FAQ-Early Detection Pregnancy Tests

If the test line is only just there or really faint the pregnancy test may not be positive. Most modern pregnancy tests are so sensitive that they will give a really clear strong colour Test line as soon as there is hcg at 10miu and above.

6) What is a BFP?

A positive test or BFP will be crystal clear with a strong T line under the control line. BFP stands for big fat positive

7) What does a faint line appearing after the test time mean ona pregnancy test?

Do not come back to read a pregnancy test later, as any test line forming after the correct read time is not an accurate result. If the test strip is read after the test time, faint lines can appear and this can just cause distress and should be ignored.

8) How soon can  I repeat my pregnancy test?

Wait at least 24 hours and repeat the pregancy test, making sure to use a first-morning urine sample, and hopefully, the test line will be stronger and appear sooner the following day.

The situation of a negative pregnancy test & late period is a common query. The simple answer is yes you could be pregnant. 

Things to consider in this situation:

• What was the sensitivity of the pregnancy test that you used? You could retest using a more sensitive pregnancy test if you have any in.

• Did you ovulate later than usual this cycle?

10) What is the best time of day to perform an early pregnancy test?

It is always best to perform a pregnancy test on a first morning void (the urine you produce on first rising from bed in the morning). If you work nights then it will be a different time of day, but still your first void after waking.

11) What should I do if my pregnancy test is negative and my period is late?

• If you tested on a first void and the test you used was an early pregnancy test then wait for 48hours and re-test.

• If the test is still negative and the period has not started wait another 48 hours and if still no period repeat the pregnancy test.

• Consider using a more sensitive pregnancy test or a different brand.

• If your period is very late and the pregnancy tests are negative make an appointment and see your doctor. They will be able to do a blood pregnancy test (BHcg) and exclude other causes.

We were recently asked this very question below. I did a pregnancy test recently and it was positive, then 2 days after I did another one just to verify and it said negative! What does this mean? Can the pregnancy test be wrong?

Here are some possible explanations for getting a positive home pregnancy test followed by a negative:

1) You may have made a mistake interpreting the pregnancy test result
This is more common than you may think. Pregnancy tests should not be left for too long before reading the result. Make sure you read the instructions and use a timer if possible. We all have busy lives & it is so easy to get sidetracked (for example by the phone, the postman or the computer or just life in general) while waiting for the pregnancy test result, and then read it too late. You can not interpret a positive home pregnancy tests result that appears outside of the test time. If this happens the pregnancy test should be discarded and another test performed (ideally on a first-morning urine sample-hcg usually more concentrated) On some home pregnancy tests if the test is left too long a faint line can appear due to the dried urine on the test. This is known by many as an ‘evaporation line’ & can cause confusion. If you have concerns about interpreting the results of the home pregnancy test then go for a brand with a digital readout such as the Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test.

2) It may be a false positive pregnancy test.
Possible causes of a false positive on a home pregnancy tests are:
• recent miscarriage
• some hormone treatments used for infertility treatments eg hcg injections. If you are having fertility treatments check with your clinic as to whether these can cause a false positive on a pregnancy test
• recent pregnancy (ie postnatally)

3) You have had a very early pregnancy, that was picked up on the early pregnancy test but has sadly failed.
This is known as a ‘chemical pregnancy’ Home pregnancy tests now detect very low levels of hcg, so these very early failed pregnancies are now picked up more often. This is quite common. Often the pregnancy test is positive before we have even missed a period. In our mothers day, they would not even have known they were pregnant. This can be one of the downsides to testing before you have missed your period.

4) The pregnancy test could be faulty. 
While this is quite rare pregnancy tests are not 100% and so it is work checking again with another test, just in case.

Our pregnancy test strips are 99.98% accurate. The reason that they are cheaper is that there is minimal packaging with pregnancy test strips, so they cost less to manufacture.

A 10miu pregnancy test detects just 10 milli international units of hcg ( human chorionic gonadotrophin which is the pregnancy hormone ) in a urine sample, and is the most sensitive pregnancy test that you can buy, that will give you reliable and accurate early test results.

Going below this level of hcg will increase the chance of getting false positives.