Early Pregnancy Tests & False Negatives

Early pregnancy tests are designed to detect Hormone Chorionic Gonadotropin or HCG. The placenta produces this hormone when a woman is pregnant. Pregnancy tests can be performed at home by holding the applicator in the stream of urine for several seconds or by adding urine to the tests. Many at home pregnancy tests claim to be 99% accurate if used correctly. However, a test can result in a false negative for a variety of reasons.

Expired Tests

A pregnancy test that has passed its expiration date can give a negative result. Tests pat their expiration date are not accurate and should be thrown out.

Improper Use

In order to get an accurate result it is important to use the test correctly. Not saturating the test with enough urine may result in a false negative.

Medications

Certain fertility medications such as Novarel can result in a false negative pregnancy test. This is due to the HCG in the medication.

Too Early

Many women can get a pregnancy test as soon as the first day of their missed period. Since menstrual cycles can vary, the suspected date of the first day of the period may not be correct and the pregnancy test would reveal a false negative because it is taken too early.

Considerations

If a woman gets a negative pregnancy test result, but feels she may still be pregnant, it is best she see her doctor who will perform a blood test.

References

• Baby University
• Baby Hopes
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services