is it possible to get a false negative on a pregnancy test?
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Could a negative result be wrong? It's possible to get a negative result from a home pregnancy test when you're actually pregnant. This is known as a false-negative.
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Our experts answer your pregnancy questions If your cycle is unpredictable and your test was negative, you might actually be pregnant but took the test too early. Even if you did miss your period but it hasn't been at least a couple of weeks since you conceived, you could still get a “false negative.”
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However, negative results are less reliable. For example, if you do a pregnancy test too early, you could be pregnant, but there may not be enough HCG in your body to give a positive test result. Pregnancy tests vary in their sensitivity (how soon they can detect HCG and what level of HCG needs to be present).
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Test Errors A false negative can also happen due to test error. If you wait too long to read the results, you may get a false negative. That said, false positives are more common with reading a test too late. Make sure you follow the directions of your particular pregnancy test.
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Yes, wrong pregnancy test results can and do happen. In fact false negatives – where the pregnancy test says you're not pregnant but you actually are – are more common than false positives.
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In fact false negatives – where the pregnancy test says you're not pregnant but you actually are – are more common than false positives. However, it's also important to say that this shouldn't give you false hope. A negative pregnancy test is still most likely to mean you're not pregnant.
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False Negative When You're Pregnant It's OK to occasionally have an off cycle. You can't get a positive pregnancy test until a certain set number of days has passed since ovulation (which is the time of conception). If ovulation came later this month, you will need to test later.
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Sometimes a test can also return a false positive result, detecting pregnancy where none exists, but false negative results are much more common, with as many as 9 out of 15 women testing negative until seven or eight weeks.
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False negative pregnancy test – how common is it? Yes, wrong pregnancy test results can and do happen. In fact false negatives – where the pregnancy test says you're not pregnant but you actually are – are more common than false positives. However, it's also important to say that this shouldn't give you false hope.
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1 Pregnancy tests can be negative However, in some rare cases, you may be pregnant, but not have enough HCG in your system – which means you won't get a positive reading.
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Another common reason for getting a false negative is not having enough hCG in the urine you test. Early on in pregnancy, you can dilute the hormone concentration in your urine if you drink a lot of water before testing. This is more likely to happen in very early pregnancy when you take the test later in the day.
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If the result is negative, it may be a good idea to take another test in a few days, to give hCG levels a chance to rise. Very few medications, including fertility drugs, may cause false positives. Otherwise, a positive result followed by a negative result a few days later could mean a very early pregnancy loss.
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Some women get a negative test, and then later test positive for pregnancy. If this happens, believe the positive test. ... If the test is negative, or you continue to get a mix of positive and negative pregnancy tests, it could mean you are having a miscarriage or that your HCG levels are very low. Call your doctor.
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False Negative Pregnancy Tests In fact, it is possible to have a negative result on a pregnancy test and actually be pregnant. Here is how it works: The goal of a urine pregnancy test is to test the urine for a hormone called hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin).
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What can cause a false positive? Getting a true false positive – one where you were never pregnant in the first place – is incredibly rare. Pregnancy tests detect the hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) hormone in your body, which is only present when you're pregnant.
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A false negative on a home pregnancy test is possible, but extremely unlikely. As long as your urine got on the test's absorbent strip, it should be accurate. You can always take another test if you're worried you might have missed. Something that can give you a false negative is taking the test too early.
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If you are not pregnant, a false positive pregnancy test result is unlikely. The more likely explanation is that you had a chemical pregnancy (which produces enough hCG to turn a pregnancy test positive but miscarries shortly after) or a very early miscarriage.