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by Polly Logan-Banks | It's possible. Some home pregnancy tests are sensitive enough to detect tiny amounts of pregnancy hormones in your system, even before you have missed a period. To get a positive result, you need to be making a detectable level of a pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The more sensitive a pregnancy test is, the earlier it will show a positive result. It'll depend on how much hCG your body is producing too, as every woman's response to pregnancy is individual. If your home test shows only a faint positive, it may not be sensitive enough to give you a clear answer. Check the side of the box to find out what your test's sensitivity is. For example, a test with a sensitivity of 10mIU/ml (milli-International Units per millilitre) will tell if you're pregnant sooner than a test with a sensitivity of 25mIU/ml. You may get a faint positive because you're not as far along with the pregnancy as you expected. Sperm can live inside your body for up to seven days, waiting for an egg to be released. So depending on when you ovulate, you could get pregnant up to a week after having sex. Alternatively, your fertilised egg may not have implanted in your womb as quickly as expected. Another possible explanation is what's known as an "evaporation line". This is a faint line that can appear as urine evaporates from the test, and it means you're not pregnant. The instructions that come with the test will tell you how long to wait before checking the results. If the faint line appeared a few minutes after this time, it's possible that it's just an evaporation line. If you get a faint positive, you could try again using a digital pregnancy test. These are easier to interpret than a faint line, as they state whether or not you are pregnant. However, if you're testing early on, their accuracy still depends on the sensitivity of the test. Alternatively, you could try taking another test in three days' time. If you are pregnant, and your body is making the normal amount of hCG, the test should be clearly positive by the time your period is due. These early days while you wait to find out whether or not you are expecting can be an emotional rollercoaster. Unfortunately, it is possible to have a faint positive, only to get a negative when you retest a few days later. If this happens to you, it may be that you have had a very early miscarriage. Sadly, miscarriages are very common, with a quarter of pregnancies thought to be affected. Learn more about early miscarriage. One of the downsides of having such sensitive pregnancy tests is that, for some women, they may raise false hopes. When tests were not as highly sensitive to hormonal changes, very early miscarriages would simply go unnoticed. However hard it is, it may be sensible to wait until the day your period is due before testing. That way, you can be more sure of the results. Still not sure what your faint line means? Get a second opinion (or two, or three…) by posting a photo of the test in our Line Eyes community group. Or learn more about pregnancy tests:
Polly Logan-Banks is an experienced editor with a keen interest in producing evidence-based content. Polly is passionate about ensuring that every child gets the best start in life. Could you be pregnant? Get answers to common questions about home pregnancy tests. By Mayo Clinic StaffTaking a home pregnancy test can be nerve-wracking, especially if you're not sure you can trust the results. Know when and how to take a home pregnancy test — as well as some of the possible pitfalls of home testing. When should I take a home pregnancy test?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. Why wait? Shortly after a fertilized egg attaches to your uterine lining (implantation), the placenta forms and produces the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). This hormone enters your bloodstream and urine. During early pregnancy, the HCG concentration increases rapidly — doubling every two to three days. The earlier you take the home pregnancy test, the harder it might be for the test to detect HCG. Keep in mind that the timing of your ovulation might vary from month to month, and the fertilized egg can implant in the uterus at different times. This can affect the timing of HCG production and when it can be detected. If your periods are irregular, you might miscalculate when your period is due. If it's important to confirm your pregnancy right away and depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, your health care provider might recommend that you have an ultrasound, repeat a urine test at a lab or have a blood test to measure your HCG levels. Are there different types of home pregnancy tests?With most tests, you place the end of a dipstick in your urine stream or dip the dipstick in a container of collected urine. A few minutes later, the dipstick reveals the test result — often as a plus or a minus sign, one line or two lines, or the words "pregnant" or "not pregnant" on a strip or screen. Follow the test instructions for how long to wait before checking results — usually two or more minutes. Most tests also have a control indicator — a line or symbol that appears in the result window. If the line or symbol doesn't appear, then the test isn't working properly. Try again with another test. Some home pregnancy tests are more sensitive than others. In other words, the amount of HCG needed to be detected in the urine to produce a positive test result is lower in some tests. Always check the test's expiration date and read the instructions carefully before you take the test. How accurate are home pregnancy tests?Many home pregnancy tests claim to be 99 percent accurate. However, home pregnancy tests differ in the ability to diagnose pregnancy in women who have recently missed a period. If you have a negative test but think you might be pregnant, repeat the test one week after your missed period or talk to your health care provider. Could medications interfere with test results?Fertility drugs or other medications that contain HCG might interfere with home pregnancy test results. However, most medications, including antibiotics and birth control pills, don't affect the accuracy of home pregnancy tests. Could a positive result be wrong?Although rare, it's possible to get a positive result from a home pregnancy test when you're not actually pregnant. This is known as a false-positive. A false-positive might happen if you had a pregnancy loss soon after the fertilized egg attached to your uterine lining (biochemical pregnancy) or you take a pregnancy test too soon after taking a fertility drug that contains HCG. An ectopic pregnancy, menopause or problems with your ovaries also might contribute to misleading test results. Could a negative result be wrong?It's possible to get a negative result from a home pregnancy test when you're actually pregnant. This is known as a false-negative. You might get a false-negative if you:
What happens next?Based on your test results, consider taking the following steps:
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