Posted: 5/23/2007 9:57:10 AM EDT
| What are the chances of testing false negative a week to a week and a half after your period should have started? |
I read in "What to expect when your expecting" that getting a negative respons from an OTC pregnancy test is more accurate than a postitive. |
It's the other way around. If the test shows a positive, you're pregnant. There's no such thing as a false positive (i.e. if it shows positive, and then you're not pregnant later, it means you had a miscarriage). The only very rare occurances of false positives have been due to rare tumors. On the other hand, tests are often negative when you are in fact pregnant. There might not be enough HCG hormone in your body yet for the test to show positive. The best test you can get is the First Response test (about $16 at walmart). It detects the smallest amount of HCG in your urine. Either way, you should contact your doc. If you are pregnant, he can do a blood test that will definitively tell you that you are. If you're not, he can prescribe you birth control pills (or change your pill) to regulate your period better. |
Yes, seriously...not for ALL women, mind you...but smoking the gonja can tinker the schedule. I went almost 3 months in High School without a period. Remember though, many things can affect your menses and make you appear "late." Stress, too much exercise, too low fat a diet, stress....age, hormones...gah!!!!!!!!did I mention stress??? Other drugs (otc and Rx) can also affect the cycle. Men have no idea how frikkin easy they have it in this life.  I'm gonna make it my mission to tell them. Of course, since they're men, I'll speak slowly and use small words. 
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Everytime I've missed periods I've been pregnant. When my appendix ruptured my doctor told me I would miss a few periods. Nope, didn't happen. I got down to 119 lbs when I left the hospital [I'm 6ft] no missed periods there. In college basket ball I would get deathly thin [I spent my entire time while in college trying to gain weight]. I never missed a period. When I was 30 I heard if you got your body fat below 9% you'd skip. I got mine down to 7% you could set a clock to me. But when I hit 40 I started going 50 days rather than 28 days, I didn't pay it any attention since the husband went to the vet and got fixed. When I figured it out I took a prego test thinking maybe one of the boys found a way but no, not prego. I went to my doctor and she said that was normal and could go on for 20 years.  That was cool until they started going every 14 days. Pot huh? 
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Unless you* know for sure when the ovulation date is, you can't really go by when you *should* have started your period. The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle is what's important. It will always stay the same (average length is anywhere from 10-16 days), but the ovulation day can change every month due to outside factors, i.e. exercise, stress, etc. If you know what day you ovulated and how long your LP is, then you can count from O day and figure out exactly when your period would start. Just because you're a week and a half 'late' doesn't necessarily mean you're pregnant. You could have O'd late. On the other hand, if you know your body and truly were that late, and the test came back negative, I doubt you'd be pregnant. HcG would have quintupled in your system by now and definitely been detectable by an otc test. If you're normally regular, I'm betting stress or something has just delayed the cycle. *you being collective, not you personally |
Did I mention STRESS???!!!!  I went thru 8 weeks basic training, 1 week leave, and six weeks of AIT before I got one. To be safer next time: Condom + spermicide. If you think it's overkill, click my bio. Check the photo of the 2 gorgeous boys you see. The oldest? He's a condom 'oopsie.'  Love him just the same, but condoms are NOT foolproof, people! 
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Went through that few months ago when I began training for a new position at work. My period was a week late and despite how safe he and I have always been, we were still both completely freaked out. Waiting for the results of that stick was the longest two minutes of my life. |