How uncommon is it to have negative pregnacy test results then a month later find it to be positive?

Question

I was just curious if you could find out if you were pregnant after taking several test at home and have them negative the like a month later it be positive. How common is this and how come it takes awhile to come up postive. Just wondering cause I took a test at home several times and it said negative but, my doctor thinks I might be pregnant with all the symptoms I told her I have. Thanks

Answer 1

Yes it is totally possible as it happened to me, I went for a doctors test and it came out negative, two weeks later I went back and had another test this turned out positive. It turned out that when I had the first test I was actually 4 weeks pregnant

Answer 2

As I mentioned in an answer to another question, I took 3 pregnancy tests - 2 at home and 1 at the docs - which were all negative before taking a 4th one a week later and finding that I was actually 2 months pregnant. The doctor didn't seem surprised, she said that a lot of women find their tests are negative when they are actually pregnant. You just need to keep taking the test once or twice a week and eventually you'll find it becomes positive (providing you are sure you are pregnant with the symptoms you have!)

Answer 3

It's not uncommon at all. The test rely on a measure of pregnancy hormones within the urine, but these can take a little time to show up in the urine.

I'm sure your doctor will suggest a blood test which is a much better and more accurate way of detecting the hormones as well as an early pregnancy scan to detect the sac and possibly a heartbeat.

Answer 4

Can be quite common, particularly if you take them too early, the currrent advertising that tests can detect on the first day you are late are OK for some, but, if the urine is dilute, then the HCG (NOT PROGESTERONE) is not at a high enough level to give a positive. Blood tests are the most reliable as there is no dilution factor to worry about, and that is what hospitals use. Test on the first sample in the morning is the best for urine testing.

Answer 5

no test is foolproof... typically with these things you can have a fair number of false negatives, but it's hard to get a false positive

that's the way i've had it taught to me as part of my training anyway.. dealing with radioactive pharmaceutical doses being given to patients, one thing we must be as certain as possible of is that they are not pregnant. however, we must accept that the test is not entirely reliable, and just be sure that we have made all the checks we can - e.g. still having periods, date of the last one, when did you last have intercourse, all that sort of stuff. and if we ever get a positive indication on the HCG that's regarded as absolutely positive.

it could be something as simple that you'd been drinking lots of water before producing the urine sample, so the hormone was far too diluted to make an impression on the clear/blue test strip until that one time where you'd drunk less / baby was well on the way and the hormone levels were higher

Answer 6

I took multiple tests, like 5, before I got the positive and went to the doctor. I'm 8 weeks pregnant, today! I took the tests throughout the course of a weeks. Good Luck!!!

Answer 7

Depends, on the progesterone levels (a female hormone). Every month when the egg is released, a hormone called progesterone is produced, and when the egg has gone, progesterone goes back to a low level. When a female becomes pregnant the progesterone level increases and that is what the pregnancy tests look for, the amount of progesterone in the female.
Another factor could be the time it takes for the sperm to get to and fertilise the egg.

Answer 8

very possible. By the time it finally registered on those things i was big enough to do an ultrasound. Only my blood test showed it for some reason. In fact my GP told me i had a massive cyst growing on my ovaries and that is what was causing the symptoms i was having.

Answer 9

My home tests still came out negative for 2 months after I was preg before it came out positive

Answer 10

its very possible i had a good 3-4 tests done that came out negative and urine test come out negative when really i was already 2 months down the road