Period 12 days late negative pregnancy test could i still be pregnant

For couples trying to conceive, the missed period is often the first exciting sign of a positive pregnancy. But what should you think, then, when the pregnancy test is negative?

Causes of a Negative Pregnancy Test

There are a several possible explanations for a negative pregnancy test with a missed period that may occur in the absence of pregnancy.

Anovulation

When you are trying to conceive, it is important to determine whether you are successfully ovulating each month, as ovulatory dysfunction or anovulation may play a role in your missed period and can affect your ability to conceive.

There are many causes for ovulatory dysfunction or anovulation. Just a handful of these causes include:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Being over/underweight
• Stress

Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)

Some women may have a condition known as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). In POI, the symptoms experienced are similar to those of menopause. As the ovarian follicle count is depleted prematurity, falling estrogen levels lead to hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and an absence of menses as the woman prematurely enters menopause.

Miscalculating Your Period

The average menstrual cycle is 28 days, but far too often we forget to note day 1 of our cycle. Additionally, cycles can sometimes vary in length from month to month. Charting Basal Body Temperature or using Ovulation Prediction Kits (OPKs) can help you get a firm grasp on your menstrual cycle to predict when you are most likely to conceive.

Second, there are a few reasons why your pregnancy test may read negative when you are, in fact, pregnant. Some reasons for this may include:

Home Pregnancy Test with a Low Sensitivity

A home pregnancy test will only detect pregnancy when the level of “pregnancy hormone,” also known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), reaches a certain threshold, and it simply may not be sensitive enough to produce a positive result. Certain brands state that they can detect lower thresholds of hCG; depending on how soon you are taking the pregnancy test after the missed period, it may be worth trying again with a more sensitive brand, ensuring you are using the first morning urine for your test (hCG concentrations are highest in the first morning urine).

Taking a Home Pregnancy Test Too Soon

Another reason for a false negative pregnancy test may simply be that you took the test too early. Pregnancy tests vary in how soon they can detect hCG in your urine. It is possible that although an egg may be fertilized, your body has not started secreting enough hCG to register as positive on a test. Your body needs time for the hormone to rise to a high enough level to be detected. Most brands instruct you to wait until the first day of your missed period to test. Remember, hCG rises differently in each woman. If you suspect you are pregnant, even though the test is negative, the test should be repeated in one week.

If you are trying to conceive and your period is more than one week late with a negative pregnancy test, you should consider consultation with a fertility doctor so that you can be properly evaluated and treated, if necessary.

Dr. Jenna Friedenthal is a Fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York. Dr. Friedenthal completed her undergraduate education at Yale University. She went on to complete her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine with Distinction in Research. While in medical school, she received the Senior Research Fellowship award for her research accomplishments in reproductive endocrinology and immunology. Dr. Friedenthal then completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University. During her residency training, Dr. Friedenthal received the Mortimer Levitz Best Basic Science Award for her research on pre-implantation genetic testing.

Everyone’s cycle is different. Healthy cycles can range in length from 21 to 35 days, and how long a cycle lasts can vary from cycle to cycle. Unless you have irregular cycles due to a medical condition, you probably have at least a rough idea of when to expect your next period.

A period is considered late if it hasn’t started within seven days of when you expect it. Most pregnancy tests will be able to give you accurate results by the time your period is late. If you get a negative pregnancy test after missing a period, and your period is more than a week late, you may want to see your health care provider to figure out what’s going on. 

If you get a negative pregnancy test result, still haven’t gotten your period, and start to experience early pregnancy symptoms, consider taking another test. Sometimes, home pregnancy tests can give a false-negative result if it’s taken too early in the pregnancy to detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. In these cases, it can take a bit longer to know you’re pregnant after a late period. The earliest hCG detection can be done with an hCG serum test performed by a doctor as early as 8 to 10 days after ovulation.

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Whether you’re busy or just have a lot on your mind, it’s easy to forget when you should expect your period to start. But if you’re not sure when to expect your period, it’s hard to know if it’s late.

A period tracking app like Flo can help. By logging your usual menstrual cycle dates, Flo can predict when you can expect your period. This information can also be very useful if you need to go to your health care provider when you miss your period. Having information about your cycle can help them understand what’s happening inside your body.

There are lots of causes for a late period that aren’t pregnancy. Some of the most common causes of late periods include:

Hormonal birth control

One of the ways that hormonal birth control prevents pregnancy is by thinning the uterine lining. This lining, or endometrium, is where an embryo would implant itself if you got pregnant. It’s also the layer that sheds from your uterus during menstruation each month. Since birth control makes this layer thinner, many people experience lighter periods while they’re taking it. 

In some cases, the endometrium gets so thin that menstruation doesn’t happen. Everyone is different, and as long as you’ve been taking your birth control correctly, missing a period on birth control shouldn’t be a cause for concern. If it will ease your mind, you can always take a pregnancy test if you’re not sure.

Stress

Stress affects everyone differently. When you experience chronic or extreme stress, hormones like cortisol can interfere with your menstrual cycle. However, it’s hard to determine exactly how much stress you have to experience for this to occur, since everyone reacts to stress differently.

If you have an underlying health condition, stress could be an added factor that makes your cycles even more irregular. Creating healthy lifestyle habits can help keep both your mind and body in good shape.

Weight fluctuations

Being overweight or underweight can cause hormonal imbalances since fatty tissue plays a role in synthesizing hormones. Additionally, gaining or losing a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time can affect your hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is part of one of your body’s systems responsible for hormones. If the function of your hypothalamus is disrupted from an abrupt weight change, it can disrupt ovulation and cause a late or missed period. 

Medications

Certain medications, such as certain antipsychotics, can create hormonal imbalances that can cause a late or missed period. Check with your health care provider or pharmacist about the possible side effects of any medications you’re taking.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome 

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that can cause irregular periods because it affects your ovulation. Other symptoms of PCOS include:

• Excessive body hair growth (hirsutism)
• Scalp hair loss
• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• Acne on the face, chest, and upper back
• Difficulty getting pregnant
• Darkening of skin, particularly along neck creases, in the groin, and underneath breasts

If you believe that you could have PCOS, a health care provider can give you a proper diagnosis and prescribe the treatment that you need.

There are other conditions that can cause late or missed periods other than pregnancy. These conditions include:

• Perimenopause
• Thyroid disease
• Pituitary tumors
• Breastfeeding
• Change in sleep schedule
• Dietary changes
• Excessive exercise

Having a late period doesn’t always mean that you’re pregnant. In some cases, such as when you’re experiencing stress, your cycles could return to normal once you’re feeling better. However, if you’re worried about the underlying cause of your late period, it’s always helpful to take a pregnancy test and/or contact your health care provider if other symptoms arise.  

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