If a faint positive pregnancy test has you confused, we've got expert advice on how to find out for sure. Show
So you’ve peed on the stick of a home pregnancy test, and the line that comes up is so faint you have to squint to see it. What does it mean? Does a faint line on a pregnancy test mean you’re pregnant or not? According to Yolanda Kirkham, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Women’s College Hospital and St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, testing too early could be one reason you get a faint positive pregnancy test. “There’s that old saying, ‘You can’t be a little bit pregnant’—but you can, and that’s what happens when you have a faint line,” she explains. What the test is measuring is how much of the pregnancy hormone beta hCG is present in your urine. The amount of this hormone doubles every two to three days until it stabilizes between 13 and 16 weeks of pregnancy. In the very early days of a pregnancy, a test done later in the day may also produce a faint line because the hormone is more diluted by your fluid intake. And while modern tests can tell you if you’re pregnant as little as 10 days after fertilization—which is even before you miss a period, since a you ovulate 14 days before your period begins—Kirkham recommends waiting until seven to 10 days after a missed period to test, because many pregnancies don’t continue past the first several days. “When I see these commercials where they say, ‘Test and know as soon as you’re pregnant,’ I actually think it’s too early. You may lose it in a few days and just be really upset. There’s no need to test really soon. You’ll know if your period comes or not,” she says. A faint line may also indicate what’s known as a chemical pregnancy, which is when you are no longer pregnant, but there is still enough beta hCG in your urine for a positive test. Kirkham says the raised hormone levels could last for weeks after a miscarriage. So, if you do get a faint line, Kirkham recommends waiting two or three days, then testing again. If it’s still faint, she suggests going to your family doctor for a blood test, which can measure the specific amount of beta hCG, to check if the pregnancy is progressing as it should. If the faint line persists, your doctor may also order an ultrasound to date the pregnancy and rule out an ectopic pregnancy (where the fertilized egg attaches itself to the inside of a fallopian tube, rather than the uterine lining). Knowing all this, should you just use a digital test to avoid all the confusion? Though digital tests, which offer a “yes” or “no” rather than a line, remove the possibility for ambiguity that comes with a faint line, they might give a “no” result when you are in the early days of a pregnancy because of the low levels of beta hCG in your urine. So, even if you get a “no,” test again if your period does not come on time. Read more: See more on Getting Pregnant //
Understanding the results of an at-home pregnancy can feel surprisingly complicated at times. A pregnancy test measures the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is produced by an embryo. Though not as accurate as a pregnancy test at the doctors, an at-home pregnancy test can measure hCG levels with 97 to 99 percent accuracy. Pregnancy tests with blue or pink dye typically show one line if the result is negative and two if hCG is detected, meaning the result is positive. If you get any type of second line, even a faint one, you are pregnant, says Jennifer Lincoln, MD, an obstetrician in Oregon. "A line is a line, whether faint or dark. Any line means pregnant," she says. Here is what to do if you get a faint line on your pregnancy test at home according to an expert. What does a second, very faint line on a pregnancy test mean?If you take a pregnancy test and a faintly colored second line appears, it usually means you are pregnant. Here's why you could be getting a faint line: It's early in your pregnancy. If you take a pregnancy test in the days immediately before or after a missed period, the test will only detect small amounts of hCG, which can show up as a faint line. Most pregnancy tests on the market only work properly if you take them a week or more after missing your period, says Cara Delaney, MD, a gynecologist and instructor at the Boston University School of Medicine. You have a chemical pregnancy. A chemical pregnancy is a type of miscarriage that happens very early on in pregnancy. It can cause a false positive result or a faint line on a pregnancy test because the brief pregnancy produces a small amount of hCG in your body. You made a mistake in taking the test. "If you wait too long to read the test it can dry and leave a line that can be misinterpreted as a positive test," says Lincoln. Most pregnancy tests include instructions to read the results around three to five minutes after testing. How long after a faint positive should I test again?Lincoln says that if you get a faint line on your test and it concerns you, test again in the coming days. "It's most accurate to wait until the day of when you'd expect your period to come, but with the sensitivity of our tests it is OK to start testing a few days prior." If an at-home pregnancy test is positive, "the majority of people don't need a blood pregnancy test to confirm they are pregnant. And in fact, our[doctors'] urine tests are exactly the same as the ones you can buy yourself so no need to come in for those either," says Lincoln. There are some circumstances where a blood test might be needed: "If your healthcare provider is concerned about an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, or you are undergoing fertility treatments, a blood test may be recommended, but other than that they aren't usually needed." Insider's takeawayIf you take an at-home pregnancy test correctly and see a faint line, it either means you are pregnant or have recently been pregnant and miscarried. The best time to test for a pregnancy is the day you would expect your period to come.
Shaena Montanari is a contributing writer to Business Insider. Read more Read less
Madeline Kennedy is a health writer for Insider covering a wide range of topics including reproductive and sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and infectious disease. Before joining Insider, Madeline worked as a health news writer for Reuters, and a domestic violence therapist. She has a master's degree in social work from UPenn and is interested in the intersection of health and social justice. Read more Read less How long after a faint positive should I test again?So, if you do get a faint line, Kirkham recommends waiting two or three days, then testing again. If it's still faint, she suggests going to your family doctor for a blood test, which can measure the specific amount of beta hCG, to check if the pregnancy is progressing as it should.
How faint is too faint pregnancy test?Pregnancy tests with blue or pink dye typically show one line if the result is negative and two if hCG is detected, meaning the result is positive. If you get any type of second line, even a faint one, you are pregnant, says Jennifer Lincoln, MD, an obstetrician in Oregon. "A line is a line, whether faint or dark.
Should I test again after a positive pregnancy test?You don't have to take another test if you get a positive result, but many women choose to repeat the test just to be sure. If you do get a positive result, book an appointment with your doctor or midwife.
Can faint line become negative?A very faint line may also occur if the urine is too diluted to detect hCG. Drinking a large amount of fluid can dilute the urine and skew the results. If a faint line becomes a negative test result the second time around, it could be the result of a very early miscarriage in the first few days and weeks of pregnancy.
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When to take another pregnancy test after a faint positive
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