Pregnancy isn’t the only reason your period can be late. But sometimes, a negative test doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not pregnant. Here’s why your period could be late but your pregnancy test negative, plus one crucial reason to avoid testing too early.
It’s official. You’ve checked your calendar and your cycle apps, and your period is definitely late. In a rush of nerves and excitement, you take a pregnancy test.
But a few minutes later, a negative result shows up. Huh. You may be thinking, “How can my pregnancy test be negative if my period is late?”
It’s entirely possible to be late but still get that negative sign on a pregnancy test—for lots of different reasons.
Maybe your period is just late this cycle, and you’re not pregnant. Maybe you are pregnant, but the test isn’t picking up on it yet. Maybe a million different things!
Here are seven reasons why your period is late but your pregnancy test is negative.
1. Your cycle is different this month Cycles are different from person to person, and they can also vary month to month. That means your period may come later than you’re expecting it to, and a few days off may not indicate pregnancy.
Maybe changes in your cycle happen often, and you’re used to it. But different cycle lengths can also be a one-off event. It’s entirely possible to have a regular cycle most of the time, then suddenly experience a break in regularity.
Occasional changes in cycle length can occur due to factors like:
Stress Excessive exercise Travel Changes in time zone Diet changes Weight fluctuation Grief Your age can also influence cycle variability. Some research indicates that people aged 20 to 34 are more likely to experience changes in cycle length than people aged 35 to 39. That variability may even be four or five days of difference cycle to cycle.
So, even though your cycle is almost always 30 days long and your period almost always comes mid-month, things could be different this time.
If your period is late but your test is negative, you could be pregnant and you just tested too early (more on that later). Or, this cycle is different, but your period will come soon.
2. Your cycle is irregular If your cycle is shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days , it’s considered irregular.
>>MORE: All About Irregular Cycles
An irregular cycle is more common than many people may think: depending on age, country, and occupation, anywhere from 5% to 35.6% of people experience irregular periods.
When you have irregular periods , it can be hard to know when to take a pregnancy test. You may think you’re late, but your irregular period may just be later than usual, or may even skip a month.
If you suspect pregnancy and have irregular periods, consider taking a pregnancy test at least 36 days from the start of your last period. Testing sooner than that may not give you reliable results, meaning you could well be pregnant. Or, your period may just be late this cycle.
3. You recently stopped birth control If you recently stopped hormonal birth control, a late period isn’t necessarily a sign of pregnancy.
Your body needs time to reset itself after hormonal birth control. Depending on the type of birth control you used, your ovulation and period may be irregular for anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months .
If your period is late or even skips a month during this time, it may just be part of your body’s process on the way back to your version of normal.
Still, you could be pregnant and just not yet testing positive. Try taking another pregnancy test in a few days if you still haven’t gotten your period.
>>MORE: How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant After Birth Control?
4. You’re breastfeeding If you recently gave birth and you’re breastfeeding your baby, your period may take longer to return or it may be irregular for some time.
This is because breastfeeding releases hormones like prolactin. Prolactin blocks the usual production of hormones like estrogen and progesterone that trigger and regulate your period (and ovulation). This is partly why breastfeeding can, in certain cases, be used as a temporary method of birth control called the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM).
In other words, a late period while breastfeeding isn’t necessarily a sign that you’re pregnant, and a pregnancy test could well come back negative.
However, it’s entirely possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding , so try testing again in a few days if your period still hasn’t come.
>>More: 7 Signs of Ovulation While Breastfeeding
5. You have an underlying health condition Certain health conditions can impact your cycle and make your period irregular, including:
If you already have a diagnosis, a late period could be a symptom of your condition, particularly if your pregnancy test comes back negative.
If, however, you don’t have a diagnosed health condition, your periods suddenly become irregular, and your pregnancy tests are negative, consider making an appointment with your doctor to find and address the underlying cause.
6. You’re in perimenopause If you’re wondering, “why is my period late but my pregnancy test is negative?”, it could be because you’ve started perimenopause , the transition to menopause .
During perimenopause, which typically begins around your late 30s to mid 40s, fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels cause your cycle to become increasingly irregular. In fact, irregular cycles and irregular periods are one of the first signs of perimenopause . By late perimenopause , you may even go 60 days or more without a period.
Still, it is possible to get pregnant during perimenopause , so if your pregnancy test comes back negative but your period still hasn’t come, consider retesting in a few days.
If you’re trying to conceive during perimenopause, tracking your hormones with an at-home perimenopause test can help you time sex with ovulation to maximize your chances of conceiving in a given cycle.
7. You tested too early If your period is late but your pregnancy test is negative, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not pregnant.
In each of the above scenarios, it’s possible that you are actually pregnant—you just tested too early and got a false negative. This is related to the pregnancy hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is produced by the placenta.
Pregnancy tests are essentially hormone tests that examine your urine for the presence of HCG. If your test detects HCG, it means you’re pregnant. If the hormone isn’t detected, you may not be pregnant.
The developing placenta needs time to produce enough HCG for the hormone to reach detectable levels, meaning a pregnancy test taken too soon could fail to find your pregnancy. A good rule of thumb is to wait until at least a few days or a week after a missed period . The longer you can wait, the more accurate your pregnancy test results will be.
>>MORE: You’ve Reached 14 DPO—Is It Time to Take a Pregnancy Test?
If you’ve already tested negative but think you may have tested too early, try waiting a few more days. If your period still hasn’t come, take another pregnancy test. When you test at the right time, the measurement will be more accurate, and you may just get a positive result.
Why is my period late?: the bottom line If your period is late but your pregnancy test is negative, it could mean one of two things: either you’re not pregnant and you’re just late, or you are pregnant but you tested too early.
Lots of reasons besides pregnancy could make your period late, including irregular cycles, recent birth control use, breastfeeding, or perimenopause.
Knowing when to test is key to accurate results. Try waiting at least a few days or even a week after your missed period before taking a pregnancy test.
If you continue to get negative pregnancy tests but your period still hasn’t come, it could be due to underlying health conditions. Consider contacting your doctor to get to the bottom of what’s making you miss your period.
