The idea of becoming pregnant can strike as much fear into the soul of a woman as it can create joy. Some women are actively trying to achieve a pregnancy so that they can begin a family. Others are active in trying to prevent a pregnancy because they are not ready to start a family. When there is a question about whether a pregnancy has happened, a pregnancy test is a fast and affordable way of being able to determine if you may be pregnant and need to visit a doctor.
Statistics About Pregnancy Test False Negatives
1. 46% of women were with their partner when they found out about the results of the first pregnancy test.
2. 62% of women in a recent survey didn’t trust the positive result from their home pregnancy test and took at least one more test just to make sure.
3. The percentage of women who head to the doctor’s office to get a confirmation test from a positive pregnancy test result: 52%.
4. Home pregnancy tests work by detecting a hormone called hCG that a woman’s body starts releasing once a fertilized egg has implanted in the uterus.
5. Up to 60% of women who think they may be pregnant take the pregnancy test up to 1 week to soon and this can create a negative result.
6. 34% of women who became mothers and used a pregnancy test used at least two of them as a method to confirm the results in the same cycle they conceived and received different results.
7. 65.1% of pregnancy tests reported by women who took one 8 days past ovulation reported having a negative result.
8. The percentage of negative pregnancy test results from women who were pregnant at 21 days past ovulation: 8.3%.
9. It usually takes 10 days after conception for a fertilized egg to be implanted into the uterus.
10. Each woman ovulates at a different time in her menstrual cycle, accounting for some of the statistics of false negative pregnancy tests.
11. Problems with a pregnancy can affect the amount of hCG in the urine and account for false negative readings as well.
12. In up to 10% of women, implantation does not occur until after the first day of a missed period. This means some women get accurate results just 1 day after a missed period.
13. At any given time in the United States, up to 7% of the female population may be pregnant.
14. Assuming that the 99% accuracy claims of a pregnancy test are true, a woman has a 9% chance of not being pregnant with a positive result.
15. The odds of a woman being pregnant and receiving a false negative would be less than 5%.
16. Home pregnancy tests have been found to be 97% accurate when they are used according to their instructions and the results are read at the appropriate time.
17. 25% of women do not achieve a positive pregnancy test result from a urine test until after they miss their first period.
Common Results Among Pregnant Women
Or is it? Even for women who are pregnant, it is common to have a negative result first from a pregnancy test. This first negative, which is called a false negative, can create joy or disappointment depending on each woman’s perspective. The only problem is that these tests are not 100% reliable, especially in the earliest days of a pregnancy.
That’s why the results of a pregnancy test need to be taken like a grain of salt. It is information that can be used, but it is also information that should be verified. If you are concerned about a pregnancy, then a visit to the family doctor is enough to confirm the results of a pregnancy test or determine that they are false. Many women are actually choosing to go to the doctor first when they think they are pregnant because of the history of false negatives that are associated with the modern retail pregnancy test.
As statistics will show, even though women still purchase pregnancy tests every day, a majority of them do not put their full confidence into the results that are displayed.
Understanding False Negatives
The good news is that a majority of false negative tests can be attributed to user error. By following the instructions on the packaging, most women are going to be able to get the accurate information that they need to determine what their next choices should be regarding a pregnancy.
If you have recently had a negative result on a pregnancy test, the best recommendation is to wait a few days and then try the test again. A negative result may mean that you are not pregnant. It may also mean that you decided to take the test earlier than recommended or that you may have taken the test incorrectly. If you have received different answers from different pregnancy tests on the same cycle, then the best solution is to visit the family doctor to get an accurate blood test done to confirm at least one of the results.
Even blood tests provide a false negative, however, if they are taken too early. This is why it is important to wait until about 10 days after a missed cycle before taking any testing. Some women may be able to determine a pregnancy just 1 day after their missed cycle, but there’s a 90% chance that the average woman isn’t going to fit into that group. That can be a long time to wait, whether a woman wants the pregnancy or not, but it is better to have accurate information at the end of the process than base beliefs off of inaccurate information instead.
For most women, two weeks is the longest they will need to wait in order to get the most accurate pregnancy test. This is because menstruation happens about 14 days after ovulation. False negatives occur because an ovulation period is later than it is supposed to be. Having a follow-up test on a negative result at 21 days shows statistically that most pregnancies can be determined at home. By being patient, the right results will typically shine through.