Pregnancy symptoms & missed period but negative test

[Skip17]

First post from a worried dad, so apologies if it's not in the right place and I don't get the 'jargon' right...

My partner has missed a period, has swelling breasts, tender tummy area etc, but went to the clinic last week and urine test was negative. She tested again tonight and again negative.

We've got two kids at the moment and for various reasons aren't able to cope with another. How does my other half go about getting a blood test (we've read online that urine tests often don't show positive until many weeks pregnant)? She wants to terminate, and ASAP to minimise the level of procedure necessary, but it feels like it's going to drag on and it's stressing her a lot. The clinic made her an appointment at the hospital but cancelled it when she tested negative, and we're not sure if we can demand a blood test. I'm now worrying that if it's not pregnancy what could be causing the symptoms?

I've found various threads online by ladies who have been in a similar situation with negative tests when trying to conceive but has anyone else been like this when trying not to? We love our kids but we couldn't cope with a third.

If she's already missed a period, a urine test should show positive. How late is she? I got a false negative 1 day after late period but positive appeared when I was 1 week late. If she's at least a week late I'd say it's unlikely but probably she should just do another urine test in a week. Urine tests are extremely effective when one is actually pregnant as long as not used too early. There is no reason to demand a blood test. I never had one to confirm my pregnancy and I'm 28 weeks along now.

When we were trying to conceive I had 2 or 3 cycles where I had a late period and symptoms but I was not pregnant. Many pregnancy symptoms are the same as PMS and with age our periods often get more irregular.

Thanks for the reply! She's been very regular until now. Had last period was in early July when we were away on holiday, so at least a week over now. Not coming off the pill or anything, and only mid-30s so not menopausal. It's the combination of the symptoms - tender tummy, swelling breasts etc. as well as the missing period.

As I said we've read that a false negative is much more common than a false positive. She doesn't want to waste anyone's time, but we do want to move quickly before it gets any bigger. We lost one before having our two, so she's been through some of the procedures before.

If she's just a week late now then why did she go into the clinic for a urine test last week? Was she just a day or two late when she had the test?

I would buy a home test and try again. It is very unusual for a woman to get a false negative at a week or more late. The alternative is that she ovulated late, which means A) she might be pregnant and still testing too early or B) her period is coming soon but it's late due to a longer cycle.

Hi Skip17

Just wanted to share my experience - I have always had very regular periods. I was actively TTC and when my last period was late I was surprised to get a negative test result - several negative tests actually. 2 weeks later, still no sign of my period and still getting negative tests, I made an appointment with my GP who took a urine sample and referred me for a blood test. The blood tests came back positive and I am now 9wks 3 days pregnant.

It is still a possibility that your partner could be pregnant however, her period could just be late.

Pester your GP for a blood test. Alternatively, you can pay for a private blood test if your GP refuses. I looked in to this option myself as I was desperate for an answer and my local private hospital charged £90 for the pregnancy blood test

I hope you get the answer you are looking for