Feeling Pregnant Even Though Your Pregnancy Test Was Negative?

Have you been feeling like you are pregnant lately? If you and your partner have been trying to conceive, then this is a common issue. Somehow, you just feel pregnant. At first glance, you have all the symptoms of pregnancy – fatigue, cravings, morning sickness, and even nausea. But after your pregnancy test at home, your period arrives. You realize that you were never pregnant, but still, you cannot shake the feeling that you indeed were pregnant. So, what happened? 
Many women across cultures have experienced this phantom feeling of being pregnant when they have been trying to conceive for a long time. Just ask a bunch of women or mothers if they ever felt like this when they were trying to conceive and the result won’t surprise you, unless you never knew this fact.  
So, the question remains. Why do I feel pregnant even though my pregnancy test kit results were negative? 



You may have suffered from ‘Imaginary Pregnancy Symptoms’ 

Yes. It means exactly what it says. These symptoms refer to the bizarre food cravings that you get, or the nausea that you feel, or any other changes in your body that may be induced by other factors. You mistakenly attribute them to pregnancy symptoms and start thinking that you are carrying a child. Do not expect your gynaecologist to use the term imaginary pregnancy symptoms ever as it is not a technical term. IPS has no origin and it seems like it was coined by women themselves who, to their credit, very aptly named these phenomena of phantom experiences.  

The period when you are most likely to experience these imaginary pregnancy symptoms is the time between ovulation and your expected period as it is during this time that women start experiencing early pregnancy hormonal changes in their bodies like tender breasts, swelling in the feet, fatigue, bloating, emotional sensitivity, light muscle cramping, and food cravings.  

Remember, never to confuse imaginary pregnancy symptoms with pseudocyesis as it is a much serious psychological condition in which women keep believing that they are pregnant even when it is clear that they are not. The thing that separates pseudocyesis from imaginary pregnancy symptoms is the strong belief that a woman is pregnant as compared to just a feeling. 

Blame the Progesterone 

So, some good news after all. It is not all in your head. Sometimes, these fake pregnancy experiences are indeed real reactions to the pregnancy hormones in your body that is preparing itself for a possible pregnancy because when it comes to potential pregnancies, women’s bodies are naturally optimistic. Even if actual conception never takes place, the body starts preparing to enrich a new life inside it soon as the ovulation occurs.  

The hormone that is responsible for causing this feeling is progesterone. Although, it is not all bad as progesterone plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy early pregnancy. The production of this hormone shoots up just after the process of ovulation, after which it resumes its role of supporting a potential embryo in case of conception. If the pregnancy urine test kit shows negative, then the conception did not happen and your progesterone levels will eventually fall 2-3 weeks after ovulation. This drop in the hormone level brings on your period.  

Progesterone levels in your body will rise regardless after ovulation, whether you had an accurate home pregnancy test or not. Be warned though as high levels of this hormone may make you feel exhausted and a little emotional. It is also responsible for making you constipated, making your breasts tender, and fluid retention.  

Test Negative but Symptoms Positive? 

Sometimes, you are right. You are indeed pregnant. The symptoms are all there and you cannot deny that you are not pregnant. But what about the test that showed negative?  

It would simply mean that the pregnancy test kit results were wrong. The results might be wrong for a number of reasons: 

  • You tested at a wrong time (always test with the first urine of the morning) 
  • Not enough hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in your urine for a hCG pregnancy test kits to detect 
  • The test kit is faulty 
  • You are pregnant but some things do not add up. Only a doctor can answer at this stage. 

There are a ton of other reasons why you might feel pregnant even if your result was negative. The only lesson we can leave you here with is that this is no reason to cause any emotional distress to yourself over the negative news and that you can try again with a different kit. To be absolutely sure about your pregnancy though, only take the test at the appropriate time and only after your periods are delayed. If there are any questions after a home pregnancy test then see your doctor. 

Location: India

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