Possible causes of uterine enlargement. Late period but test negative

The menstrual cycle is an integral part women's health. This process is natural and accompanies the woman throughout for long years. Begin critical days from about 12-14 years of age, and last until approximately 50 years of age. The first day of a new cycle begins with menstruation - bloody discharge, as a result of rejection of the inner layer of the uterus associated with the failure of fertilization. Common cause absence next menstruation, is the onset of pregnancy. This is confirmed by a routine pregnancy test. If there is a delay in menstruation, the test is negative, which may indicate possible problems with health or pathology of pregnancy.

Menstrual cycle, periods

The cyclicity of menstruation is a hormone-dependent process. With the normal functioning of the female body, the menstrual cycle lasts a certain number of days. There are 2 phases that are separated by a special process - ovulation. The first phase is responsible for the development of the egg - then a mature egg is released, ready for conception - the second phase is responsible for the preparation female organs to possible conception.

Causes of cycle disruption

There is a delay, but the test is negative. What is the real reason?

Delayed menstruation is an unnatural condition that requires correction.

Reasons for a negative test during a delay

  • · Incorrect use of the tool can distort the result, i.e. show a negative answer if pregnant. There are quite a few types of tests, and some have their own “subtleties” of use that should definitely be taken into account. The types of tests and their use are described in detail in the article.
  • Poor quality test, may give false result. There are tests of reputable brands, the quality of which has been tested by time. But along with them, tests from little-known or completely unknown brands regularly appear on the shelves. You should be wary of such tests, and choose a well-known brand to use.
  • ·At irregular cycle negative result test may be false. A woman, noticing the expected delay, assumes pregnancy, but the test says the opposite. In this situation, the period may be shorter than expected, then it should be repeated in a few days.
  • ·Unintended pregnancy, i.e. ectopic (the embryo is outside the uterus, often in the tube) or frozen, can cause a negative test, although a delay in menstruation occurs. The causes and symptoms of these pathologies are revealed in the topics: and.
  • ·If the cycle failure is caused by a disease, the test will be negative.
  • In rare cases, but it still happens negative test when delayed, due to the low concentration of hCG in the urine, due to large quantity drink liquid before bed.

Delayed menstruation, test negative. What to do?

If there is a delay with a negative test, you should:

  1. Consult a doctor, because some conditions that cause a delay in menstruation may require urgent help. Based on the anamnesis (the woman's health history) and examination, it will confirm or deny the presence of pregnancy. If necessary, he will prescribe tests, on the basis of which a consultation with specialized specialists will be scheduled.
  2. Get an ultrasound of the pelvic organs. With some pathologies, for example, polycystic ovary syndrome or ectopic pregnancy, is the key.

To determine the criticality of the delay, a woman should keep a monthly calendar. It records the start and end dates of menstruation, so it is not difficult to determine the length menstrual cycle and consistency.

Treatment for delay is to get rid of the cause of its occurrence.

How to prevent menstrual irregularities?

To prevent this condition, a woman needs.

1) Pay attention to your health, paying attention to even the slightest disruptions.

2) visit regularly, at least once a year antenatal clinic. In case of any violations, consult a doctor unscheduled.

3) maintain a "Women's Calendar".

5) Relieve yourself as much as possible from stress and fatigue, find a little time just for yourself.

6) Observe the rules of sexual behavior.

If your period is late, a negative test can cause panic. However, there is no need to panic. Before visiting a doctor, you can do one or two more tests, with strict adherence to all rules of use, preferably different brands and compare the results. In some cases this will provide clarity.

Author of the publication: Margarita Ignatova

The uterus is the main reproductive organ of a woman, where the growth and development of the fetus occurs. In its structure there are most- the body, and the smaller one - the neck. The uterine wall consists of 3 layers:

  • endometrium – inner mucous membrane;
  • myometrium – middle muscle layer;
  • perimeter - serous membrane.

The shape, condition and size of the uterus are assessed on gynecological examination. If deviations from normal boundaries are detected, then ultrasonography, where accurate measurements are taken and the presence of pathologies is detected.

Normally nulliparous woman approximate dimensions are:

  • length – 4.5 cm;
  • width – 4.6 cm;
  • anterior-posterior size– 3.4 cm.

For a woman who has given birth, these values ​​may be 0.5-1 cm greater.

The parameters are purely individual, depend on the woman’s constitution, her physique, the presence of pregnancies, and can change with age and during the menstrual cycle.

But if the size of the uterus significantly exceeds the normalized limits, it is worth thinking about the reasons for this phenomenon, because this may be a symptom of a serious illness.

Symptoms accompanying uterine enlargement

Most often, changes in the size of the uterus are asymptomatic, or the signs that appear are attributed to other reasons, so the woman is not even aware of its enlargement. This only appears on medical examination or ultrasound examination, which is why it is important to visit a gynecologist regularly.

Some symptoms accompanying an enlarged uterus are similar to signs of pregnancy in the first weeks, so if you have such suspicions, you need to take a pregnancy test and if the result is negative, you should consult a doctor to find out the cause of this condition.

You also need to know how else an enlarged uterus can manifest itself, and if you notice these symptoms, you should definitely visit a gynecologist:


With careful attention to the state of her health, a woman can always catch the changes that are occurring and promptly seek help. medical care in order to understand why this is happening.

Main reasons

The causes of uterine enlargement can be either natural and harmless or dangerous and pathological. Let's take a closer look.

Natural reasons:

  1. Menstruation.
  2. Menopause.

During pregnancy, the uterus changes and enlarges in accordance with the growth and development of the fetus; this process begins at approximately 5-6 weeks of pregnancy.

The increase occurs as a result of the formation of new muscle fibers, their lengthening and thickening. After the baby is born, the uterus returns to its previous state in about 6-8 weeks.

If uterine enlargement is observed before 5 weeks, the cause may be multiple pregnancy, early ovulation, incorrect calculation of the gestational age or the development of pathology, therefore mandatory medical supervision is required.

During the menstrual cycle, the uterus changes in size under the influence of hormones, the main of which is progesterone. Before the onset of menstruation, the body of the uterus enlarges, and the cervix softens and opens slightly. After menstruation, the organ shrinks and closes.

With age, women reproductive organs change in size in big side, and enlargement of the uterus before menopause is also considered normal.

In postmenopause, size norms are approximately as follows:

  • length – 8cm;
  • width – 5 cm;
  • anterior-posterior size – 3.2 cm.

If the uterus is enlarged, there is no menstruation, and the pregnancy test is negative, then the reasons may be pathological nature, the main ones:

  1. Myoma.
  2. Oncology.
  3. Endometriosis.
  4. Cervical hypertrophy.

One of the most common causes of unnatural changes in the size of the uterus. Is benign tumor, arising during spontaneous active division of cells of the muscle layer.

The size of the uterus with fibroids is usually described in weeks. This means that the enlargement of the organ due to fibroids is compared with its corresponding size, characteristic of a certain week of pregnancy.

In case of timely detection of fibroids, it is enough to eliminate it hormone therapy. If the disease is advanced, surgical intervention will be required.

Oncology is the most dangerous possible reasons. Malignant formation usually forms in the mucous membrane and occurs more often in women who have entered menopause. Also at risk are obese women, which means they should carefully monitor the condition of their reproductive system.

Endometriosis is a fairly common disease in which abnormal growth of endometrial cells occurs beyond this layer, resulting in an increase in the size of the uterus. Moreover, the anterior-posterior size mainly increases and therefore it acquires a spherical shape.

Diffuse endometriosis is distinguished separately, in which endometrial cells penetrate into the tissue of the uterus, capturing it evenly, i.e. There is no specific focus of organ damage, which complicates the treatment of this disease.

Endometriosis often has no symptoms, especially in initial stages, but it disrupts the periodicity of menstrual cycles. Therefore, if, when menstruation is delayed, the pregnancy test turns out to be negative, you should not postpone your visit to the gynecologist. After all, if the disease is not diagnosed on time, it can lead to infertility.

With cervical hypertrophy, only an enlargement of the cervix is ​​characteristic, due to the thickening of its walls. Most often, it can appear as a result of some kind of inflammatory process in the cervical canal.

Therefore, the main thing in treatment is to eliminate the causes of inflammation using antibiotic therapy.

As can be seen from the description of the main reasons for the increase in the size of the uterus, the main thing is to detect the problem in time or make sure that it does not exist. When diagnosis is made in a timely manner, it is much easier to cope with the disease and avoid unpleasant consequences.

Many women are familiar with the situation when menstruation does not start on time. There are many reasons for this. But, as a rule, if there is a delay, they buy pregnancy tests. Moreover, it often happens that they show a negative result. In this case, women wonder what to do if their periods are late and negative test?

Delayed menstruation - what is it?

A normal menstrual cycle is considered to be a period of 26-32 days, starting from the first day of menstruation. Moreover, the length of each cycle should be the same every month. Delayed menstruation is their absence for a certain period of time. If a woman has a shorter or longer cycle, then this good reason to contact a gynecologist for consultation.

If the delay in a negative test lasts a couple of days and is a one-time occurrence, then there is no need to worry. Such deviations can appear in the absence of pathology. However, delays can be regular, then the woman must find out their reason.

Delayed menstruation with pregnancy symptoms

Women often wonder what does a negative test and the presence of pregnancy symptoms mean? They may experience chest swelling, vomiting, nausea, drowsiness, mood swings, changes taste preferences. Naturally, in this case, every woman considers herself pregnant and does a test.

What if it shows a negative result? There are several options for behavior:

First of all, you should wait a few days and repeat the test again. It is advisable to use tests of different brands and do them in the morning.

You can also take a blood test for human chorionic gonadotropin. It is carried out only in the laboratory, but it can show the presence of pregnancy even before the delay.

What if long delay menstruation, but the test is negative? In this case, the woman should contact a gynecologist, who will send her for examination and determine whether she is pregnant.

Reasons for missed periods if there is no pregnancy

Delay may be associated not only with pregnancy, but also with certain problems:

Delay after childbirth is a physiological phenomenon. After the baby is born, the mother produces prolactin, which promotes milk production and stops menstruation.

Violation hormonal levels occurs as a result of many factors that only a doctor can identify.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is considered the most a common factor, causing delay among women. This disease is often accompanied the following symptoms: excessive hair growth male type(on the arms, back, stomach and mustache), oily skin, hair, etc.

If your period is late, the test is negative and the lower abdomen hurts, then this may indicate the presence of gynecological diseases. These may be: fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, inflammation of the appendages, uterus, oncological diseases the cervix and the uterus itself. Most often, the delay is caused by inflammation of the ovaries, which causes pain.

Pathology endocrine system or ovarian dysfunction involves dysfunction thyroid gland and endocrine diseases. In this case, an ultrasound scan of the uterus, ovaries, adrenal glands, thyroid gland, and brain tomography are performed.

Early menopause - pathological condition, arising as a result of problems with hormonal levels and the endocrine system.

Delay may be due to problems not related to illness:

Fasting, exhausting diet, weight loss, obesity are the reasons for a delay in menstruation with a negative test, which cause a delay in menstruation.

The menstrual cycle is also disrupted due to acclimatization during a sudden change of place of residence.

Physical exhaustion or severe physical activity women. Excessive loads, as a rule, occur in those who engage in professional sports or tests your own body’s endurance in difficult conditions.

Failure of menstruation can occur in female body after moral shocks, chronic stress, severe injuries and long-term illnesses.

Sometimes a delay in menstruation and a negative test becomes an individual reaction of a woman to the use of medicines, including oral contraceptives. This situation occurs quite rarely. In this case, the doctor must assess the condition of her body and make a diagnosis.

What to do if your period is late?

If there is a delay in menstruation and the test is negative, then the presence of pregnancy is first detected. If it is absent, you must consult a doctor so that he can find the reason for the delay and prescribe correct treatment. To do this, the woman is sent for tests and an ultrasound, which can suggest the cause of the situation (for example, polycystic ovaries or endometriosis will be immediately visible).

If the doctor suggests that the reason for the delay is hormonal problems, then the woman goes for a consultation with an endocrinologist. She is also recommended to undergo a complete examination, including urine and blood tests, ultrasound examination of the kidneys, adrenal glands, and abdominal examination. If the disease is cured, then the delay in menstruation will be eliminated by itself.

Provoking factors must be excluded in time, since when the right approach Treatment can restore the frequency of menstruation. For some women, normalizing the cycle is quite simple by adjusting the diet, creating conditions for rest, and reducing physical activity, since many do not know that hormonal levels depend on external factors.

Therefore, if pregnancy is not confirmed by other studies, then a delay in menstruation is serious reason to contact a specialist. This situation may be caused gynecological diseases women. Therefore she should mandatory undergo examinations to identify the reasons for the delay.

Sometimes a woman has all the signs of toxicosis, her menstruation is delayed for several days, but the test gives a negative result. Ailments can be temporary, associated with some kind of discomfort or experience. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that the symptoms indicate serious illness, requiring emergency treatment. It is possible that a negative test for delayed menstruation is an error, the result of improper use or insufficient sensitivity. Doubts will be resolved by examination.

Content:

Reasons for missed periods

The duration of the cycle is most often 21-35 days. For each woman this indicator is individual. Normally, periods should come regularly, after the same number of days. Deviation of 1-3 days is acceptable. If your period does not come for longer, it is important to understand the reasons for the delay.

If a woman is sexually active and does not observe obvious pathological symptoms, then the first thing that can be assumed if menstruation is late is the onset of pregnancy. Pharmacies sell special tests that can be used to easily check your suspicions at home. If the test shows that this is not pregnancy (the test is negative), you need to think about what else could have caused the absence or delay of menstruation.

Non-hazardous reasons

The reasons for the delay are not necessarily dangerous. Disruption of the menstrual cycle can be caused by some temporary malfunction of the body or its reaction to an unfavorable external influence. Reasons for late periods:

  • chronic lack of sleep, fatigue, emotional and physical stress in connection with past illnesses and injuries;
  • elevated physical exercise, too intense sports activities;
  • rapid change body weight (obesity or, conversely, weight loss);
  • passion for a vegetarian diet or starvation diets that lead to metabolic disorders;
  • staying in unusual climatic conditions(during vacation, for example);
  • use of certain medications ( hormonal drugs, psychotropic drugs);
  • body's reaction to food poisoning or other type of intoxication;
  • drug use, smoking, addiction to alcoholic beverages.

The appearance of delays after the onset of perimenopause is not a violation. They indicate the beginning of the decline of reproductive function.

If persistent delays (up to the disappearance of menstruation) occur in women under 40 years of age, this may indicate early menopause. You can verify your assumptions using blood tests for hormones.

If there is a delay in menstruation, the test is negative, and the woman has to deal with similar factors, there is no need for any treatment. It is enough to change your lifestyle, make adjustments to your diet, give up bad habits so that the cycle gets better.

Video: Why there are delays in menstruation

Pathological causes of delay

The presence of other unfavorable signs may also indicate that with a negative test the delay in menstruation is a pathology. These include changes in the nature and duration of menstruation, the appearance of unusual discharge between them, the occurrence of abdominal and back pain, increased body temperature, and others. Reasons may be various diseases or trauma to the uterus and ovaries, hormonal disorders.

Hormonal disbalance. The duration of each phase of the menstrual cycle and the sequence of processes occurring in reproductive system, depend on the content of female sex hormones in the body. Any deviations in work endocrine organs(pituitary gland, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pancreas) are reflected in the state of hormonal levels. Violations lead to cycles without ovulation and prolongation of their duration. This provokes various diseases of the uterus and ovaries, infertility. This condition requires correction of hormonal levels using special medications.

Inflammatory and infectious diseases genitals. As a result of the leak inflammatory processes adhesions, scars, and areas of tissue necrosis appear in the tissues of the uterus and ovaries, which makes the normal functioning of organs impossible and leads to various cycle disorders. A delay in menstruation in the absence of pregnancy can occur due to inflammation of the ovaries and fallopian tubes(salpingo-oophoritis). Endometritis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the uterine cavity) leads to a slowdown in its development, as a result of which menstruation comes untimely. Infection with sexually transmitted infections and hypothermia of the lower body can contribute to the occurrence of inflammatory processes.

Uterine fibroids, endometrial hyperplasia or hypoplasia. All these diseases lead to hormonal imbalance in the body, cause painful changes in the structure of organs, and manifest themselves in numerous unpleasant symptoms(irregularity of the cycle, unusual discharge, absence or delay of menstruation, increase or decrease in their volume, infertility). If the delay occurs against the background of such ailments, it may be a sign of development dangerous conditions when emergency medical care is required.

Polycystic ovary syndrome. This disease leads to disruption of their functioning and production of hormones, which is manifested by the absence of ovulation and an increase in the level of male sex hormones in a woman’s body. Menstruation comes with delays and may even disappear altogether.

Functional ovarian cysts. This condition usually does not require treatment, since such cysts can resolve on their own within 2-3 months. After this, the cycle usually improves.

Why does a pregnancy test sometimes give negative results?

In what cases is the test negative when menstruation is late? Is an error possible? The result obtained may be inaccurate and raises doubts. Reasons for a false negative test result:

  1. Violation of instructions for use.
  2. Using a low-quality test (unknown manufacturer or expired).
  3. Testing too early. It is easy to make a mistake about the timing of ovulation and fertilization, for example, with an irregular cycle.
  4. Ectopic or frozen pregnancy. There was a delay in menstruation, but normal development no embryo occurs.
  5. Drink plenty of fluids the night before the test.

Dilution of urine leads to the fact that the concentration of hCG (a hormone that is formed during pregnancy) is underestimated, the test gives a negative result.

Types of pregnancy tests

The higher the sensitivity of the test used for a delay in menstruation, the more accurate the result will be. For example, if the package indicates that the sensitivity is 10 mIU/ml, this means that within a few days after unprotected sexual intercourse you can find out whether conception has occurred or not.

The least accurate test is a test using a special paper strip dipped into urine. The result is judged by the number of colored stripes.

A tablet test is more accurate and easier to use. A little urine is dripped into one of its two windows, and the result will be visible in the other.

The most effective is the jet test. It is brought directly under the stream of urine. The sensitivity is such that it is possible to determine the onset of pregnancy on the eve of the expected menstruation, even before the delay.

The electronic version of this test records the readings on a digital screen.

What to do if you receive a false negative result

If the test results are not reliable, it can be repeated after 2-3 days using tests from other manufacturers.

Women who are waiting for pregnancy with particular excitement are recommended to take a blood test for hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) already on the 12th day after the expected conception. It is not recommended to take it earlier as the result will not be accurate. This hormone is produced by the membrane of the embryo, as a result of which the level of the hormone increases significantly with the onset of pregnancy. According to the analysis, it is possible to reliably determine the gestational age by week, as well as notice fetal malformations.

When to see a doctor

If, during a delay in menstruation, the test gives a negative result, and the woman has pain in the lower abdomen, disturbances in the nature of menstruation, it is necessary, without waiting for the development of pathologies and the occurrence of complications, to immediately visit a doctor.

First of all, it is necessary to undergo an ultrasound of the pelvic organs, which will detect neoplasms in the uterus and ovaries and determine the presence of an ectopic pregnancy. You may need to conduct a more complex examination, as well as visit not only a gynecologist, but also an endocrinologist and neurologist.

Video: How to take a pregnancy test


Hello, please tell me 3 months ago I stopped drinking Lindinet, the cycle was exactly 28 days for the last 3 months, I have a delay of 12 days, there are no signs of menstruation or pregnancy, the tests are negative, nothing hurts, I took tests a month ago, just like that everything was clear no diseases. Because now the delay is 12 days, I went to the doctor, she said that the uterus was enlarged, she told me not to do an ultrasound, and not to donate blood, but to come in 2 weeks, she would feel it and tell me everything for sure. What should I prepare for?

Vika, Vladivostok

ANSWERED: 03/09/2017

Hello, a bimanual examination by a gynecologist is a subjective method, so perform a blood test for human chorionic gonadotropin. In addition, ultrasound of the pelvic organs.

Clarification question

Related questions:

date Question Status
15.05.2016

Hello, 11 days late, the doctor says it’s possible pregnancy, but the test is negative and the ultrasound doesn’t show it, there is fluid in the uterus, the uterus is enlarged, and during intercourse it smears a little blood and stops, what could it be? Duphaston was prescribed

15.06.2015

Hello. Cycle 27 days, delay 5 days (total 32 days). The pregnancy test is positive. The ultrasound said that ovum not yet in the uterus, but pregnancy will definitely happen! I wanted to ask: is an ectopic pregnancy possible? And does this ultrasound picture correspond to 4-5 weeks of pregnancy, are pathologies possible or not? Thank you!

24.10.2016

I had k.D. on September 5, 30, not a lot of bleeding started and stopped today on October 24, but k.D still doesn’t exist. I did three tests, all positive, but the doctor questions the pregnancy since the uterus is small, she said that it had not changed and sent me for an ultrasound. What is the probability of pregnancy? And is it worth doing an ultrasound, because even if you are pregnant, the period is short, they won’t determine anything

04.11.2015

Hello. The last period was on September 30, it lasted 5 days, the cycle was 28-29 days, the delay was more than a week, the tests were negative. Please advise how to determine pregnancy more safely and accurately by hCG or ultrasound.

16.08.2016

Hello. Since June I have been delayed, there was a glitch. A week ago I did 6 tests different companies. Everyone showed two stripes. Donated blood for hCG. The indicator is 106017 honey/ml. Medical center values
2nd week: 25-300
3n: 1500-3000
4n: 10000-30000
5n: 20000-100000
6-11n: 20000->225000
12n: 19000-135000
13n: 18000-110000
14n: 14000-80000
Etc. The question is: is pregnancy possible, because I was told on an ultrasound in June that I have a small endometrium, and what week is it? Thank you! (ultrasound recorded via...