Faint Line on Pregnancy Test

Pregnancy test kits are commonly available in drug stores. These test kits offer privacy, convenience and fast results. The only thing that you need to do to learn about your status on pregnancy is to follow all the instructions given on the kit well. Do exactly as the usage directions cited on the kit suggest and find out whether you are pregnant or not. So, you see how simple and easy it is to use these pregnancy test kits.

But there can be sometimes when the result obtained are a bit confusing. One of such cases is the formation of a faint line on pregnancy test. It leaves you wondering whether you are pregnant or not, whether you conducted the test properly or not, whether the kit was correct or not, and many more similar questions. Well, you have opened the right web page that gives you information that you can use to solve many of the queries running in your mind. Go through the given account and help yourself.

Pregnancy Test: An Introduction

The typical home pregnancy test is designed to detect the presence of a hormone called hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the woman's urine. It is the hormone that is released right after the zygote has left fallopian tube and attached to the uterine walls. The hCG is made by the cells of placenta. It is a structure that forms during pregnancy to nourish the developing fetus. When the concentration of hCG is above 25 ml per liter of urine, the pregnancy test kit declares the test as positive. The hCG appears soon after conception. Its level rises with the progression in the pregnancy developmental stages. Thus, hCG acts as an excellent marker for the detection of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Test: Usage Direction

To perform a home pregnancy test, you should use your very first urine in the morning. This is because, this urine contains high concentrations of hCG, and hence, gives you the most accurate result. Home pregnancy tests are of two types, dip tests and midstream tests. A dip type pregnancy test strip is used by dipping it in a container filled with your urine. On the other hand, a midstream pregnancy test is used by holding it in the midstream of urine. In order to get midstream, you should pee for a second, hold it, then again pee and this time on the pregnancy test kit. Many-a-times, the pregnancy test kit has 'C' mark on it. Formation of a red line on it indicates that the test has been carried in a proper way. Appearance of two pink lines indicates that you are pregnant while presence of a single pink line tells you that you are not.

Pregnancy Test: Causes of Faint Line

There can be several reason behind the appearance of a faint line on pregnancy test. The foremost cause is testing yourself for pregnancy too early, i.e., 6-7 days after sexual intercourse. At such a stage, the level of hCG is mostly not high enough to deliver a clear positive pregnancy test. Therefore, you should wait for at least 15 days or till you miss a period to get an accurate result and not a faint line on home pregnancy test.

Secondly, chemical pregnancy may be a factor that has led to the formation of a very faint line on pregnancy test. Chemical pregnancy is described as a pregnancy that lasts for a very short time period and is followed by miscarriage before any other pregnancy symptoms occur. Since, implantation of the fertilized ovum in the uterine lining had occurred, hCG was produced in the body. It is this hCG which is getting detected as a faint line on pregnancy test first response.

Thirdly, sensitivity of the home pregnancy test kit is another possible reason behind the appearance of a faint positive pregnancy test. The sensitivity of the pregnancy test kits differ from brand to brand. Some are designed to detect hCG levels as low as 20 milliliter per liter of urine while some are made to detect the concentration of urine as high as 50 milliliter per liter of urine. Here, the former type of pregnancy test kit is more sensitive than the latter as it can detect the hCG presence even in low concentrations. If you are using a home pregnancy test kit with less sensitivity, you may get a faint line even after 15-18 days of conception.

Fourthly, miscalculating the expected menstruation date is a possible cause of getting a faint line on pregnancy test kit. Majority of women think of running a pregnancy test after they miss their period on the expected day. If you belong to this category, then make sure that you calculate the expected menstruation dates accurately.

Fifthly, dilution of urine sample may give a faint line even if you are 15-20 days pregnant. As already mentioned, for getting an accurate result, you need to use the first morning urine as a sample. This is because, your urine gets diluted with frequency and consumption of water or any other liquid.

Sixthly, improper following of instructions can give a faint line on home pregnancy test kit. Usually, the time period between putting the sample urine in the kit and reading the result is 5 minutes. If you extend this time period by even a minute, you are most likely to get a faint line.

Finally, some medications can give false results in the form of a faint line on pregnancy test kit. These medicines usually contain hCG. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are not taking any such drugs for about a couple of days prior to performing the pregnancy test.

Most of the home pregnancy test kits are 95% accurate in delivering results. However, you can match their accuracy with that of clinical blood and urine tests. Therefore, it is never advisable to completely rely on the results obtained from the home pregnancy test kits. Rather, you should consult a medical professional for confirmation of any result, either positive or negative.