Missed Period and Negative Pregnancy Test: All You Need to Know

By - Nishat Tasnim

In recent years, pregnancy tests have come a long way. Until 1976, when the first home pregnancy test was invented, women couldn’t know if they were pregnant. The menstrual cycle remains a mystery, despite technological developments that allow women to know when they are pregnant.

So, what are the causes behind plan b missed period and negative pregnancy test?

Although pregnancy is by far the most frequent reason for missing periods, other medical and lifestyle factors can also influence your menstrual cycle. Extreme weight loss, hormone imbalances, and menopause are among the most typical causes if you’re not pregnant. 

Here we get to know why you get missed periods and negative pregnancy test results. Let’s begin!

Plan b Missed Period Negative Pregnancy Test

Missed period and negative pregnancy test might be related or might not be. The only way to be sure about this is to perform a test.

Pregnancy tests work by identifying the hormone hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin), which is produced when you become pregnant and rises throughout the first few months of your pregnancy.

But sometimes, a test may not detect enough hCG to become positive if you test too early. Even if you’re pregnant, you can get a negative result if you test before your expected period.

Also, you might miss your period even when you are not pregnant.

So, it’s very important for you to know about the causes of negative pregnancy test and missed periods. The next segment of the article will enlighten you about this. 

Causes of Negative Pregnancy Test

Pregnancy is the most common reason for the missed period. But is it the only cause? Certainly no!

Even if you are not pregnant, you may have missed a period and a negative pregnancy test for certain reasons. Home pregnancy tests can occasionally provide a false negative result, suggesting that a woman is not pregnant when she is.

Again, if your period is late according to your regular cycle, you may have ovulated later in the month. It’s not unheard of to have an off or irregular cycle now and again. In addition, your tally of the days since your last period could be off by a few days.

However, regardless of how sensitive the test is, you won’t get a positive home pregnancy test until enough time has passed between ovulation and conception and your body has built up enough of the hormone the test detects.

A home pregnancy test’s accuracy varies depending on how and when it is used. A test may yield a false negative result for a variety of causes, including:

Taking a Test Too Soon

Home pregnancy tests check for HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the urine. Although some tests may detect HCG as early as the first day of a missing period, they tend to be more accurate as time goes on.

Low Hormone Levels

Tests are typically more accurate in the morning because the urine is less diluted, making hCG easier to detect. Pregnancy tests seek for the pregnancy hormone hCG, which rises with the length of the pregnancy.

The typical range for hCG levels in pregnant women can be rather large. If you haven’t waited for your period to be genuinely late, it’s conceivable that your grades aren’t yet high enough to be identified.

For better understanding about missed periods , you should keep reading the following parts.

Causes of Missed Period

Ovulation is a process in which the ovaries release an egg every 28 days. A person’s menstruation will normally begin 14 days after no sperm fertilises the egg. Most women, normally, get their period every 28 days or so, although it’s not uncommon to have a cycle that is somewhat from 21 to 40 days shorter or longer.

Some women may not have a consistent menstrual cycle. Their period may arrive late or early, and the length of time it lasts and the amount of blood it contains may fluctuate from one period to another.

There are other factors closely associated with missed period. Take a look at them:

Menopause

Another explanation for missed period is that you are approaching menopause. Even if you’re over 45 and have observed a delay in your period, it’s still a good idea to get a pregnancy test.

Using Contraceptives

When you stop taking birth control pills, it might change the regularity of your periods. Because hormonal contraceptives limit your menstrual cycles while you’re on them, you may experience irregular periods for the first few months while your body recalibrates.

The most common causes of the missed period are discussed below.

Weight Change

Hormonal imbalances can occur when a large quantity of weight is gained or lost quickly. These imbalances might lead a person to skip periods at first, but they usually go away with time.

Long Term or Extreme Stress

Whether long-term or extreme, stress can disrupt the region of the brain that regulates reproductive hormones. Ovulation and periods may halt as a result of this.

It might throw your entire cycle off if you have too much stress or illness right before ovulation. If you’re nursing and your cycle has just begun again, you should expect irregular periods for a while your body adjusts. It might be tough to tell when your menstruation is late because of this.

When the source of the stress is removed, or the person learns coping techniques to deal with it, the person’s normal cycle may resume.

Exercise

An excessive activity might induce missing periods, especially in underweight persons or having very little body fat. Activity-associated amenorrhea is the absence of periods caused by excessive exercise.

Production of Prolactin

Prolactin is a hormone produced by the body during breastfeeding. It can stop menstruation, so most nursing women do not have periods.

A milky discharge from the nipples in persons who aren’t nursing might indicate that the body is producing an excessively high prolactin level. Medication can be used to treat high prolactin production.

Fertility Treatment

Fertility therapy is another probable reason for an off-cycle. Fertility medicines like Clomid (clomiphene) can lengthen your cycles if they’re usually brief. If you’ve just completed an IVF, IUI, or injectable cycle, your predicted period date may also be thrown off.

Thyroid Issues

The thyroid is a gland that releases hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism. Hypothyroidism, often known as an underactive thyroid, occurs when the thyroid does not generate enough of these hormones. An overactive thyroid, also known as hyperthyroidism, is a condition in which the body’s thyroid hormone levels are abnormally high.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that can impair a person’s overall health and appearance as well as cause ovarian cysts. PCOS affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age, and symptoms include enlarged ovaries and clusters of tiny, benign cysts.

Diet

Periods can be disrupted by eating disorders, notably anorexia. When a person’s body fat level drops too low for ovulation, this occurs.

You need to understand one thing: even if you are not pregnant, missing your period is a very common reason. Let’s look at them. 

When to Contact a Doctor?

You should visit your gynaecologist for a pregnancy test if your menstruation is one to two weeks late and you are getting negative pregnancy tests.

If your periods aren’t consistent, talk to your doctor about when they want you to call. If your menstruation is three/four months late, many doctors will wish to induce a “period” depending on your circumstances.

You should contact your provider if your cycle used to be regular but has become irregular or if your periods have been irregular for more than three months after discontinuing birth control. Infertility might be exacerbated by irregular cycles.

If you have a late period and any of these signs or symptoms, you may have an ectopic pregnancy. Contact your physician right once and/or go to the emergency department.

Symptoms include:

FAQs

Can I be pregnant and still get a negative pregnancy?

While false-positive pregnancy tests are extremely rare, false-negative pregnancy tests can often occur, particularly in the first few weeks and even if you’re already experiencing early symptoms. There are various reasons why you may feel pregnant despite a negative pregnancy test.

Can you get a false negative pregnancy test a week after a missed period?

Wait one week before retesting if your home pregnancy test comes out negative after missing menstruation. It takes up to three weeks for some women to develop measurable levels of hCG following absent menstruation. 

How late can a period be without being pregnant?

Some people have their period on the same day every 28 days. However, most individuals will have a late or skipped period at least once in their lives, and this is normal.

Can you be 2 months pregnant and test negative?

After two months, a negative pregnancy test almost generally suggests that your menstruation is late for another cause. Even though HCG levels increase to a high and then decline, they normally continue to rise until the end of the first trimester. If you’re six weeks late, you’re testing negative, it’s certainly time to see your doctor.

Final Words

A missed period and a negative pregnancy test might be perplexing, but few possibilities are there. If you aren’t pregnant, your period is usually a few days late.But, worrisome symptoms should not be ignored, regardless of the source. 

The sooner you get things assessed, the sooner you’ll know what’s wrong and can obtain the therapy you need, if any is required.