Possible Reasons

Is It True?

A false positive happens when a woman is not pregnant, but the test says that she is. This can happen for a variety of reasons. The most common cause of a false positive is that the test is defective. This is extremely rare, but in some cases, a test can just malfunction and give inaccurate results.

You can also get a false positive if you are taking fertility medications that alter your hormone levels. Home pregnancy tests work by detecting HCG in your urine. If a woman took injections of the HCG hormone to force ovulation in an attempt to get pregnant, this can cause a home pregnancy test to show a positive result even if she is not really pregnant.

Am I Pregnant?

You could also get a false positive if you have been pregnant recently. Some women may test positive on a home pregnancy test for a few days or even weeks following a miscarriage. The length of time that the HCG hormone will remain in your urine depends largely on how far along in your pregnancy you were. As your pregnancy progresses, the hormone level gradually rises. After the pregnancy ends, it gradually falls.

You can also get inaccurate test results if you do not take the home pregnancy test properly. Many women just assume that they are taking a test correctly, but they have never even taken the time to read the instructions. You should always test first thing in the morning when your urine is most concentrated. Check for the test results in the first few minutes or according to the manufacturer instructions.

Teststrip

Home pregnancy tests (HPTs) can be found almost anywhere. These tests measure the level of the pregnancy hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in a woman’s urine. HCG becomes present in urine shortly after fertilization and is secreted by the placenta. Most doctor offices also use urine tests to check for pregnancy, although they can also use blood tests, which are less sensitive but more accurate. Inaccuracies found in home pregnancy tests are usually caused by failure to follow the instructions provided. Some tips to follow to insure proper use of a home pregnancy test are:

• First morning urine is ideal for the most accurate home pregnancy test results.
• Read all of the instructions provided with the test and follow them carefully.
• Drinking large amounts of water right before bed or during the night can dilute the urine sample that you take in the morning.
• Try holding the urine for a while before using the test.
• Do not try to read the test results after the specified time in the instructions; a lot of times this reading will be inaccurate.
• Contact your doctor if you are currently taking any medications, as those that contain HCG can lead to a false positive result.
• Check the expiration date on the package to make sure that it is not expired, especially if you have been hanging onto it for a while.

Doctors recommend that you wait at least two weeks after the missed menstruation to take a home pregnancy test. However, some tests are more sensitive than others, and if used correctly, home pregnancy tests are 97% accurate. Most tests include information concerning the lowest level of concentration of HCG that the test can detect. For example, a test that claims to be able to detect HCG at 30mIU/ml would be considered more sensitive than a test that claims to be able to detect HCG at 50mIU/ml.

The Uses Of An Online Pregnancy Test

Blue Lines

When you suspect that you are expecting for the first time, you may not want to start telling people about it just yet, in case you are mistaken. It is common to experience pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and vomiting that are common to other conditions too and you may not want to get excited just yet. An online pregnancy test will be able to give you a probable result.

Professional Test

A medical confirmation is necessary to confirm your suspicions, even if the outcome of the probably assessment is positive. Blood and urine tests are done to confirm it medically. However, if you think you may be mistaken, using the online probability quiz will give you a good idea.

These tests usually consist of a list of questions, which you will have to answer. They will relate to your age, the date of your last menstrual period, your ovulation date and the date of your last normal period. It may also ask about symptoms that you are experiencing such as nausea and more.

If the test is positive, you could use a home mid-stream device to confirm it. They are sold at most drugstores. The results are usually 98% accurate as they test the hormone levels in the urine.

Be wary of certain sites that claim that if you sit really still, the software will do a scan to see if you are pregnant. Invariably, the result will be positive. They will then tell you whether you are expecting a boy or a girl and allow you to select a probable daddy. They go as far as allowing you to print out a birth certificate. This is clearly a hoax. Only a medical test can predict with 100% accuracy whether you are expecting.

Some sites allow you to work out an estimated delivery date if you are reasonably sure that you are pregnant. Once your free online pregnancy test and your midstream test have confirmed your suspicion, you can head on over to your doctor to take care of the rest.