Getting pregnant is a magical, wonderful beautiful time of your life. There’s the whole growing a baby bit, but many mums also struggle with all the less than exciting bits. Especially when you feel it, but your pregnancy test is negative!
Yes, you read that right.
There are sore boobs and feeling downright awful. The endless fatigue, aches, or pains. The backache. The bloating, cramps, constipation and nausea. The frequent trips to the loo for a pee. These are all the signs and symptoms of being pregnant. They come and go, can be mild and insignificant, or amplified beyond belief.
Often they kick in before a mum has even missed their period.
Most ladies are pretty savvy when it comes to their bodies, and once these clusters of symptoms pop up, many are seen rushing to the pharmacy for a pregnancy test. But sometimes there isn’t a second little line – the pregnancy test reads negative, and the confusion sets in.
So what does it mean if you’re feeling pregnant but the test is negative? Dr Sam Hay, Australia, explains.
Pregnancy Test is Negative, But You Have The Symptoms! Here’s What’s Going On
Pregnancy tests also have a shelf life: they can be out of date, have been stored poorly in extreme hot or cold environments, or simply come from a badly manufactured batch. | Image courtesy: Pixabay
Blame it on the test
Believe it or not – nothing’s perfect!
Like a good bottle of vino, pregnancy tests also have a shelf life: they can be out of date, have been stored poorly in extreme hot or cold environments, or simply come from a badly manufactured batch. Staying overseas? Then any test kit you purchase might not live up to stringent Aussie standards.
Basically, the test kit might be faulty. To be honest, if you recently bought the test kit from a reputable (Aussie) pharmacy, then the chances of this occurring is very very low. But if you’ve dug the test out of the back of the cupboard, then it might be worthwhile repeating the test with a new one.
Technique baby!
There’s also the chance you did it wrong.
Now, one could argue peeing on a little stick is bloody easy – and before all the ladies lynch me – I get it. Aim can be off, sometimes there’s not enough wee, and sometimes the method you use for one test kit differs from the next.
So if in doubt – read the instructions!
Over-hydration may also play a part. Ladies who drink massive amounts of water will have very dilute urine, and early in a pregnancy, this may dilute the hormone – BHCG – that the test strip is looking for. Basically, it amplifies the fact you’re testing super early in the pregnancy. Conducting the test with your first wee of the day helps negate this issue – because your wee will be super concentrated.
If you’ve sorted out all the challenges of timing the test right, and the test is still negative, then the most likely fact is that you’re not pregnant this cycle. | Image courtesy: Pixabay
Timing. It’s all about the timing….
The main problem could be that you are pregnant, but you’re doing the test too early. As technology has advanced, urinary pregnancy tests have definitely become more accurate, but the body can have symptoms of pregnancy well before there’s enough hormone kicking around to trigger the test.
So if you’re very sure you’re pregnant, firstly don’t panic! Try waiting another week, and definitely wait till after your period is due before repeating the test.
You’re not pregnant!
If you’ve sorted out all the challenges of timing the test right, and the test is still negative, then the most likely fact is that you’re not pregnant this cycle – sorry.
But what’s going on? Pregnancy is one of the greatest mimickers. Every woman will tell you there are many many times in their lives that they swore they were pregnant, but it never eventuated because there are lots of other conditions that look and feel like a pregnancy.
PMS
The most likely explanation is that your natural cycle and all the pre-menstrual symptoms that come with it have just ramped up this month. So rather than being pregnant, it’s all down to the natural cycling of hormones related to your period.
Fast fact: Lots of women describe years and years of clockwork periods with very consistent symptoms, only to suddenly experience changes or extreme PMS seemingly ‘out of the blue’. This definitely happens, and is nothing to worry about. And its sudden changes like these that get blamed on pregnancy. But certainly discuss your situation with your doctor if you’re worried.
Your period is just…. Late!
Yep, just like the reasons for changes in PMS, your period can be randomly late.
Ladies who don’t keep track of their periods accurately often get fooled by this one.| Image courtesy: Pixabay
Ovulation symptoms
Ovulation may not have as much in common with pregnancy as your period, but as the egg is released, the change in hormones can definitely flare some symptoms consistent with pregnancy. Ladies who don’t keep track of their periods accurately often get fooled by this one.
Post viral fatigue
After any infection is cleared from the body, there can be a period of post-infective symptoms that could mimic pregnancy. It’s super common after viruses, with glandular fever being the most extreme and high profile one you could think of.
Your guts are playing up
Bloating, cramps, and nausea are major pregnancy complaints, but they’re also a major part of conditions such as IBS or constipation.
Stress
There’s more to stress than feeling anxious, low, or overwhelmed. Stress plays out through our bodies with very physical symptoms, especially tummy upsets, aches, and fatigue. Sometimes stress can influence your hormones enough to alter the timing of your periods. And you notice that your pregnancy test is negative.
Could it be a UTI?
Pregnant ladies complain of 7,452 trips to the loo every day. But maybe your urinary frequency is in fact a urinary tract infection? Drink lots of water and see your doctor to get it checked out.
Drug side effects
Hormonal medications such as the pill can lead to sore boobs or other pregnancy symptoms. Many other medication side effects give similar symptoms to pregnancy, so if there’s a concern please chat with your doctor, especially if you’ve started a new medication recently.
Ladies, if you’re disappointed by a negative test, the first thing to do is take a deep breath and don’t panic. Have a good think about how you did the test and whether it’s a good quality one. Consider taking a deep breath and just waiting a while – let your body manage what’s going on. And if you still feel those symptoms, and your period is definitely late, then do a re-test.
Remember, your family doctor is there to help you through these times, especially if that negative test is the worst news you could imagine.
If you’re worried about any symptoms you have, please speak to your GP for advice.
This article was first published in KidSpot and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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