Negative pregnancy test 9 days before period

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You’re 9 days past ovulation (9 DPO), which happens to be the most likely day for implantation to occur. You may think that means that it’s time to take a pregnancy test, but the reality for most women is that this is too early to get a positive.

Can you take a pregnancy test at 9 DPO?

You certainly can, but that doesn’t mean you should. You will most likely get a negative result, even if you are truly pregnant. It’s simply too early for most women to test positive.

We recommend waiting until 12 DPO to take a pregnancy test. Why? Because there are two things that need to happen before your pregnancy test turns positive:

1. Implantation needs to occur. According to a 1999 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, implantation occurs between 8 – 10 DPO, with the most common day being 9 DPO.
2. Levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG needs to increase. It can take up to two days for hCG levels to become detectable by a home pregnancy test, according to a 2008 study published in Human Reproduction.

This explains our recommendation to wait until 12 DPO to take a pregnancy test. If 10 DPO is the latest likely day for implantation, and if it takes the full two days for hCG levels to build up to detectable levels, then 12 DPO is the first day that you should get a positive pregnancy test if you are truly pregnant.

Any earlier than that, and your chances of getting a false negative pregnancy test are still high.

What does a negative pregnancy test mean at 9 DPO?

It doesn’t mean that you are pregnant or not pregnant—it’s simply too early to tell. If you get a negative pregnancy test at 9 DPO, you should wait about three more days before testing again.

By 12 DPO, most pregnant women will get a positive pregnancy test if they are using a sensitive test.

Can you get a positive pregnancy test at 9 DPO?

It’s possible, but it’s also unlikely. While implantation does typically happen around 9 DPO, it can take up to two days for hCG levels to build up to detectable levels in urine.

Implantation can happen as early as 6 DPO, though this only occurs for fewer than 0.5% of women. If implantation occurs between 6 – 8 DPO, it can sometimes be possible to get a positive pregnancy test at 9 DPO.

However, if you hear a lot of stories from friends (or strangers on the internet) about getting early positive pregnancy tests, the most likely explanation is that they have miscalculated their date of ovulation. For many of these women, ovulation may have occurred earlier than they realized.

Can you get a negative pregnancy test at 9 DPO and still be pregnant?

It’s actually common to get a negative pregnancy test at 9 DPO and go on to get a positive test a few days later. In an analysis of over 93,000 menstrual cycles, the fertility tracking app Fertility Friend found that fewer than 10% of pregnancy charts showed a positive at 9 DPO.

Can you have pregnancy symptoms at 9 DPO?

It’s possible, but highly unlikely. Most pregnant women do not experience any symptoms of pregnancy until 5 – 6 weeks of gestation, or 1 – 2 weeks after a missed period. At 9 DPO, your period probably isn’t due for another 3 – 5 more days.

At 9 DPO, there is typically no difference in symptoms between a pregnant woman and a non-pregnant woman. That’s because the hormone progesterone is high in both of these situations. Progesterone is responsible for both early pregnancy symptoms and premenstrual symptoms. At 9 DPO, it is impossible to distinguish one from the other.

High progesterone levels can contribute to symptoms such as:

• Cramps (but don’t mistake them for implantation cramps!)
• Tiredness
• Bloating or constipation
• Sore nipples or breasts
• Nausea (though morning sickness typically starts later in pregnancy)

All of these symptoms can occur whether you are pregnant or not. If you aren’t pregnant, progesterone levels decline when your period arrives, and symptoms should alleviate within a few days. If you are pregnant, progesterone levels continue to climb and symptoms may persist (or come and go) throughout your first trimester.

9 DPO pregnancy test gallery

In January 2020, we collected images of positive pregnancy tests from the Ava Bracelet communities. The following positive tests are all from 9 DPO.

By Lindsay Meisel | Jan 17, 2020

Tags: implantation, trying to conceive, two week wait

View sources

P.A. Nepomnaschy, C.R. Weinberg, A.J. Wilcox, D.D. Baird, Urinary hCG patterns during the week following implantation, Human Reproduction, Volume 23, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 271–277, https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dem397

Allen J. Wilcox, Donna Day Baird, Clarice R. Weinberg, Time of Implantation of the Conceptus and Loss of Pregnancy, The New England Journal of Medicine, Jun 10, 1999

P.A. Nepomnaschy, C.R. Weinberg, A.J. Wilcox, D.D. Baird, Urinary hCG patterns during the week following implantation, Human Reproduction, Volume 23, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 271–277, https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dem397

Lindsay Meisel

Lindsay Meisel is the Head of Content at Ava. She has over a decade of experience writing about science, technology, and health, with a focus on women's health and the menstrual cycle. Her work has been featured on The Fertility Hour, The Birth Hour, The Breakthrough Journal, and The Rumpus.

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