Growing Belly Negative Pregnancy Test Reasons Explained

Growing Belly Negative Pregnancy Test Reasons Explained

Pregnancy is God’s way of testing your nerves. Surely a negative pregnancy test when all symptoms point to pregnancy tests your optimism. You feel pregnant but are snubbed by the negative test result. Confusion strikes: how do you deal with a negative pregnancy test when all signs point to positive?

Take a deep breath. It is pretty normal to have all the pregnancy symptoms but a false negative test. It may be due to a low level of pregnancy hormones in the body, or it may be a result of testing too early. You must remain patient and look for other ways to confirm your pregnancy.

How Soon After A Missed Period Should I Go To The Doctor?

Missed your period? You may be feeling fireworks inside you already. Your pregnancy test comes out negative, but you know in your heart something is up. Want to confirm your pregnancy as soon as possible? That is understandable. The best way to go about it is to visit your doctor.

Maybe you don’t know whether you should take that path. The social awkwardness is too much to bear. What if there really is no pregnancy? It’s just a late period. Why get disappointed in the doctor’s office?

You can always wait. The right time to see your doctor is when you are at least eight weeks late. Before that, detecting pregnancy is almost impossible. The pregnancy hormone may appear in the blood test, but when you are just a few days late, we suggest you wait until you are sure that visiting your doctor is essential.

Pregnancy Hormones & Pregnancy Tests

You don’t understand these mood swings and feel like something is happening very fast inside you. Something alien. Something new. You don’t understand the mess your body is creating, but you choose to take a pregnancy test. It turns out positive, and now you understand what’s been cooking.

Most women take pregnancy tests at home by themselves. The process is simple: all you need to do is pee on a stick, and you have an answer.

Similarly, you are asked to give a urine or blood sample at the doctor’s office whenever you doubt a pregnancy. 

It all stems from the hormone produced in a pregnant woman’s body. The placenta to which a baby’s body is attached generates a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, commonly referred to as HCG.

This hormone readies the uterus by thickening the uterine lining. This is necessary for a growing embryo. It also stops the menstrual cycle and remains high until the pregnancy enters its tenth week. After that, the body normalizes and becomes used to its new reality.

Home pregnancy tests detect this hormone in the urine. Its presence is also shown in the blood. Therefore,  determining the presence of HCG levels in the urine is the criteria for determining whether a woman is pregnant or not.

This isn’t a perfect way of confirming a pregnancy as HCG levels are low during the initial stages of pregnancy. This may result in false negative pregnancy test results. It may make you feel exhausted as, finally, you were beginning to experience all the pregnancy symptoms. But fret not: test again in a few weeks, and you may see positive results.

False Negative Pregnancy Tests

There is nothing worse than a false negative pregnancy test. First of all, it isn’t true. Second of all, it is disappointing. And thirdly, it is exhausting for parents who have been trying for a long time to conceive.

A false negative is also a poor result for pregnant women who are in the very early pregnancy stages and need a lot of care. The negative result makes them unaware and hence reckless in taking care of themselves.

Broken pregnancy test kits contribute greatly to false negative or even false positive results. Other than substandard pregnancy kits, the time and circumstances also impact the test results. For instance, testing yourself very early on during your pregnancy will render negative results. This is usually the case with false negatives.

During the early stages, the body hasn’t made enough of the hormone that signifies a pregnancy. Of course, there are signs and symptoms like vomiting and cramping, but they can be due to other reasons as well. 

What Is A Cryptic Pregnancy?

Sounds mysterious, but there is a thing called a cryptic pregnancy. As the name suggests, such a pregnancy is shrouded in mystery. You won’t be able to know if you are pregnant because THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS—no morning sickness and none of those strange initial symptoms. The baby arriving after nine months is totally a surprise.

How is that possible? If you have faced pregnancy, you know it is impossible to ignore that you missed your period and have a growing belly, but this does happen to a number of women. Women face initial bleeding. This can be mistaken for a period. Similarly, light bleeding or spotting throughout nine months occurs, which is also mistaken for a period. 

Without visiting your doctor in such a situation, you won’t know that life is growing inside of you. If something feels mysterious, see your doctor, especially if you’ve been trying to conceive.

Causes of cryptic pregnancy

There are several reasons that can lead to a cryptic pregnancy.

Hormones are the first and foremost of them. After pregnancy, a woman may start ovulating while she is still breastfeeding her child. This is caused by excess hormones in the body that haven’t gone back to pre-pregnant mode. As a result, a cryptic pregnancy occurs without the knowledge of the woman.

Perimenopause can also cause a cryptic pregnancy due to irregular hormonal cycles in the body.

Other than this, unprotected sex can always lead to a pregnancy. Even if you are on birth control, you can never be sure, as birth control isn’t 100% effective. This is especially true for women who travel in different time zones and may fail to keep track of their pills.

Is There Such A Thing As False Positive Pregnancy Tests?

As strange as it may sound, false positive pregnancy test results do occur, though the possibility of this happening is extremely low. It happens in women who take pregnancy tests right after losing a pregnancy. This means the body is still flooded with pregnancy hormones that can interfere with the test results.

Another common reason this happens is when women take fertility medications to boost their chances of getting pregnant. These drugs contain the pregnancy hormone HCG in high concentration. When you take a pregnancy test just after you take your fertility pills, the chances are the result will appear false positive.

This means a false positive pregnancy test is as possible as a negative one. Pregnancy testing kits aren’t 100% accurate. Even if you take two or three tests by yourself, make sure to visit your doctor for a blood test and a scan. Only then should you fully believe the testing kit.

Misleading Symptoms

While false pregnancy tests are misleading, other symptoms can also lead a woman to believe that she is pregnant.

Physical Symptoms

Sore breasts and mild cramping are considered some of the most common symptoms. Abdominal pain accompanied by a late menstrual cycle also appears to be pregnancy. In reality, this isn’t always the case.

Sore breasts are also common during PMS, as are abdominal cramps. Don’t immediately see your doctor every time you feel a little cramped up. Wait a bit to see what happens.

Urinary Tract Infection

UTI is very common among pregnant women, but it also readily happens to most women. The cause behind this happening is not always pregnancy hormones but rather dehydration or a possible kidney infection.

The symptoms of UTI, such as nausea, vomiting, and upper back pain, are also common with pregnancy symptoms. It is very easy to mistake your infection for pregnancy.

Other Symptoms

Other symptoms include most of the PMS symptoms that are common with pregnancy. These include numerous physical symptoms like tender breasts, increased hormonal levels, and chaotic emotional activity.

Other Medical Reasons Why Your Belly May Be Growing Besides Pregnancy

Other Medical Reasons Why Your Belly May Be Growing Besides Pregnancy

You don’t have to worry about a pregnancy every time your belly starts growing. From unhealthy lifestyles to medical issues, a wide range of causes could be behind your massive tummy. Of course, pregnancy can never be ruled out if you are young and have unprotected sex, but several other reasons could also be at play.

Unhealthy Diet

An unhealthy diet is one of the most crucial reasons behind a round belly. Carbonated drinks and fast food have become a regular part of our meals. These things, along with a lack of fibrous diet items, make the belly grow out and decrease the chances of a healthy pregnancy. An unhealthy diet with minimal nutrient-rich foods will result in diminished chances of a healthy pregnancy.

Lack of Exercise

Similarly, a sedentary lifestyle also contributes to fat accumulation in your belly. If you seldom exercise, you can expect a huge belly to develop. 

You can maintain optimal hormonal levels and a great physique if you exercise regularly. You can do Pilates, yoga, cardio, aerobics, or any other physical activity that sounds fun to you. Rest assured, your belly will flatten out within weeks.

Alcohol Excess

Alcohol contains sugars that aren’t broken down in the body. Instead, they get stored in the fat, increasing the body weight and particularly gathering in the belly. Therefore, drinking alcohol in excess also results in a huge belly.

Not only does this make you unfit, but it also has several health implications. If you are a party fan, try to drink in moderation.

Key Takeaways

Hopefully, you don’t feel as disappointed at a negative pregnancy test as before. Sometimes it means your pregnancy needs more time to develop. Every pregnancy is different and has different symptoms and signs. You don’t have to blindly trust the accuracy of your pregnancy test.

As false negative tests are common, so are false positives. It all depends on your personal circumstances and what you will be facing during your pregnancy. One thing is clear: pregnancy test results are not definite, and you must reach out to your doctor if you find something fishy about your body. This is the safest way to know whether you are pregnant or not.

Moreover, a growing belly, UTI, or other physical symptoms, while signs of pregnancy, can occur due to different reasons. Take it up with a professional healthcare provider in order to know exactly what is happening with your body.