Concern about such a seemingly natural process, as the menstrual cycle, sometimes seems excessive even for women themselves. Too ample or too scanty, painful or long, in any case, unusual periods always draw your attention to your physical state. However, there is hardly anything that causes more panic than a case of a missed period.
- Negative test – and you are pregnant!
- Negative test – and you are not pregnant!
- If you miss your periods regularly
- Take care immediately!
- Delay and the negative test: some useful tips
Some particularly anxious women may start to worry even when there are a couple of days left before the anticipated menstrual flux. It happens when they do not experience usual PMS symptoms or some unusual symptoms appear. However, most of them feel suspense when the cherished date came and they still don’t need certain feminine hygiene. Then passes the day, the next one and the next one… but nothing happens, except that the anxiety is constantly growing.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind of almost every woman is to take a pregnancy test. So, the necessary device is purchased and is ready for application and you just have to wait for the result. And here you with disappointment (if you dream of motherhood) or with a sense of relief (if you don’t)) see only one stripe on the test. After that, women often calm down and just wait when the flux finally comes. Usually it happens in a day or two. However what to do if 5, 7, even 10 days from the anticipated start of the menstrual period have passed and the result of pregnancy test remains negative? The most important thing is not to panic. Let us steer through causes of missed periods and find out why it happens and what to do.
Negative test – and you are pregnant!
For someone this situation may seem weird – why can’t the test detect pregnancy, if there is any? Indeed, today such things happen not so often – but they still may occur.
So, what can be the reasons for a false negative pregnancy test?
•You made test too early. Of course, you know that modern pregnancy tests can determine pregnancy from the first day of delay. However, in some cases, when you feel something unusual in the eve of the first day of the period it can make you to check your state. In fact, you needn’t do that. The thing is that tests react to the hormone HCG, which is always present in the urine of a pregnant woman. When fertilized ovum implants to the uterine wall the level of HCG begins to increase fast. It reaches concentration necessary for the detection only in 10-12 days after conception. A day or two before the flux, the result is always negative because the concentration of HCG in urine is too low.
•Your personal peculiarities. Some times HCG level may rise too slowly after conception and remains deficient even after 2-3 days of the delay. If you are pregnant, HCG concentration will inevitably arise, but at the time of testing it may not be detected at all.
•The test has low sensitivity to HCG. Today different companies produce the fixtures for pregnancy detection and each device has its own characteristics. In addition, some tests can be defective. That is why it is necessary to acquire the branded tests you have checked repeatedly, and it is desirable to do them at least twice during a day.
•You are pregnant, but the concentration of HCG in urine is low. This can happen if you had drunk too much fluid before you made the test. Although modern tests are quite sensitive for detecting HCG even in such cases, specialists recommend to make them in the morning when your urine is concentrated and the results are more reliable.
Doctors insist: cases of false-negative tests occur more often than false positive ones. So when you saw one stripe on the test, do not let the delay slip your memory! If you feel any symptoms of pregnancy – dizziness, breast soreness, nausea – you should take a blood test for HCG and visit a specialist. It is possible that you are pregnant, but the positive home test result is just a matter of time.
Negative test – and you are not pregnant!
That happens more often, and in some cases, the reasons are evident and do not seem very serious.
If menstrual flux always comes regularly, but this month you’ve missed your period and the test is negative then see, if you:
- I have experienced a lot of stress. The menstrual cycle is an extremely delicate process and intense frustration suppresses hormonal control, and the reproductive organs don’t receive the signal to the rejection of the contents of the uterus and flux doesn’t begin. This can happen if you are exhausted, suffered grief and even experience very joyful events – both positive and negative stress have equal effects on the body and mind.
- Travelled very far. Jet lag leads to a violation of individual biorhythms, the body has to adapt to the new climate and day or night shifts – it is not surprising that periods may come a few days later. Frequently traveling women often complain about short-term disruptions of the menstrual cycle and regular missed periods.
- Changed contraceptives. Different birth control pills may contain different doses of hormones and auxiliary components. The body, accustomed to a certain remedy, is forced to readjust to the new composition. As a result, the mechanism of the cycle regulation is somewhat disturbed and that may lead to the delay.
- Got cold. Super-cooling may cause a slower work of the organism because it spends its resources on maintenance of life activity of all organs. Therefore, the system of hormonal control of the menstrual cycle works more slowly as well.
- Were ill and took antibiotics. Potent drugs can lead to a missed period or even an irregular cycle. It also relates to pills for chemotherapy, antidepressants and psychotropic drugs.
There is one more trivial reason why you are waiting for the regular bleeding in vain – you simply mixed up the dates and period starts later. Anyhow, all the reasons for the delay remained above often have a short-term effect. Next month menstrual cycle usually recovers.
If you miss your periods regularly
If you are not pregnant, delays occur regularly and last so long that you have to use tests for complacency, it’s better to prick up your ears. In this case, we are talking about an irregular menstrual cycle, and this phenomenon requires not only treatment but also a careful study of the reasons.
So, you often have to wait for the flux 5-15 days longer than expected, to do tests to calm yourself down and all of them are negative, but sooner or later the period finally begins?
This may be due to the following reasons:
- Hormonal imbalance. The reproductive system is regulated by hormones that the ovaries produce. For a number of reasons their work may be disrupted and that leads to an irregular menstrual cycle. Such a state is never over on its own and often requires treatment under the supervision of a specialist.
- Excessive physical activity. If the dream of a perfect figure makes you train day and night or your work involves intense physical labor, this can lead not only to regular missed periods but also fertility problems. Doctors insist: 30 minutes of exercise per day is quite enough for a healthy woman.
- Exhausting diets and starvation. These poor eating habits cause nutrient deficiency, vitamin deficiency and, as a consequence, disruptions of the reproductive system. Supporters of strict diets notice very often that after severe weight loss periods become irregular or even stop. Proper food and taking vitamin complexes allows returning to a normal cycle.
However, if you miss your periods more often, the cycle becomes longer and longer, the bleeding is scarce, and you are more than 40 years old, then it is possible that you are entering the menopause, and the work of the reproductive system is suspended. However, if you see some similar symptoms and you are younger, it is necessary to consult an endocrinologist immediately. In any case, irregular periods and frequently missed periods demand professional consultation – self-treatment is impossible!
Take care immediately!
It is extremely difficult to imagine a woman who goes to the doctor in 3-5 days of the delay, especially if the pregnancy test is negative.
However, sometimes it is really necessary to visit a specialist urgently because a missed period with negative test becomes a signal of some serious and even dangerous problems:
- An ectopic pregnancy. If the ovum implanted to the Fallopian tube instead of the uterine wall HCG level is usually so low that a usual home test does not define its content in the urine even if you are pregnant. However, this condition is extremely dangerous. If the test is negative and you feel a cutting pain in the abdomen, nausea and sudden bouts of weakness, do not postpone the visit to your gynecologist!
- Some diseases of the reproductive system. Missed periods may be the first sign of problems with the uterus and ovaries, such as, for example, cysts, polyps, fibroids, endometriosis, inflammation. If in addition to the delay you feel itching, discomfort, pain in the abdomen, notice unusual vaginal discharge it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as you can.
- Diseases of the thyroid gland. Its excessive activity can lead to delays or cessation of menstruation. In this case, you may feel other symptoms such as weight gain, hair loss, fatigue, constant thirst. This also requires careful diagnosis and treatment.
Delay and the negative test: some useful tips
In most cases your concerns about the delay of menstruation resolve rather quickly: the flux quite often begins on the same day as you made pregnancy test or within a couple of days. However do not forget that regular menstrual cycle is a sign of women’s health, high fertility and ability to carry and give birth to a child safely. The problem of missed periods may be a signal that something is wrong.
Maybe these tips will help you settle possible trouble quickly:
- Visit a gynecologist regularly to detect diseases and disorders. Normally you should do that twice a year.
- Keep to a healthy lifestyle. Avoid stress, follow a healthy diet, do moderate exercise and do not forget about reliable contraception.
- Listen to your body. Any painful, unpleasant or unusual sensations are not something you can treat light-minded. Do not be too lazy or scared to visit your doctor and find out the cause of illness.
- Self-medication is the wrong way! Your doctor may prescribe vitamins, nutritional supplements, contraceptives and hormones to correct the menstrual cycle. Prescribing drugs for yourself on your own, you can do more harm. Choose a doctor whom you trust, and adhere to all treatment regimens given to you.
Modern methods of diagnostics and treatment allow women to eliminate the problems with health quickly, effectively and without consequences.
And if you are faced with such a nuisance as a missed period with a negative test, in any case, don’t panic – act wisely and everything will be fine!
