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Tupperoo912 posted:
So I recently got married and my health insurance won't kick in for another month. So I just wanted to know if anybody could give any educated guesses as to what is going on with me. For about a month I have been feeling fatigued, sick to my stomach in the evening before bed, my breasts hurt and oddly...itch but there is nothing there. I just got my period but for the second month in a row it has only been spotting and has only lasted 3 days...There is a big chance I could be pregnant bc we are trying for a baby, but I have taken many tests and they all say negative. It isn't too early bc it has been a month since I was last "with" my husband (he is in the military and currently training in a different state). I guess my question is could there be a possibility of false negatives on all of the tests? If not what else could be going on with my body bc it has been acting very strange...
1 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:I need helpSo I recently got married and my health insurance won't kick in for another month. So I just wanted to know if anybody could give any educated guesses as to what is going on with me. For about a month I have been feeling fatigued, sick to my stomach in the evening before bed, my breasts hurt and oddly...itch but there is nothing there. I just got my period but for the second month in a row it has only been spotting and has only lasted 3 days...There is a big chance I could be pregnant bc we are trying for a baby, but I have taken many tests and they all say negative. It isn't too early bc it has been a month since I was last "with" my husband (he is in the military and currently training in a different state). I guess my question is could there be a possibility of false negatives on all of the tests? If not what else could be going on with my body bc it has been acting very strange...
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Jane Harrison Hohner, RN, RNP responded:
Dear Tupperoo: The easiest question first, OK? If it has been at least a month since the last intercourse, that should be ample time for a home pregnancy test to give you an accurate result. For the most reliable answer, testing three weeks after the last intercourse should be very accurate.

Is your pregnancy test giving you a "false negative' result when you are in fact very early pregnant? In this instance the false negative can arise from three problems. First of all check the box to be sure that the product has not expired or shows visible signs of damage. Second, check to see if the sensitivity of the test purchased is 20 international units of pregnancy hormone (HCG). Third, and least common problem, would be a missed miscarriage. If there was an early pregnancy, which was then lost but has not yet produced bleeding, the pregnancy test would return as "not pregnant". This is a difficult diagnosis to make. The most conclusive way to confirm a miscarriage is to have sequential blood pregnancy tests which show dropping HCG levels in amounts which may be too low for a standard urine test to detect.

Because of your shorter and lighter flow coupled with pregnancy-type symptoms I would suggest that you see your local family planning clinic for a possible blood pregnancy test. If the pregnancy test is a clear cut negative at least a missed miscarriage or an ectopic/tubal pregnancy can be ruled out. At that point you can be seen by a primary care MD with you insurance to broaden the search for the cause of your fatigue and night time nausea. Some of the many causes of these can include a viral infection, severe stress, or gastric reflux.

Congrats on your recent marriage!

Yours,
Jane
Report This| Share this:I need helpDear Tupperoo: The easiest question first, OK? If it has been at least a month since the last intercourse, that should be ample time for a home pregnancy test to give you an accurate result. For the most reliable answer, testing three weeks after the last intercourse should be very accurate.<br /><br />Is your pregnancy test giving you a "false negative' result when you are in fact very early pregnant? In this instance the false negative can arise from three problems. First of all check the box to be sure that the product has not expired or shows visible signs of damage. Second, check to see if the sensitivity of the test purchased is 20 international units of pregnancy hormone (HCG). Third, and least common problem, would be a missed miscarriage. If there was an early pregnancy, which was then lost but has not yet produced bleeding, the pregnancy test would return as "not pregnant". This is a difficult diagnosis to make. The most conclusive way to confirm a miscarriage is to have sequential blood pregnancy tests which show dropping HCG levels in amounts which may be too low for a standard urine test to detect.<br /><br />Because of your shorter and lighter flow coupled with pregnancy-type symptoms I would suggest that you see your local family planning clinic for a possible blood pregnancy test. If the pregnancy test is a clear cut negative at least a missed miscarriage or an ectopic/tubal pregnancy can be ruled out. At that point you can be seen by a primary care MD with you insurance to broaden the search for the cause of your fatigue and night time nausea. Some of the many causes of these can include a viral infection, severe stress, or gastric reflux.<br /><br />Congrats on your recent marriage!<br /><br />Yours,<br />Jane
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