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Pregnancy Test Faint Lines and Evaporation Lines
The Two Big Pregnancy Test Questions:
1) How Early Can I Test for Pregnancy?
2) What Does a Faint Line Mean on a Pregnancy Test?
How Early Can I Test for Pregnancy?
One question women frequently ask when trying to conceive is: How long do I have to wait before I can take a pregnancy test? Though hCG is produced at different rates in different women, there are general timelines for deciding when to test. However, when testing on the early side, do not rely on one test for conclusive results - especially a negative result: the hCG threshold for displaying a positive result on a home pregnancy test may not yet have been reached.
Early Detection Pregnancy Tests
When a woman becomes pregnant, the amount of hCG in her system should be around 25 mIU at 10 dpo (days past ovulation), 50 mIU at 12 dpo, 100 mIU at around two weeks dpo (these are averages that may deviate among different women). Test sensitivity equates with early-detection - and the lower the number, the sooner a test can detect pregnancy. At 20 MIU test sensitivity, you can begin testing at 7-10 days post ovulation, though the earlier you begin testing, the higher chance you have of getting a false negative. Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com carries early-detection pregnancy tests capable of detecting just 20 miu/ml hcg.
Here, implantation of the fertilized egg needs to take place before hCG is produced by the developing placenta, and that generally occurs at 6-10 dpo. If you decide to test early, make sure you perform a few follow-up tests every other day using first morning urine. Your hCG levels should rise exponentially, doubling every 2 days - which means that the follow up tests should eventually detect pregnancy if you are, in fact, pregnant.
For earliest detection of pregnancy, use first morning urine, as this urine sample contains the most concentrated amount of hCG. If using first morning urine is not feasible, avoiding urination for several hours before using a pregnancy test.
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A faint color band in the test area of a pregnancy test indicates, in most circumstances, a positive result for pregnancy.
However, a faint line appearing after the designated reaction time of the test may be an "evaporation line".
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What Does a Faint Line Mean on a Pregnancy Test?
On a pregnancy test, a faint test line - or color band - is usually indicative of a positive result, as long as it's read within the time frame - or reaction time of the test (usually at 5-10 minutes). If you perform the pregnancy test properly and read results within the recommended time frame, then a faint or weak color band in the test area is very likely a positive pregnancy test.
Evaporation Lines
Evaporation lines, however, can confound results if tests are not interpreted within the clinically recommended time frame. An evaporation line develops when the urine on the test area begins to dry, leaving a faint, usually colorless line. Evaporation lines appear to show up (or not show up) as a result of the composition of the particular urine specimen - and they may appear on any test regardless of brand.
Explanations for Faint Positives
- Testing Too Early: If you test too soon, hCG may not be at a sufficient level for test detection. See the section above on determining when to take a pregnancy test.
- Low Test Sensitivity: Different tests detect hCG at different levels, from 20MIU to 100MIU or more. 20 MIU tests will display a faint line when when hCG levels are at 20 MIU, while less sensitive tests will display a negative result. At 50 MIU levels, a 20 MIU test will show a stronger color band while a 50 MIU test will show a very faint band.
- Dilution of Urine Specimen: Urine specimens may be diluted due to frequent urination or consumption of liquids. First morning urine is recommended for pregnancy testing as it contains the most concentrated presence of hCG.
- Chemical pregnancy: Sometimes an early pregnancy is detected - followed by negative test results. A chemical pregnancy means implantation takes place (hCG is produced for a short time) followed by a miscarriage (generally, before any other pregnancy symptoms are detected).
- Evaporation Lines: Always read your test results within the test reaction time (usually 5 minutes) as evaporation lines can develop as the urine dries on the test area. Evaporation lines appear to show up (or not show up) as a result of the composition of the particular urine specimen - and they may appear on any test regardless of brand.
Remember, a pregnancy test does not function like "light switch" - and just turn on: different hCG levels will produce different gradients of color bands (from very light, faint lines early in pregnancy to dark, rich color lines later on as hCG develops).
Read More About Pregnancy Tests
Comments
i'm 16 years old, i know i'm too young right.
my boyfriend is now 19 and we have had sex un protected. i did have mucusy discharge for about 2 days and notice a small ammount of blood in the discharge...i now have a white thick discharge which i have been told can be a sign of pregnancy. i'm not due on for about another week and a half... but decided to take a test anyway as i was so nervous ad scared as to what the results would be. i took a test today and at first only saw a negative line, and though thank god, i then looked at the test about 5 minuites after taking the test and noticed a faint shadowy line. i'm so worried and don't know what to do. every ones experiances on here have helped alot and i've decided to take another test tomorrow morning to see if i get another faint line/nothing/or if the line appears darker. i will let you know what happens... really don't know what to do if i am, i'm pritty scared to be honest.
hi, i am 18 and me and my boyfriend have been having unprotected sex. im takin the pill borth control and around the second week of my birth control everything got so hectic that i got off track with it and quit taking it and just planned to be very careful. well usually when i have skiiped a few days of my birthcontrol or at the end of the blue pills i would have a period. well i quit takin my birthcontrol about 2 weeks ago and i still have not had a period. i took a pregnancy test 4 days ago and it said not pregnant and then i took a pregancy test a few hours ago and it also said not pregnant but the negative line was very light, much lighter then the previous test... what do i do? am i pregnant?
I took 6 pregnancy test,5 came back that i was pregnant and one came back that I wasn't
went to the doctors and had a blood test and I'm NOT PREGNANT THATS RIGHT NOT PREGNANT.
I'm a nurse and I did take the test right
the thing is most test have to be used within a 6 month period after being made
not all girls know that
thats why most get a negative result
I had my period on time but it only lasted 2days (normally last's around 4. A few days latter i experinced some spotting that continued for around a week. ive done 6 test's over 3 days all using fmu and 2 (both clearblue) had very faint lines the others showed nothing. after about an hour the lines got darker and clearer. does this mean they could be evaporation lines?
im so confused!! I had a blood test today but have to wait upto 5days for the result.
My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant and I have been off the pill since April and my April, May and June periods were all 27 days apart so I was expecting my period on July 19th. A few days before that my breats started getting sore (which was not a normal pre-menstrual symptom for me) and I was very tired and my period did not come and 3 urine tests were negative. Still hopefull, I went to the doctor and took a blood test which was negative. My period then arrived late on the 23rd, which is very uncommon as I have neve been late before. But then I started spotting again a week later on August 1st. The first thing that came to mind was perhaps implantation bleeding but the timing wasn't right for that to be possible based on when I ovulated. So then I wondered if I had an early miscarriage. Today, I took another urine test and there is a VERY faint pink line. Could I be pregnant? I am concerned that something may be wrong?
hii...i had periods on 10th of june,later again i had mid term periods on 25th of june,i had than sonography done on 20th of july and the reports showed that i will ovulate in 1 or 2 days,after that i did a pregnancy test on 1st august and the test came positive,but it showed a faint line later i again tested on 5th aug but it showed faint line,i had my blood test done and it showed 179hcg level,whether every thing is normal or the levels are very low,please help me out
Laura, I am going through the exact same thing right now. How did things turn out for you? I saw a faint line last month and got my period a little over a week later. The doc said my hormone levels weren't doubling. So we tried again this month and I saw another faint line. I am only 2 days past my expected period and I don't have any other pregnancy symptoms. I have a little cramping- it by no means hurts but I have some regular back-ache. I'm going today to get my bloodwork done, so that we can monitor it. HOw did everything go with you last month?
My boyfriend and I have been doing some heavy praying for a baby. I had my tubes tied at 21 and now am 37. My period is now 49 days late, ive been throwing up and having some cramping but no period yet. I took a home preg test last night and got a very faint possitive line. It started to turn blue then went real faint the rest of the way.
Me and my husband have been trying to concieve for the past year and we were going to schedule an IUI this month because he has low sperm count and I sometimes have irregular periods. I have an appointment this morning with the specialist and i was supposed have my period by now and still have not gotten yet. I had some cramping 3 days ago which pretty much told me i was getting my period but i got nothing, no blood and no spotting. I just took 2 pregnancy tests and you can definitely see 2 lines but the second is a little faint? Do you think i can still be pregnant and have no symptoms either?
I have now taken 4 tests. 3 have shown a faint line which you can see in normal light but is faint so im hoping they are positive. one (more expensive test showed negative but then the control window hardly showed any colour either so I am assuming that one didnt work)
The 3 positive ones say you can test 4 days before period is due and the more expensive test was only 1 day before period is due,. I am wondering if the cheap tests are showing faint lines as im only just pregnant and therefoer HCG is low and the expensive one doesnt show yet as it too early or didnt work.
All this is doing my head in as despite spending lots of money on various tests we are still none the wiser!!! aaaggghhh
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