Home pregnancy test came back negative after missing periods. What to do now?

Question

Hello doctor,

We had sexual contact on the last day of her period without ejaculation, and after 48 hrs exactly, she took emergency contraceptive pills, and in the next expected period, it did not happen. Four days after, we did the quantitative and qualitative tests. Ten days after the scheduled time, we did a home test, all came back negative, and after two weeks, we missed the period, and we did another quantitative blood test that came back negative. We heard about something called the hook effect or molar pregnancy that may confuse the test. Would that apply to the quantitative test too, and what should we do now anyway. She has been on medication that produced breast milk for two months or three with the regular period before.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I fully understand your concern and will surely help you. See let me explain that to you, for getting pregnant, and the sperms have to be ejaculated inside the vagina of the female. The sperms then need to fertilize an egg which then should get implanted in the uterus of the female. When all this happens successfully, then the female is said to have conceived. In your case, although you guys did not respond to ejaculation, even precum contains some sperm, which in some rare cases can cause pregnancy. However, the egg is generally available during the ovulation period of the female and definitely not available on the last day of the period. In view of the above two aspects, the pregnancy is difficult in your case. Also then you took an emergency contraceptive pill within 48 hrs which is fine, and hence you are safe from pregnancy. Let me just explain to you that the emergency contraceptive pill works in three different phases. Firstly, it prevents the release of an egg from the ovary. Secondly, it prevents fertilization of the egg if already released. Thirdly it prevents the implantation of fertilized egg if at all it was already there. So you are safe from pregnancy, and breastfeeding mothers also miss periods. In addition, the emergency contraceptive pill are hormone-based, and they have this known side effect of delaying periods in certain females for 10 days to two weeks.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com

As you have done repeated qualitative pregnancy tests and all have come negative, and if I understand correctly, you are breastfeeding. The breastfeeding hormone prolactin prevents periods. Also, you had emergency contraceptive pills which are hormone-based and are known to interfere with the menstrual pattern of females. I request you to please share when you are breastfeeding, you are still breastfeeding, and if yes, then how many times in 24 hours. Is your baby exclusively breastfeeding?

Thank you.