Negative pregnancy tests in urban adolescents: an important and often missed opportunity for clinicians

This study describes a project to determine the incidence of negative pregnancy tests performed in an urban community for teens 18-years old and younger. Pregnancy test logs were kept at a variety of clinical agencies for a three-month period. Five hundred and fifty urine pregnancy tests were performed; 77% were negative. In our community a large number of teens are accessing health care services for pregnancy tests, the vast majority of which are negative and represent an important opportunity to prevent unintended pregnancies in a population of adolescent girls.