No matter what, taking apregnancytest can be an emotional roller coaster.
It’s a uniquely devastating emotion.
Of course, getting a false positive pregnancy test when youre actively tryingnotto get pregnantcan be just as horrible.
While false positive pregnancy test results are rare, they do happen. Learn the potential causes and what to do when you get a false positive.
Thankfully, experts note that false positive pregnancy tests are rare.
Unfortunately, though, theycanhappen.
Let’s start with the absolute basics just to check that we’re all on the same page.
A pregnancy test tells you if youre pregnant or not.
That’s simple enough to understand.
At-home pregnancy tests check for the hormone hCG.
HCG is short for human chorionic gonadotropin, which the body creates during pregnancy.
Right after a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining, the placenta then forms and starts producinghCG1.
A persons hCG level typically doubles every 72 hours through 8 to 11 weeks of pregnancy.
Then it remains consistent and starts to go down after delivery.
How does a pregnancy test work?
An at-home pregnancy test is designed to find hCG inpee2.
If the hormone is present, it triggers a chemical reaction and the test signals that you’re pregnant.
If hCG is not present, the test will say you aren’t pregnant.
Some tests use plus and minus signs.
Some digital pregnancy tests have a screen that plainly reads “pregnant” or “not pregnant.”
Which can save you someIs that one line or two?
!squinting, at least.
Seems simple, right?
AsIna Gartenwould say, “How easy is that?”
Typically, pretty easy.
Most at-home pregnancy tests claim to be about 99%accurate3.
What can cause a false positive pregnancy test?
The best way to avoid this: Read the pregnancy test’s directions and follow them exactly.
“The test can expire and the chance of having a false positive increases,” Dr. Abdur-Rahman says.
“But it just might be the result of the fertility medication that they took.
Most miscarriages occur in the first 13 weeks ofpregnancy5.
After you give birth or miscarry, hCG can persist in your body for months, Dr. Williams says.
Anectopic pregnancyhappens when a fertilized egg ends up growingoutsidethe uterususually in a fallopian tubeinstead of inside theuterus7.
An ectopic pregnancy isnt viable since the embryo isnt inside the uterus where it can grow and thrive.
An ectopic pregnancy can belife-threatening8.
However, it could be that you were pregnant butmiscarried very early on.
“Unfortunately, this wasnt a healthy pregnancy.”
Doctors refer to this early pregnancy loss as achemical pregnancy.
A chemical pregnancy triggers when a pregnancy is lost shortly after implantation.
Here are some next steps to consider after a pregnancy test result.
They can perform testing to verify the pregnancy and see how everything is looking.
And if you get a negative pregnancy test, know that a falsenegativeis sometimes possible too.
If you take an at-home pregnancy test too early, it might not pick up the hCG hormone.
But, as we explained above, those hormones should double every 72 hours with a healthy pregnancy.
“The longer you wait, the more likely you are to detect the pregnancy, Dr. Williams says.
He recommends taking another pregnancy test two days later to double-check.
