Pregnancy tests can be sensitive things. Since urine pregnancy tests work by detecting a chemical which is produced during pregnancy, one day (or even one hour!) can make the difference between the test becoming positive or negative. Even the time of day can matter. If it is morning and the woman has not had too many fluids and the urine is concentrated, a test could show positive, where at the end of the day, it could become diluted down by water or other beverages and not be as accurate.

The general rule of thumb with pregnancy tests is that it is best to wait to take them until a period has been missed. That usually occurs about 2-3 weeks after conception and gives the body enough time to build up the level of hCG that is necessary for a test to come out positive. Before that time, the chances are greater for a false negative test.

To complicate matters, there are other reasons besides pregnancy that can cause a pregnancy test to show a negative result. Some types of birth control can cause periods to be irregular. Even things like stress can have an impact.

So, if you think you might be pregnant and you take a negative test, should you call Assure and come in for another one? Before you do, ask yourself these questions:

  1. Are you late for your period? If not, then it is too soon to call.
  2. Did you recently start a new form of birth control? If you did, it would be best to call your doctor.
  3. Have there been things in your life that have been causing a lot of stress or worry? If so, you might want to wait another week and then take another test.

We are always happy if you want to come in and get a pregnancy test from us. If it is negative, at the very least you will have an opportunity to talk to one of our medical professionals about your situation. However, we don’t want you to waste your time or gas money unnecessarily either. That decision remains with you.

Assure Women’s Center: If you think you might be pregnant, we are Your Best First Step!

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