Patient's question:
I have had my period delayed for more than 40 days. I have taken pregnancy test strips four or five times, and they all showed not pregnant. Recently, I have been feeling discomfort in my lower abdomen, not sure if it's just psychological. I have been taking Chinese medicine prescribed by a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to regulate my period. Does a negative pregnancy test result necessarily mean I am not pregnant or that it is an ectopic pregnancy?Doctor's answer:
An ectopic pregnancy shows a strong positive result on a pregnancy test, similar to an intrauterine pregnancy. Because there were no abnormalities in the early stages, the fertilized egg simply implanted outside the uterine cavity, and at this point, the fertilized egg also begins to develop. Therefore, the pregnancy test results are the same. A pregnancy test cannot determine whether an ectopic pregnancy exists. If it is necessary to determine the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy in the early stages, a blood test to check the HCG level is required.