Faint positive 3 days after missed period

While taking a home pregnancy test is quite simple, sometimes the result can cause confusion. One typical situation is when a person gets a faint positive line. Even if the line is faint, it is likely that pregnancy has occurred.

Home pregnancy tests are a fairly accurate way to detect a pregnancy. Some tests are sensitive enough to detect a pregnancy up to 1 day after a missed period in some people.

In this article, you can find answers to some of the common questions about faint positive lines on home pregnancy tests.

There is a good chance that pregnancy did occur if a faint positive line appears on a home test.

Every pregnancy and pregnancy test is different. Some people have a noticeable dark line when they take a pregnancy test, while others notice more of a faint positive line. This is particularly true in early pregnancy when hormones levels are much lower.

Pregnancy tests measure levels of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG. The body produces more hCG after a fertilized egg implants in the wall of the womb.

Some medicines contain hCG as an active ingredient, and so taking these can potentially lead to a false positive test result.

Another possibility is a chemical pregnancy or very early miscarriage that occurs in the first 13 weeks after conception.

After a pregnancy loss, it takes some time for hCG levels to return to previous levels. Pregnancy tests measure hCG levels, and so taking a pregnancy test during this time will still give a positive result.

Only a doctor can work out whether a faint positive result is due to early pregnancy, medication, or a chemical pregnancy.

But, if a person gets a faint positive test result while they are bleeding, or they have a period, it may indicate a chemical pregnancy.

If a person suspects that they may be having a miscarriage or has questions about a faint positive pregnancy test, they should contact a doctor for advice.

An evaporation line is a type of false positive result that can occur with a pregnancy test.

If someone has left a pregnancy test for longer than advised, the urine on the stick begins to evaporate, which can cause the line to blur or look distorted.

In some cases, evaporation can make a single line resemble two different lines, giving a false “positive” result.

When taking a pregnancy test, it is essential that people read the instructions carefully. The instructions usually advise reading the results within a specific time after taking the test.

Learn more about evaporation lines here.

Once fertilization of an egg has occurred, and it implants into the uterine wall, the body begins to produce hCG. Home pregnancy tests detect the amount of this hormone that is present in the urine.

Immediately after conception, the hCG levels are quite low. In a healthy pregnancy, the levels of the hormone should double every 2 to 3 days.

While the line might be faint at the very beginning of pregnancy, as time goes on and the pregnancy advances, the line that the test produces should get darker and more apparent.

Share on PinterestA person should contact a doctor after a second positive test.

A person who gets a faint positive home pregnancy test result should wait a few days and then repeat the test. If the test is positive a second time, they should call their doctor and schedule an appointment.

If the test is negative and the individual has had a period, it is likely that they had an early miscarriage or chemical pregnancy.

Early miscarriages are common and do not usually impact a person’s ability to become pregnant later on.

A person should always call their doctor with questions about a faint positive pregnancy test or if they are concerned about a possible miscarriage. A urine or blood test can always be done at the doctor’s office as well.

If someone is currently taking medication that contains hCG as an active ingredient, it may be best if they have a pregnancy test in the doctor’s office instead of using a home test.

Sometimes, people can experience some vaginal bleeding after having a faint positive pregnancy test.

If the bleeding is light or similar to a period, they should call their doctor. If the bleeding is very heavy, for example, more than a pad or tampon in an hour, they should go to the emergency room immediately for a doctor to do an evaluation.

A faint positive home pregnancy test result can mean several different things. It often means that a person is pregnant, but there are several other outcomes.

Anyone with a faint positive result should wait a few days and retake the test. As always, it is best to call the doctor with any questions or concerns.

If a faint positive pregnancy test has you confused, we've got expert advice on how to find out for sure.

So you’ve peed on the stick of a home pregnancy test, and the line that comes up is so faint you have to squint to see it. What does it mean? Does a faint line on a pregnancy test mean you’re pregnant or not?

According to Yolanda Kirkham, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Women’s College Hospital and St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, testing too early could be one reason you get a faint positive pregnancy test. “There’s that old saying, ‘You can’t be a little bit pregnant’—but you can, and that’s what happens when you have a faint line,” she explains. What the test is measuring is how much of the pregnancy hormone beta hCG is present in your urine. The amount of this hormone doubles every two to three days until it stabilizes between 13 and 16 weeks of pregnancy.

In the very early days of a pregnancy, a test done later in the day may also produce a faint line because the hormone is more diluted by your fluid intake. And while modern tests can tell you if you’re pregnant as little as 10 days after fertilization—which is even before you miss a period, since a you ovulate 14 days before your period begins—Kirkham recommends waiting until seven to 10 days after a missed period to test, because many pregnancies don’t continue past the first several days. “When I see these commercials where they say, ‘Test and know as soon as you’re pregnant,’ I actually think it’s too early. You may lose it in a few days and just be really upset. There’s no need to test really soon. You’ll know if your period comes or not,” she says.

A faint line may also indicate what’s known as a chemical pregnancy, which is when you are no longer pregnant, but there is still enough beta hCG in your urine for a positive test. Kirkham says the raised hormone levels could last for weeks after a miscarriage. So, if you do get a faint line, Kirkham recommends waiting two or three days, then testing again. If it’s still faint, she suggests going to your family doctor for a blood test, which can measure the specific amount of beta hCG, to check if the pregnancy is progressing as it should.

If the faint line persists, your doctor may also order an ultrasound to date the pregnancy and rule out an ectopic pregnancy (where the fertilized egg attaches itself to the inside of a fallopian tube, rather than the uterine lining).

Knowing all this, should you just use a digital test to avoid all the confusion? Though digital tests, which offer a “yes” or “no” rather than a line, remove the possibility for ambiguity that comes with a faint line, they might give a “no” result when you are in the early days of a pregnancy because of the low levels of beta hCG in your urine. So, even if you get a “no,” test again if your period does not come on time.

Read more:
The best time to get pregnant
10 best fertility apps
5 reasons you’re not getting pregnant

See more on Getting Pregnant

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Will a pregnancy test be positive 3 days after missed period?

Many home pregnancy tests claim to be accurate as early as the first day of a missed period — or even before. You're likely to get more accurate results, however, if you wait until after the first day of your missed period.

Can you get a faint positive 2 days after missed period?

Some women take a home pregnancy test early in their pregnancies. They often take them before or shortly after their first missed period. Although hCG is present in their urine, they have a lower level of the hormone, resulting in a positive pregnancy test with a faint line.

Can you test negative 3 days after missed period and still be pregnant?

could i still be pregnant? If you take a pregnancy test after your period is late and get a negative result, you're unlikely to be pregnant. Home pregnancy tests are very accurate — about 99 percent — but a false negative is still possible. Try taking another pregnancy test in a day or two to double check.

How many days after conception can you get a faint positive?

(HCG can be detected in the blood about 11 days after conception and in urine about 12 to 15 days after conception.) If you saw a faint positive result and retested in a few days with a negative result (or you got your period after testing positive), you may have experienced a chemical pregnancy or early miscarriage.