especially when you’ve got the sore boobs and queasy stomach to back it up? It turns out there are a lot of reasons why you might feel pregnant but end up with a minus sign — here are 10 of them.
Related: The best pregnancy tests of the year
You know how pregnancy tests say you can “test 5 days sooner!” on the package? That refers to how many days before your expected period you can test yourself and get an accurate result.
But if you read the fine print, the likelihood of accurate results starts out kinda small at the 5-day mark, increasing as you get closer to your period.
If it’s way too far from your expected period date, you won’t have enough pregnancy hormone in your urine yet to trigger a positive result on the test.
The easiest solution here is to simply wait a few days, or even all the way until you’re past due for your period (hard to do, we know!). Even re-testing again in 72 hours, though, could land you a different result.
OK, so you waited until you actually missed your period and the test still came up negative?
Time to consider the time of day you peed on the stick. If you’re very newly pregnant, your hCG levels (that’s human chorionic gonadotropin, for the uninitiated, a hormone produced by a growing placenta) could still be on the lower side, especially later in the day when your urine is more diluted by what you’ve had to drink.
For more accurate results, test yourself first thing in the morning so you’re using your most potent urine.
Icky, but effective!
The more diluted your urine is, the less hCG will be present — and the less likely you are to get a positive result. What dilutes your urine? Good ol’ h30.
If you’re a committed hydrator (we see you with your half-gallon HydroJug), it’s possible you’re too good at flushing out your system. Who knew?
Don’t cut back entirely on water, just don’t drink too much the night before or the morning of taking your test.
Even though they’re pretty straightforward, reputable pregnancy tests always include instructions.
And while most pregnancy tests are designed to work the same basic way (and it’s not rocket science anymore, thankfully), you still need to perform your specific brand of test accordingly.
If you didn’t pee on the right part of the testing strip, didn’t lay the test down flat and faceup, or if you let it sit for too long on your bathroom vanity before checking, it can mess up your results.
Just like any other mass-manufactured product, pregnancy tests can arrive at the store damaged, expire on the shelves or in the back of your bathroom cabinet, get exposed to too-high or too-low temperatures during transit, or just… not work.
Nothing’s perfect!
We don’t want to give you the kind of false hope that sends you running out for duplicate and triplicate tests every time you get a negative result, but it is possible for tests to malfunction.
If you have a legit reason to think something may have been wrong (looking at you, tests from the Dollar Store checkout line), by all means buy a fresh test from a different store and try again.
But maybe take a break after that — it’s unlikely you’ll get two faulty tests in a row.
Because we like to keep you in-the-know, there are some less-common scenarios that can lead to a false negative on a pregnancy test:
- Ectopic pregnancy. When a fertilized egg implants somewhere outside the uterus, it’s called an ectopic pregnancy and, sadly, it’s not viable. Because your placenta won’t grow like it should, your hCG levels won’t always rise to detectable amounts (although in many cases they will, and you’ll get a positive test) — but you may have pregnancy symptoms.
These types of pregnancies are rare but can turn serious if left untreated, so if you also have severe pain or vaginal bleeding, seek medical care ASAP. - Cryptic pregnancy. It’s super rare, and often the stuff sensational news stories are made of, but it’s possible to have a cryptic pregnancy that conventional pregnancy tests never detect. There are varying reasons for this, including certain conditions that cause fluctuating hormone levels that may give you period-like bleeding — thus preventing you from taking a test until a later stage of pregnancy. (See next bullet point.)
- Later-state pregnancy. Most OTC pregnancy tests are designed to recognize hCG levels within a certain range, so if your hCG levels are lower or higher than what the test is able to detect, you’ll get a negative result. When hCG levels are so high that the test misses them completely, it’s called the “hook effect,” and it can happen when you’re further along in your pregnancy than just a few weeks.
Hormones rise continually throughout pregnancy; if you have irregular periods or lost track of when you were last supposed to get one, you could be far enough along in your pregnancy that an OTC test won’t read your higher levels of hCG.
In these cases, a blood test or ultrasound performed at your doctor’s office is the best way to confirm if you are, in fact, pregnant.
You know what medical condition feels a lot like pregnancy? Menstruation.
The same body system and hormones are involved, so it makes sense. Rising levels of progesterone during PMS can cause symptoms that mimic pregnancy to a T, whether it’s tender breasts, a ravenous appetite, mild cramping, moodiness and fatigue, spotting, or even nausea.
When you’re newly pregnant, your progesterone levels also rise, so these two events can, unfortunately, cause some confusing overlap in how they make you feel.
The solution here is just to wait a few days: If you’re PMSing, you’ll get your period, and if you’re pregnant, you won’t (and another pregnancy test in a few days may let you know).
Ovulation — which happens about midway through a typical cycle — doesn’t have as many symptoms in common with pregnancy as menstruation does, but you could still experience breast tenderness, mild cramping, and occasionally nausea during the time when your uterus releases its monthly egg.
If you’re not tracking your periods and don’t know exactly where you are in your cycle, you could be forgiven for mistaking ovulation for early signs of pregnancy… but you may have to wait around 12–15 days before finding out if your fertile window was fruitful.
Here’s the tricky thing many of us have found about wanting to be pregnant really badly: Sometimes, that desire is so intense that your brain has a hard time thinking of anything else.
We get it — once you decide you’re ready for a baby, getting a negative test result can be crushing.
Your very real desire can lead to symptom spotting, and to be honest, Dr. Google doesn’t help.
Put in any symptom + pregnant and you’re bound to get some hits.
Your nausea isn’t because you skipped breakfast, it’s because you’re pregnant. Your fatigue isn’t because you started a new diet, it’s because you’re pregnant.
When you put on pregnancy-tinted glasses, it’s hard to think objectively.
If you can, try to avoid the symptom spotting trap. If you are pregnant, you’ll know soon… but if it turns out you’re not, you may end up feeling even more disappointed.
If you’ve been having trouble conceiving and are undergoing fertility treatments, remember that those drugs are designed, in part, to elevate your hormone levels.
Therapies that increase progesterone or block estrogen can cause symptoms that mimic both PMS and pregnancy, including nausea, bloating, tender breasts, and changes in mood.
If you’re not sure whether your pregnancy-like symptoms are due to actual pregnancy or just a side effect of whatever fertility treatments you’re on, give your OB-GYN or reproductive medicine doctor a call. They should know where you are in your cycle and whether it’s possible you could be pregnant (or not).
Almost everything having to do with pregnancy involves waiting: waiting until your period is due to take a pregnancy test, waiting those looooooong 3 minutes to check the results, waiting until the next month to try again, waiting 9 whole months for your baby to be born once you actually get pregnant.
In other words, nothing is instantaneous and there are a lot of unknowns.
This can make the journey to having a baby more than a little rocky. To cope, try these tips:
- Stay in the present. You can’t change the past or predict the future, right? Take it one day at a time.
- Maintain a mutual hobby or activity with your spouse or partner that doesn’t involve baby making. You’re still a couple, and it’s important to protect the health of your relationship.
- Find your inner peace. When you feel yourself getting stressed about conceiving, have a go-to activity that calms you down. Make it something you look forward to, so it’s more of a positive experience and less of a consolation prize.
- Have a backup plan. If you’re hoping to conceive naturally, know where you’ll go for fertility treatments if necessary. If you’re hoping to conceive biologically, think about whether you would also be open to adoption or fostering. Sometimes, remembering that you have other options — and that a negative test result isn’t a dead end — can help you stay optimistic from one month to the next.
Over-the-counter tests you can take at home are an ultra-private and convenient way to get a quick answer to the question, “Am I pregnant… or is this just a food baby?”
But even if you are actually pregnant, that drugstore test might not give you the right result.
Everything from medications to medical conditions to the time of day you take the test can mess with that positive and negative sign. The only way to know for sure is to head to your doctor’s office and get a more foolproof result.
No Period Negative Pregnancy Test: 6 Causes
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We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.
Read more about our vetting process.Pregnancy tests have come a long way. Historically, women didn’t have a reliable method of knowing if they were pregnant without going to the doctor.
It wasn’t until the first at-home pregnancy test was invented in 1976 that women could confirm that they were expecting.
But despite technological advances that let women know they are pregnant, there’s still a lot of mystery about a woman’s menstrual cycle.
A woman may have a delayed or missed period, but still have a negative pregnancy test. In those situations, she has to wonder what’s going on. Is she pregnant? Is something wrong?
Here are a few reasons your period may be late, even if your pregnancy test is negative.
If you’re trying to get pregnant, there’s good news: You may still be pregnant. Sometimes, levels of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) early in pregnancy aren’t yet high enough for a home pregnancy test to detect.
One study found that home pregnancy tests only have to detect hCG levels above 25 milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/mL) to achieve the commonly advertised 99 percent accuracy rate. The writers of a 1991 study calculated that to detect 95 percent of pregnancies, a test would have to detect levels as low as 12.
4 mIU/mL. But not all home pregnancy tests were consistently sensitive enough to do so.
A woman’s cycle can vary widely, so if you conceived later in your cycle, your hormone levels may not be high enough at the time of your missed period.
There can be as much as a 13-day difference in when ovulation occurs, meaning that you may think you are 4 weeks pregnant when you’re only two weeks along. Pregnancy bleeding, recent hormonal contraceptive use, or breastfeeding can all interfere with accurately knowing your dates, as well.
If you think you may be pregnant after a missed period but got a negative result on your pregnancy test, wait a few days. Then retest. If you continue to miss your period, be sure to talk to your doctor to rule out any complications.
It’s rare, but sometimes an ectopic pregnancy can show up as negative on a pregnancy test. This happens in less than 3 percent of ectopic pregnancies.
Seek medical attention if your pregnancy test is negative and you have these symptoms:
- severe pain low in your abdomen or on one side
- dizziness or lightheadedness
- bleeding or spotting
- nausea and vomiting
Learn more: Ectopic pregnancy »
Several outside factors can wreak havoc on your menstrual cycle.
Stress, for example, can delay your period. Malnutrition can affect it, too. Your cycle can fluctuate if you drink too much caffeine or don’t eat enough food.
Sudden lifestyle changes, such as intense exercise or working the overnight shift on your job, can also cause your period to be irregular.
Breastfeeding can cause some irregularities in your cycle. Even after your baby arrives and your period returns, it may take some time before your cycle goes back to normal.
Breastfeeding is also unpredictable month to month. As babies grow, their feedings may change. For example, if your baby goes through a growth spurt and suddenly increases the frequency of night feedings, it may interfere with your cycle.
Read more: Why women get irregular periods while breastfeeding »
Medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or thyroid problems may cause women to have highly irregular cycles and missed periods. Some women may have very light periods, some may have very heavy periods, and some may skip periods altogether.
Menopause for women typically begins around age 50. In some women, however, it can start prematurely, before the age of 40. It’s different for everyone. If you have missed your period for over 90 days and are not pregnant, talk to your doctor about getting tested for any underlying medical conditions.
Birth control may cause irregularities in your cycle. Other types of medications may lead to a missed period, as well. For example, blood pressure drugs or allergy medications can throw off your cycle.
There may be many different reasons for a negative pregnancy test after a missed period. You may be dealing with an undiagnosed medical condition, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, or it could be a lifestyle issue, such as extreme stress. After getting a negative test result, you should wait a few days to a week before taking another test. If you test negative a second time and still haven’t had your period, make plans to see your doctor immediately.
Q:
Should you let your doctor know if you miss your period and aren’t pregnant?
Anonymous patient
A:
Missing one’s period can be caused by a variety of factors, some of which are temporary and some of which are more lasting.
Women who haven’t had their period for more than three months should bring this to their doctor’s attention. More in-depth evaluation may be necessary, with the goal of looking for potential underlying medical conditions that may be causing this, as well as addressing the ability to get pregnant, if desired.
Euna Chi, MDAnswers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.
"False pregnancy" in women. What's this?
Home/About clinic/Useful/ "False pregnancy" in women. What's this?
July 25, 2019
False (imaginary) pregnancy has been described by doctors since the time of Hippocarat. In Latin, this phenomenon is called pseudocyesis. In this case, a woman can feel all the signs of pregnancy, but in fact there is no developing fetus in the uterus. Most often, this condition appears in women who are suspicious and susceptible, with a mobile psyche, an overly excitable central nervous system, who have experienced stress or shock.
False pregnancy sometimes occurs in those women who strongly want to have a child. It may be the other way around - the fear of motherhood becomes the ground for its development. Patients who suffer from infertility for many years and undergo long-term treatment for this often feel falsely pregnant. Reaching despair, they begin, through self-hypnosis, to look for symptoms in themselves that indicate pregnancy.
A false pregnancy can be caused by a hormonal imbalance. Regular stress causes the body to produce a lot of pituitary hormones, the increase in which is also observed during real pregnancy.
Women may lag behind in the development of the mammary glands or uterus ("baby uterus"). Under these conditions, doctors may prescribe a long course of taking hormonal drugs that lead to menstrual irregularities. The absence of menstruation is often taken by a woman as a sign of pregnancy.
False pregnancy manifests itself in the same way as a real one.
Main (doubtful) signs of false pregnancy:
- Morning sickness or vomiting
- Increases the perception of smells, changes in taste sensations and preferences
- Mood swings occur
- In rare cases, a woman even feels the movements of a non-existent fetus
The above signs are considered doubtful because the woman herself talks about them. The situation becomes more convincing if there are likely signs. These include the following:
- Cessation of menses, long delays
- Enlargement and engorgement of the mammary glands, sometimes there is the appearance of characteristic pigmentation in the area of the halo and nipples
- There may be a discharge from the nipples similar to colostrum
- Belly increases in size
The condition of a false pregnancy is so similar to a real pregnancy that the woman is firmly convinced that she is expecting a child.
Claiming her interesting position, she does not deceive anyone!
The most surprising thing is that a test for the presence of hCG in the urine can also show a positive result. This fact will further convince the woman of a real pregnancy. However, hCG can also increase if there is a cyst, a pelvic tumor, or some other pathology.
Women may sometimes see two lines on the test during a false pregnancy. This is possible if they take a course of hormonal fertility drugs that contain hCG. It is also impossible to exclude the situation in which the test is damaged (marriage or improper storage).
Obstetrician-gynecologists of the IVF and reproductive health clinic "Genome-Don" recommend to confirm the presence of pregnancy with the help of transvaginal ultrasound, starting from the 1st week
menses delay.
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Why is it possible not to notice pregnancy until the birth?
Article author: Yudina Elena Alexandrovna , obstetrician-gynecologist
The first type of is a hidden pregnancy, when the body does not show signs of conception, or when its symptoms can be interpreted differently.
The second kind of is when a woman does not allow the thought that she will soon become a mother. Such pregnancies are more often associated with mental disorders or young age. There are not many such cases, but they do occur.
Consider the first type
As a rule, a woman with normal weight monitors her menstrual cycle and regularly visits a gynecologist. The probability of not noticing pregnancy is higher in overweight women. If the menstrual cycle is disturbed, toxicosis may not be noted, and the only sign of pregnancy is only the growth of the abdomen. At the same time, obese women with an irregular menstrual cycle due to hormonal failure believe that they are insured against pregnancy and, thereby, miss the fact of conception. In addition, it is quite possible not to notice pregnancy in the case of a small child and the fullness of the expectant mother. Also, polycystic ovary syndrome, combined with overweight and an increase in subcutaneous fat on the abdomen, can mislead the fair sex.
Along with this, there are anatomical reasons not to notice the “interesting position”. If the fetus is located too high and there is no growth of the abdomen (especially in overweight women with an irregular cycle), which should prompt a woman to think about pregnancy, then the state when the child begins to move is mistaken for flatulence, and poor health and toxicosis are associated with food poisoning. In athletic women, on the contrary, trained abdominal muscles can hide the child and his movements well. In addition, due to anatomical features, such as the bending of the uterus, the abdomen may grow very little.
There are women with false signs of pregnancy, in which all the clinical symptoms of a traditional pregnancy (weight gain, lactation, abdominal growth and toxicosis) appear, but there is no baby in the stomach.
There is a category of women (as a rule, they take pill forms of contraceptives, or have a diagnosis of infertility, or who have had a displacement of the intrauterine device), not noticing the fact of the onset of pregnancy due to the fact that in the early stages it is accompanied by signs of interruption (bleeding pain in the lower abdomen).
A woman perceives these symptoms as painful menstruation with a violation of the menstrual cycle. At the same time, they assure the doctor that menstruation was every month, but more abundant and painful.
Some women who have already conceived a child experience bleeding, which they may confuse with the so-called "menstruation". For example, in the case when the placenta is located in the lower part of the uterus and covers its internal pharynx (this should be interpreted as a threat of abortion). Such patients require closer attention and careful monitoring.
After childbirth, women forget that ovulation can occur before the first menstruation even in the presence of active lactation, therefore, fertilization is possible. In addition, if the fair sex did not start taking birth control pills in the first 5 days of the cycle, missed taking them, or had vomiting and diarrhea, then the pill could not be absorbed. As a result, follicle growth and ovulation are triggered. In such cases, additional contraception is needed.
