There are all sorts of reasons for it, from poor egg or sperm quality to infection, but it really doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll happen to you again. Pregnancy tests detect the presence of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Faint Line on a Pregnancy Test: What Does It Mean?
The less diluted your urine, the better. What Causes False-Negative Pregnancy Tests? This can fluctuate dramatically throughout the day depending on how much fluid you drink and how frequently you go to the bathroom, among other things. See which symptoms are unique to menopause and pregnancy, and which ones overlap. There’s no specific treatment, but you can talk with your doctor if you suspect a miscarriage. 10 Essential Things to Do Before Getting Pregnant, 6 DPO: Signs and Symptoms of Early Pregnancy Six Days Past Ovulation, When to Take a Pregnancy Test: What You Need to Know, 13 Definitive Answers to Your Questions about hCG Pregnancy Tests, How You Get Pregnant with Twins: 5 Factors that Increase the Odds of Getting Pregnant with Twins. 2014;74(7):661-669. doi:10.1055/s-0034-1368589. When hCG is detected, the test will return a positive result. Bleeding can occur around the time when you expect your next period, so you may never know of the early miscarriage. These conditions can cause the test to deteriorate in a way that can affect performance and reliability. But with these tests, it takes longer to get the results than with a home pregnancy test. You’ll probably want to anyway, just for reassurance.
Some women take a home pregnancy test early in their pregnancies. The more hCG present, the darker the line on the test. Long before you’ve even made that nervous trip to the drugstore to pick up a pregnancy test, it helps to know a little about how these devices work.
Most women who experience this go on to conceive successfully. It’s best to do the test first thing in the morning when your urine is most concentrated. Are Home Pregnancy Tests Always Accurate? So Below is the another Pic of my Pregnancy Test, as you can see the difference between two pictures.In the above test I got one line dark and one line faint.
Pregnancy tests. Although hCG is present in their urine, they have a lower level of the hormone, resulting in a positive pregnancy test with a faint line. Be sure to read the instructions carefully and they should tell you when to read the test (usually within 3-5 minutes). So there you have it.
Here’s our process. You can read more about false positive pregnancy test results here. If you’re anxious about being pregnant and want to feel the reassurance of doing a test, go ahead! The test line is only triggered to come up by the presence of the pregnancy (HCG) hormone in your urine. If it is questionably positive or negative, a repeat in two to three days would be appropriate.
A positive result is usually indicated by two lines, either side-by-side or in a plus sign. I’ll start with two big tips for taking a pregnancy test to give you the most accurate results: Next, let me explain how they work so you have an understanding of how the lines come up. Why Should Early Pregnancy Tests Be Taken in the Morning? Depending on whether you take the test as instructed, the results may sometimes be uncertain or incorrect. For one mum, Katelaura, on our forum, the line was so light she wasn’t sure what was going on: ”I am also having faint lines. If you are further along in your pregnancy, you may notice that the control line is faint, but the test is very dark. 2019. All rights reserved. Sometimes, the lines on a pregnancy test don't show a clear result because there's a problem with the test. If it doesn’t continue to get darker, you may want to call your physician to take a more valid blood test indicating the pregnancy. If you had a dark line before and now you have a faint line there could be several explanations for this, other than miscarriage. “Took a 6 day early CB test 4 days ago in the evening, faint line, took another CB test the next morning, even fainter, then took a one step strip test this morning and no line at all.” Why is the line so faint? Menopause and pregnancy share many similar symptoms. Compare the Symptoms. In this case, it’s likely that you’ve had a very early miscarriage in the first few days and weeks of pregnancy. So if the control line is faint, this is also a good indication that you’re pregnant! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Ehrenkranz JR. Home and point-of-care pregnancy tests: a review of the technology. Unfortunately, a faint positive line can also be a sign of a very early miscarriage, sometimes called a chemical pregnancy, which occurs within the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy, often much earlier. Very faint line on pregnancy test: am I pregnant? This can also be a reliable way to tell just how far along you really are.
hormones too low ? By using Verywell Family, you accept our, The Best Time of Day for a Pregnancy Test.
Whether you’re working on your first pregnancy or already rearing a brood, taking a pregnancy test is usually a tense time. Put simply, a faint test result can mean that you took the test a little too early for the hCG in your urine to be reliably detected by the testing strip. “My first positive with DD1 was reealllyy faint but they just kept getting stronger so it’s probably just that you’re testing quite early.” Taflo1215, “It doesn’t have to be a thick strong line, I’ve never had one but a faint line is a line, and a line is a positive!” – Wishuponastar87. So how to be sure…? If you take birth control pills, you may wonder if the hormones in them can interfere with pregnancy test results. Some pregnancy tests are more sensitive to hCG than others. A false positive result is very rare.”. what does a faint control level mean on a one step pregnancy test but the result window is negative but the control window is fainted help please? Because of this, taking multiple tests to check the color of the line is not a reliable means of monitoring the development of early pregnancy. © 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. In such cases, you may find that your next period is heavier than usual but otherwise you have nothing to be concerned about — indeed most women who experience such early-stage miscarriages go on to enjoy successful, full-term pregnancies. Many women eventually have healthy babies. If you are pregnant, this gives your body additional time to produce more of the pregnancy hormone, which can result in a clear, undeniable positive line. You might also get a false positive if you’ve had an hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) injection as part of infertility treatment or have particular medical conditions that mean you produce high levels levels of hCG.
A faint positive line in the results window, on the other hand, can leave you scratching your head. If you've done the test right. Blood tests can detect pregnancy nine to 10 days after ovulation. It’s actually quite common – happening in 50 to 60% of first pregnancies. If you know that you have missed your period several days or weeks ago and notice a faint line, you are still pregnant as well. Pregnancy tests are designed to detect hCG in your wee – because hCG is an early marker of pregnancy. If you are earlier on in your pregnancy, the control line will be darker with a faint line for the test line. Pregnancy tests detect the presence of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). 7 Causes for a False-Positive Pregnancy Test, Are You Pregnant or Starting Menopause? And, if you wait a day or so (more, if you can bear the tension), your very faint line may well have become a nice, dark one. Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT, Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT. Whatever you’re hoping for, I wish you luck on this journey! With so much on the line (literally! An evaporation line may appear after the urine has evaporated from the stick and give a false positive result just by the interaction of oxygen on the test. I know this seems misleading, like duh, I knew I was either pregnant or not pregnant, but unfortunately, this is how it works. Time to conceive: Pregnancy test instructions.
These miscarriages are often due to abnormalities in a fertilized egg. For example, a test with a sensitivity of 20 IU/L (international units per liter) should determine whether you're pregnant earlier than a test with a sensitivity of 50 IU/L. What does a faint line on a pregnancy test look like? In theory, if you have darker urine, you may get a more distinguishable line than if you test with lighter urine a day or two later.
Read more about me here. In this case, it’s likely that you’ve had a very early miscarriage in the first few days and weeks of pregnancy. Pregnancy. If you don’t see that, the test is invalid so try again. Read more: 5 signs you should take a pregnancy test ». That's why quantitative hCG blood tests over a period of days are far more reliable that urine tests for monitoring hCG levels.. Read our, Medically reviewed by Andrea Chisholm, MD, Verywell Family uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Home pregnancy tests are based on the detection of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in your urine. When hCG is detected, the test will return a positive result. The primary difference is that evaporation lines appear in the test window several minutes after the recommended time for checking the test results. Home use tests: Pregnancy. However, they all work in a similar way to indicate if you’re pregnant. This short window is when the test is most accurate with reading the HCG concentration in your urine. This is the same hormone that your doctor or healthcare provider tests for in a clinic, but they may test your blood while you’ll only be assessing your urine. Therefore, even if you get the lightest second line, it’s an indication that you’re pregnant. Should You Be Worried if Your Period Is Light? Negative Pregnancy Test: What to Do Next. Pregnancy tests are designed to detect hCG in your wee – because hCG is an early marker of pregnancy.
However, you may still find yourself with an unintended pregnancy. Are Blood Pregnancy Tests Better Than Home Tests? These women are pregnant, but they’re not far along in the pregnancy. That's because blood maintains a fairly steady composition at all times, thus making it easier to monitor changes in chemicals such as hCG. Many women claim to still get their period during early pregnancy, but is this possible?