Not following the test instructions , such as by checking the test too early or late. Getting too much urine on the test stick , since this may affect the results and dilute a positive. Not correctly reading the test result. Even the faintest positive is still positive. If there is any line visible at all, read the test as positive. Testing at the wrong time. Some women chart their period only by counting days on a calendar. If your periods are irregular, you might have the dates wrong.
Using a pregnancy test that is not sufficiently sensitive. Some pregnancy tests can only detect HCG at very high levels -- levels that only occur several days into pregnancy. Read the test insert to determine how sensitive the test is. For the earliest possible positive result, pick the most sensitive test.
This means selecting the test with the ability to detect very low levels of HCG. To get a positive pregnancy test, many factors have to come into play. Even when a woman is pregnant, she might not get a positive result.
To get a positive test, a woman must: Use a sufficiently sensitive test. Test at the right time during her cycle. Test only after implantation. Have HCG levels that are rising. Correctly read the test, since even a faint positive is still a positive. False positive pregnancy tests are very rare. Most women will never have one. In fact, false positives are so rare that if a woman does have a positive test and later has a negative test, she should assume she had a very early miscarriage.
If you test positive, try testing again a day later. If that test is also positive, then the odds that you are not pregnant are nearly zero. Some reasons a woman might have a false positive include: Allowing a test to sit for too long. This can cause an evaporation line that may look like a faint positive. Using an expired test. This can cause a positive line to appear even if the test is not positive.
Having a chemical pregnancy. When this happens, the woman is pregnant, but has an early miscarriage. A recent miscarriage. HCG levels take a while to drop following a miscarriage. A woman who has recently had a miscarriage may still test positive on a pregnancy test. Taking certain fertility medications. Talk to a doctor if you take fertility medications, since a home pregnancy test might be less accurate. If you have a positive pregnancy test, call your doctor since you are probably pregnant.
Some women get a negative test, and then later test positive for pregnancy. If this happens, believe the positive test. If one test is positive and one test is negative, the best option is to wait a few days. Then take a third test. When you get pregnant, your body produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. Home pregnancy tests look for that hormone in your urine.
If hCG is present, you should get a positive test result when you pee on a stick. But hCG levels start out very low and increase over time. Emery says. Some potential causes include:. You took a pregnancy test and got two lines.
But a few days later, your period arrived in force. What gives? The most common reason this happens is an early pregnancy loss , also known as a chemical pregnancy. Emery explains. To avoid that mix-up, wait at least two weeks after your last hCG injection to take a home pregnancy test, he says.
It's possible to get a negative result from a home pregnancy test when you're actually pregnant. This is known as a false-negative. You might get a false-negative if you:. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free, and stay up-to-date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID, plus expert advice on managing your health.
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