How common are false negative pregnancy tests results?

[Melly]

Has anyone had a false negative pregnancy test result. I know from experience that most kits are pretty good but wondered how common false negative results are. Would be interested to hear from anyone who has, also what brand was it?

I haven't had a false negative test myself, but I believe the reason for a result like this would be down to the level of HCG in the urine.

The test depends on the level of HCG being high enough for it to detect, so if the pregnancy is eariler than suspected or the levels are a bit lower than usual you will get a false negative.

I would suggest you wait a bit longer and do another test, to give time for the hormone level to rise.

Hi Lou33, thanks for your advice When you say if the pregnancy is earlier than suspected, do you mean the point in your cycle at which you think you may have conceived?

Yes Melly i had a false negative result with this current pregnancy. I was well past my due date, felt SO tired but did not really think it was likely I wsa pregnant. It was ASDAs test. When it was negative I had no reasn to disbelieve it. I only did another a few weeks later because I felt so lousy. It was positive. The baby is due on Tuesday!

Hi Melly

I mean that you may have ovulated and conceived a bit later than normal, so testing when you might usually get a positive might not show, because you would be less weeks than expected.

Having said that, with my 4th pregnancy I tested before my period was due using tesco's own brand I think, and it gave me a faint but positive test, so maybe theirs is a good one to use for sensitivity!

Jasper, congratulations, hope all goes well and let us know your news.
Lou33 - thanks for clarifying....that's what I thought you meant, hope you don't mind but if I tell you the nitty gritty....I think I ovulated much later in my cycle this month, could swear it was last weekend which I think would have been about day 20 or so in my cycle (normally I ovulate about day 13/14...well I think so). I did the test yesterday so perhaps it was way too early, although I am not sure there is much chance of conceiving that late in the cycle? I suspect things will swing into action in the next couple of days and I will then feel a bit silly for doing a test at all. If they don't, I will certainly give the Tesco test a go.
Thanks again for your advice

Hi Bron, oh that's v.interesting, because I used Clearblue as well. Am starting to get a tincy bit excited here, but will try to control myself.
Thanks for responding

I used clear blue for both of mine. When I went to the doctors to confirm things, he asked which test I'd used, when I told him he said there was no need for him to do one. I did both of my tests when my period was about 2 weeks late, both times the results were very clear.

You probably already know this, but you can tell when ovulation is happening when there is a clear thick discharge, a bit like egg white.

If you did ovulate on day 20 ,that would put your cycle at about 34 days, because ovulation is 14 days before your next period, not after your last one.

Like I said you probably already know this, but thought I would say my bit ( for what it's worth!).

Fingers crossed for you!

I had false reults until 10 weeks!! I'd see DD on a scan at 5 weeks nd every week thereafter as part of a research project at St Mary's. When I went to my GP just to say I'm PG he said are you sure, the test in negative, my own hospital also found the test negative!

I think it's practically impossible to get a false positive but false negatives are quite common because there's sometimes not enough hormone to show up on the test if you do it too early.

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful. Think this time might have been false alarm....