In some instances when a woman has a late period but negative pregnancy test, she is indeed pregnant. This can be caused by low hormone levels or faulty testing. In other instances, a woman's period can be delayed or missed for other reasons. These can include stress, illness, or medication.
There are several things that can cause a woman to miss her period but lead to a negative pregnancy test. A woman should not automatically conclude that she is not pregnant, because she may be. Home pregnancy tests determine conception by detecting a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. The sensitivity of tests can vary, with some requiring a greater presence of hCG in a woman's urine than others.
If a woman takes the test close to the time of conception and she uses a pregnancy test that is not very sensitive, it may indicate that she is not pregnant when she actually is. Although it is relatively rare, it is possible for a woman to get a negative test result when she is experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. This can happen because even though her body produces hCG, it may do so at drastically lower levels that if she were in the midst of a normal pregnancy.
Sometimes, a negative pregnancy test is the result of impatience. It can be very important to follow the directions on the packaging. Lower levels of hCG may take longer to detect. There is generally a range of time in which results should be produced. Some women discard the test prematurely believing that they received a negative result when a positive will actually display later.
Using an expired pregnancy test can also produce false results. Somewhere on a test's packaging there should be an expiration date or “best before” date. Women should avoid using devices after this time has passed because they may be unreliable.
There may be instances where a late period but negative pregnancy test does not involve a woman being pregnant. In many cases, this type of confusion is the result of a woman experiencing a great deal of stress. Stress can have numerous effects on the body, and for women, one of them is delayed menstruation.
Some illnesses can cause a woman to miss her period. Thyroid conditions are a prime example, because they often affect the body's hormone balance, which can affect a woman's menstrual cycle. Furthermore, certain medications can also have this effect, especially those that are taken as birth control. The irregularities can occur when a woman begins or ends a course of treatment.