I can’t forget the feeling I had whenever a negative pregnancy test happened after many days of hoping for a possible pregnancy. The feeling is like the ground falls out from under you; emptiness really takes over those trying to conceive when a negative pregnancy test appears. Because of so much anxiety longing for a positive, the disappointment of a negative is certain — this is one of the certainties I confirmed during my own journey. The fear of a negative pregnancy test appears when a series of tests are taken haphazardly.
Patricia Amorim’s Experience
I got tired of taking negative pregnancy tests before the delay, after it, and even with a 70-day cycle (anovulatory cycle). It was always an unpleasant surprise, but over time it got less painful because I learned to recognize the signs my body gave me.
Even though I was addicted to pregnancy tests (yes, I had quite a collection), the negative pregnancy test haunted me for about three consecutive years and always hurt me, no matter how tough I thought I had become in this trying-to-conceive life. The fear of the negative test showed up, and I know for sure I wasn’t alone—this still happens to many women.
The expectation built up around a simple pregnancy test can bring a lot of frustration, pain, tears, and especially, the fear may show up days before the cycle is supposed to end. That’s why deciding on the right time to test is crucial to avoid suffering from a negative pregnancy test. So, when should you take a pregnancy test to avoid a negative?
When to Take a Pregnancy Test to Avoid a Negative?
If you know your cycle, you should be aware of which days your period is expected. Even for women with irregular cycles, an average between the longest and shortest cycle would be enough to figure out when a delay should be happening1.
A reasonable delay would be at least five days, with an ideal waiting period of ten days as recommended by most gynecologists. I believe that twenty days after the most fertile day or after intercourse may result in a positive if pregnancy is present. If you get a negative pregnancy test even with 10 days of delay, you should consult a doctor, since it’s important to find out what’s happening in that cycle.
Negative Test After a Missed Period
In general, a delay of up to 15 days may be due to a cycle without ovulation, late ovulation, or even tricky babies who take longer for implantation. The average implantation time is around 5 to 7 days after ovulation, and only after this can the baby make their presence known—sometimes with faint lines on pregnancy tests or with indeterminate quantitative beta HCG results, often with a request to repeat the test in a few days.
This is why, for some women, a beta HCG blood test or even the pharmacy test may take longer to turn positive, leaving the woman with a false negative pregnancy test3. If this woman’s delay is simply due to late ovulation or hormonal imbalance, her period will surely come — if it doesn’t arrive within 15 days, then another test can be done.
A Test of Patience
Patience is essential at this stage; although the anxiety can be overwhelming for some women, learning to control yourself before wasting tests left and right not only saves some money, but more importantly, this measured attitude brings greater peace of mind to the life of someone trying to conceive.
Preventing the fear of a negative pregnancy test helps women psychologically, and the benefits are huge! Finding the courage to test despite fear of negativity when you’re many days overdue is another chapter—but with the same core lesson. When there are many negatives, the fear can certainly show up. Women with more than a month of delay may fear the negative pregnancy test, and just thinking about the possibility brings up that strange feeling of loss.
How to Deal with a Negative Pregnancy Test
My advice is to find balance with pregnancy tests—don’t go testing every single day (this increases anxiety), but don’t let a delay roll past 20 days either. If there are problems with long cycles, your doctor will recommend a beta HCG blood test and will also decide whether or not to induce your period.
The fear of a negative is totally normal; overcoming this fear is the key. Waiting for the delay and testing when your body is ready is essential to soften the pain of waiting for any trying-to-conceive woman’s dream: a positive pregnancy test!
See also: Confessions of TTC Life – The Pain of Waiting and the most beautiful positives on the internet
