Positive Result, Then Negative
“My first pregnancy test was positive, but a few days later I took two more and they were both negative. And then I got my period. What is going on?”
Early testing does come with a downside, and unfortunately, it sounds like you may have experienced it, the diagnosis of a chemical pregnancy. Because an Home Pregnancy Test can diagnose a pregnancy so very early in the process, it can sometimes also diagnose one that is not meant to continue-one that is not capable of developing or surviving, and ends practically before it begins. In a chemical pregnancy, the egg is fertilized and starts to implant in the uterus, but for some reason it never completes implantation.
Instead of turning into a viable pregnancy, it ends very quickly in a period. Though experts estimate that up to 70 percent of all conceptions are chemical, the vast majority end before a woman even realizes that she is conceived (certainly in the days before home pregnancy tests, women did not know they were pregnant until much later, so chemical pregnancies were not diagnosed at all). Often a very early positive pregnancy test, followed by negative testing and then a late period (a few days to a week late) are the only signs of a chemical pregnancy. Unless you tested early, you never would have known about it.
Technically, a chemical pregnancy is more like a cycle in which a pregnancy never actually occurred than it is a true miscarriage-it is a random event that requires no medical treatment or follow-up, and is no cause for concern. Emotionally, it can be a very different story. The loss of the promise of a pregnancy, no matter how early it happens, can also be upsetting for both you and your spouse-especially if you have been trying to conceive for some time. Talking to other women who have gone through the same thing may help you work through your feelings-and also help you realize that you are far from alone (you will probably find plenty of these women on Trying To Conceive and pregnancy message boards; as more and more women are testing earlier, more and more are encountering chemical pregnancies).
Here is the good news: There is no medical reason to wait if you would like to Trying To Conceive again on your next cycle, and experiencing one chemical pregnancy usually does not increase the chances of having another one. Keep in mind, too, that having conceived once makes it more likely that you will conceive again soon (though you may want to wait a little longer to test next time)-with the much happier result of a healthy pregnancy.
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