nonpregnant

Nonpregnant is a term used to describe someone who is not currently carrying a recognized pregnancy. In medical records and everyday use, it indicates that, at the moment of assessment, the individual has not conceived or is not in a gestational state. The status is time-sensitive and can change with ovulation, conception, or pregnancy loss. It is applicable to people who can become pregnant, typically those with a uterus and functional ovaries, though the term may appear in broader reproductive health discussions.

Assessment and verification of pregnancy status typically involve a combination of self-report, physical examination, and laboratory testing. The most common biochemical method is testing for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in blood or urine. A negative hCG result generally indicates nonpregnant when taken at an appropriate time, while very early pregnancy can yield a false negative; if pregnancy is suspected, tests are often repeated after several days. Ultrasound may be used to confirm absence of a fetus after a certain gestational age or to rule out early pregnancy of unknown location.

Clinical and social context: nonpregnant is distinct from infertile or sterile states and does not imply an inability to become pregnant, only that current status is not pregnant. The designation informs contraception decisions, fertility planning and assessment, obstetric risk evaluation, and menstrual health management. As a dynamic status, nonpregnant may change with future reproductive choices or life events.