What Does Delay In Periods And Negative Pregnancy Test Indicate?

Posted on Wed, 8 Apr 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 8 Apr 2015 Answered on

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : My wife tested positive for ovulation few weeks back, we tried for baby then. This month her period was 4 days late, she tested for pregnancy but it was negative. And there's no periods. What could be the cause?

Answered by Dr. Swarnava Dattagupta (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
REPEAT PREGNANCY TEST AFTER 1 WEEK

Detailed Answer:
Hello.
Thank you for posting your query in Healthcare magic.com.
This is Dr. Swarnava Dattagupta answering your query.

I understand your concern.
But let me tell you that this result can be a false negative one. When there is unprotected sex during the fertile period or period of ovulation, fertilisation can take place eventually. But it takes around 15-20 days from that period for the beta-hCG to reach optimum level so that it can be detected by pregnancy test. So maybe the pregnancy test was done a bit too early. Also, if the patient is very much stressed or tensed, periods may alter and become late to appear.
So my suggestion would be to get a repeat pregnancy test after 5-7 days. If it is positive, pregnancy will be confirmed. If it is negative, chances of pregnancy will be reduced and you will need to visit a gynecologist to rule out other causes. And if in the meantime, period occurs, pregnancy can be ruled out.

Hope I have answered your question.
Contact me for further queries.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Pradeep Vitta