Taking a home pregnancy test too early could result in a false negative. A false negative result states that you are not pregnant when you actually are. False negatives while not necessarily common are definitely not unheard of. It means that if a given pregnancy test is supposedly 97 % accurate there is virtually a 3 % chance that you can get a negative result and still be pregnant.
Early Detection Attempt: One of the main reasons could be that you took the test too early. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) pregnancy tests or home pregnancy tests determine pregnancy through detection of the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) in a woman’s urine. Pregnancy tests vary in sensitivity in detecting the presence of HCG. So, you could be pregnant but your body may not have started secreting enough HCG for it to be detected. The hormone has to rise to a high enough level to be detected in the test. Doctors recommend waiting till you have missed a period to take the test. If you cannot wait that long and are certain about the day you have conceived, the earliest you can take the test is 14 days from the date of possible conception. However there may still be a mismatch in the results
Missed Reaction Time: Accuracy in home pregnancy tests depends on reading the test results within the stipulated time. All test kits indicate the specific reaction time on the kit itself. If you let the test sit too long and read it after the time stipulated, the test is invalid. The results of the test may fade or disappear after time. This may show a negative result when in fact you are actually pregnant.
Erratic Technique: It is possible that while using the home pregnancy strip you did not either hold the strip well in your urine stream or you did not dip it well. There may not be enough urine on the test in order for the HCG to react with the chemicals on the strip. This incorrect technique would lead to incorrect results.
If the home pregnancy test shows a negative result and you think you are pregnant, wait a few days and try again. If you get different answers on multiple tests, contact your doctor immediately. It is best to take a blood HCG test no matter what result you get from any home pregnancy test.
Accuracy in home pregnancy tests depends on reading the test results within the stipulated time. All test kits indicate the specific reaction time on the kit itself. If you let the test sit too long and read it after the time stipulated, the test is invalid. The results of the test may fade or disappear after time. This may show a negative result when in fact you are actually pregnant.
Submitted by M H on March 8, 2010 at 11:29