Creator: Dr. Dattaprasad Balasaheb Inamdar
Published: 2016-11-08T12:09:15-04:00

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I have got a very regular 28 day cycle. I got my periods for three days in the last month with a heavy flow. So, my due would be today for this month. But, last three days I got very little bleeding and the color was light watery red and sometimes brownish. I did not have any physiological and systemic disease so far. I took a home pregnancy test on the first day of my missed period that is today, but the result was negative. I also have slight cramps on my lower abdomen. Please advice the reason.

Answered by Dr. Dattaprasad Balasaheb Inamdar

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You tested too early with a urine pregnancy test. Please wait for three to four days and then retest if period does not start by then.

Urine pregnancy test though theoretically can give correct result on the day of a missed period, practically it is not that sensitive and you need to wait for three or four days extra for beta hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) to rise enough to be detected by a urine test.

Another possibility is a genuine negative pregnancy and impending period causing cramps.

The second possibility is that of threatened miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy in which case the rise of beta hCG is slow and cannot be detected in urine test so early.