If your period is five days late, it doesn't necessarily mean you're pregnant. There are multiple factors that can cause your period to be late: Physiological — Stress, sudden weight changes, climate or time zone changes, breastfeeding (lactational amenorrhea), etc.
71% of pregnancies can be detected 6 days before the missed period (5 days before the expected period). Over 99% accurate at detecting pregnancy from the day of an expected period.
It's important to keep in mind that your period is considered regular as long as it comes every 24-38 days. However, if your menstrual cycle typically runs like clockwork every month and you've noticed you are over a week late, then it's time to take a pregnancy test or book in with your doctor.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Things like missing your period, sore or tender breasts, feeling more tired and nausea (morning sickness) are common symptoms of early pregnancy. Some people have symptoms of pregnancy before they miss their period. Take an at-home pregnancy test if you think you might be pregnant.
But when it comes to the first symptoms of pregnancy, everyone is different. Some people start to notice changes within a week after conception. Others might not notice anything until they miss their period.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, blood tests for hCG levels should be accurate 11 days after conception, while it would be best to wait 12–14 days before taking a urine test. Taking a pregnancy test too early may give inaccurate results.
Traces of hCG can be found in your urine from 6 days after the fertilised egg implants in your womb (uterus). The amount continues to build each day. Most pregnancy tests give an accurate result from the first day of your missed period.
As soon as the fertilized egg implants into the uterine wall, the hCG pregnancy hormone is produced. This means a high-quality pregnancy test could detect a pregnancy in as little as five days after conception.
There are many reasons your period could be late other than pregnancy. Stress, illness, and changes in weight or nutrition can all affect your menstrual cycle. If you're taking hormonal birth control or took emergency contraception, that can also change your period.
Can Too Much Pee on a Pregnancy Test Make It Negative? Urinating too much on a urine pregnancy test should not cause a false negative result. But diluted urine, or urine with a higher water content, can impact a pregnancy test by skewing results.
To get a positive pregnancy test, most women will have to wait 5-10 days after their period was due. Some may detect pregnancy earlier becuase hCG accumulates at different rates for different women.
However, you don't need to stress too much about taking a pregnancy test at a specific time of day. Using urine later on when it's less concentrated may only “hypothetically delay a positive result by only 12 to 24 hours,” advises Dr. Flanagan.
Don't Drink A Lot Of Water Before Taking The Test
Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results. Take a test when you naturally need to pee. This way, you'll avoid diluting your hCG level and getting a false 'Not Pregnant' result.
“Early on in your pregnancy, it's natural to feel some mild cramping in your lower abdomen at infrequent times as your body prepares for your growing baby,” Dr. Nalla said. As your belly grows, so does your uterus. This may cause you to feel some slight pulling, tugging or stretching similar to period cramps.
This includes cramping, constipation, fatigue, mood swings, nausea, and bleeding. However, it's important to note that everyone's body is different. While some women do feel like they are experiencing early pregnancy symptoms as early as 5 DPO, others do not. It is still possible to be pregnant either way.
Should I dip my home pregnancy test in urine, or pee on it? Most tests allow you to either place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for (usually) five seconds or dip the tip in a collected urine sample for five to 20 seconds. Accuracy is not dependent on the method as long as you follow the instructions.
You also may get a false-positive if you take a pregnancy test soon after taking fertility medicine that contains HCG . Problems with the ovaries and menopause also might lead to a false-positive test result.
Most pregnancy tests include instructions that encourage you to wait at least one week between a negative test and taking another pregnancy test. This is to allow time for your body to build up enough hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) to be detected in your urine.
AF = Aunt Flo — Menstruation. Amenorrhea =This is the medical term for a missed menstrual cycle for more than three months in a row. BBT = Basal Body Temperature – A basal thermometer chart is a way to track temperature increases after the release of an egg, allowing you to know when you'll be the most fertile.
The tests work by detecting certain levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. It's possible to get a false negative result. If you don't follow the directions accurately or you take the test too early, you might not have enough hCG built up to get a positive result.
Test too early and the amount of hCG in your urine isn't detectable. As many as 9 out of 15 women will get a false negative until seven or eight weeks of pregnancy.
High levels of stress or anxiety can cause irregular menstrual periods, which can sometimes be mistaken as a symptom of pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting, heightened sensitivity to smells, breast soreness, fatigue, frequent urination, constipation—these may be signs that you are “pregnant”.