Negative pregnancy test but no period and cramping

If you get a negative pregnancy test but still feel pregnant, you're likely to feel a bit confused. Your first instinct may be to question whether the test may have somehow gotten it wrong, especially if you feel you have pregnancy symptoms. And in truth, false negatives do sometimes happen, although they are rare. A negative pregnancy test indicates one of four outcomes.

1. You Are Not Pregnant

The most obvious answer may also be the most disappointing. If you feel pregnant—with symptoms such as breast soreness and unexplained nausea—it's understandable that you may have assumed you were pregnant. But, there may be other explanations for these symptoms. Some may be incidental or premenstrual; others may, in fact, require medical attention.

If you are suddenly experiencing abnormal periods accompanied by other symptoms, such as cramping or constipation, it’s a good idea to see a doctor and have it checked out.

2. You Tested Too Early

While modern home pregnancy tests have a high level of accuracy, their sensitivity can vary in the early stage of pregnancy. Pregnancy tests are designed to detect the presence of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This is the hormone produced soon after the fertilized egg implants in the uterus. While the body starts to produce hCG soon after implantation, it usually takes around two to three weeks for levels to be high enough for accurate detection.

If you test too early, you may, be pregnant, but the test is simply not sensitive enough to pick up any signs of hCG.

If you are convinced you are pregnant and have simply tested too early, take a step back and retest in a week. Levels of hCG tend to double every two days, so the longer you wait, the more likely you'll receive an accurate—and hopefully positive—result.

3. You Had an Early Miscarriage

If you feel pregnant but had a negative test result, you may have experienced a very early miscarriage (also known as a chemical pregnancy). This occurs when there is a problem with the fertilized egg, most commonly a chromosomal disorder that makes the pregnancy non-viable. When the body detects this, it will spontaneously abort the fetus, often times before a person even knows that they are pregnant. Up until this point, however, symptoms of pregnancy may develop as hormones are steadily released into the system.

While an early miscarriage can occur in anywhere from 10% to 20% of known pregnancies, overall rates could very well be in excess of 50%. Miscarriages tend to be a one-off event; most people are able to achieve and maintain a healthy pregnancy in later attempts.

4. The Test Was Wrong

A bum test is the most unlikely cause of a false negative result, but it does happen. However, in almost all cases, some level of human error is involved. Beyond taking the test prematurely, there are other possible causes for a false negative result:

• Diluting your urine by drinking too much water before taking a test
• Not leaving the dipstick in the urine stream for the recommended time
• Using a test that has been exposed to excessive heat or sunlight
• Using an expired test

Lastly: sometimes twin or higher order multiple pregnancies, in which levels of hCG are very high, can cause a false negative pregnancy test. This is called the high-dose hook effect. It's unusual, but possible. if you miss a period and have pregnancy symptoms, see your doctor.

A Word From Verywell

Whatever the results of your pregnancy test, you can get confirmation from your health care provider if you're not entirely sure the test was accurate. However, in most cases, know that home pregnancy tests are highly reliable. So, while this may not be the news you want to hear, if it says you're not pregnant, you likely are not.

Still, in some situations, pregnancy tests do give false negative results, so it is possible to be pregnant even if the test says you're not. Your doctor—or testing again in a few days—can tell you for sure. If you're not pregnant but want to be, and have been trying for a year (or six months if you're 35 or older) without success, contact your doctor to discuss your fertility treatment options.

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Cleveland Clinic. Pregnancy Tests: How They Work, Types & Accuracy. Last Reviewed January 26, 2021.

2. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Early Pregnancy Loss. Last Reviewed February 2020.

3. Cohain JS, Buxbaum RE, Mankuta D. Spontaneous first trimester miscarriage rates per woman among parous women with 1 or more pregnancies of 24 weeks or more. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2017;17(1):437. doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1620-1

4. Namburi R, Ponnala A, Kancherla V. High-dose hook effect. J NTR Univ Health Sci. 2014;3(1):5. doi:10.4103/2277-8632.128412

Additional Reading

• Gnoth C, Johnson S. Strips of hope: Accuracy of home pregnancy tests and new developments. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 2014;74(7):661-669. doi:10.1055/s-0034-1368589

By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH
Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor.

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