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One of the very first signs that a woman might come across that indicates pregnancy is the most obvious of all – missing your period! While there is an ample number of reasons including the imbalance of hormones, it is always recommended to be sure of the cause.
What you might want to do instead is to get yourself a home pregnancy test in order to be sure. There are many available in the market for you to pick from, make sure to check the directions well before you begin your home pregnancy test.
It is also a must in case you have very early pregnancy symptoms alongside the miss, such as implantation bleeding, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, tender breasts, etc.
While some pregnancy tests are rather sensitive as compared to others, the accuracy of the tests becomes easier to detect several days prior to a missed period.
While you’re waiting for the results, there is a fair chance of you being confused and not jumping in excitement from one place to the other. Why? This is caused due to the faint positive line.
In general, conditions, when a home pregnancy test shows one line, it means that the test is negative and you’re not pregnant, whereas, two lines mean positive, you are a to-be parent. The faint positive, however, is a result window that can leave you scratching your head.
Nevertheless, a faint positive line is common and could mean a lot of things, let’s find out what;
Extremely Faint Line On Pregnancy Test: What Does It Mean?
Here are a few possible explanations on what the very faint line could mean in a pregnancy test:
1. You’re Pregnant - One Faint Line On Early Pregnancy Test
This is one of the possible reasons for a faint line! While taking your home pregnancy test, in some cases you might come across this faint line, that could be a strong indication and a possibility of you being pregnant.
While some are able to see clear distinguishable positive lines after the home test, there are others who might not. Nevertheless, the positive line could also at times seem to be a bit faded.
Here, in situations like these, a faint positive has a high possibility of being caused due to low levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG, or as known as the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
This is because, as soon as you become pregnant, the body slowly starts to produce hCG, a pregnancy hormone that is known to increase as and when the pregnancy progresses. Adding on, these home pregnancy hormones help detect hCG, also showing results of pregnancy.
Designed to detect the hormone, these pregnancy home tests analyze the urine for hCG. As per the level, it is either positive or negative, in order words, the more the level of hCG the easier they could reflect the positive line on a home test.
Most women choose to take their home pregnancy test quite early in their pregnancies, that is, before or shortly after the first missed period. Although the presence of hCG in the urine is there, the levels are quite low as compared to when taken later in time, reflecting on the pregnancy stick as a faint line. This means the woman is pregnant, but not quite far along in their pregnancy.
2. You’re Not Pregnant - Faint Line On Pregnancy Test
Having stated the above, it should be noted that it isn’t always true for the faint line to detect a positive result- that means, a faint line in your pregnancy test might not always mean that you are pregnant, in fact, it might only be the evaporation line, mostly confused with the faint line.
Misleading in most cases, the evaporation line is reflected in the results, as and when the urine evaporates from the home pregnancy stick. Most women often confuse themselves between evaporation and a faint line seen on the pregnancy sticks, let alone determining if it’s positive or just a line that can be ignored.
In order to know the difference between the two, the primary differentiator is that the evaporation lines reflect on the home pregnancy sticks in the test window that are minutes later after the recommended time for the results, whereas, on the other hand, a faint line appears on the stick much sooner.
If you take a home pregnancy test, it’s important to read and carefully follow the instructions. The package will let you know when to check your test results, which can be within three to five minutes, depending on the manufacturer.
In case you checked the pregnancy stick results within the time recommended and then see a positive faint line, then, in this case, you’re likely pregnant. However, on the other hand, if you miss the window for checking the results and you don’t check the test until 10 minutes later, a faint line may be an evaporation line, which means you’re not pregnant.
If there’s any confusion about whether a faint line is a positive line or an evaporation line, retake the test. If possible, wait two or three days before taking another one. If you are pregnant, this gives your body additional time to produce more of the pregnancy hormone, which can result in a clear, undeniable positive line.
It also helps to take the home pregnancy test first thing in the morning. The less diluted your urine, the better. Make sure you check the results within the appropriate time to avoid confusion between an evaporation line and a positive line.
3. You Were Pregnant - Very Faint Line On Pregnancy Test
Apart from the straight “yes” or “no,” a faint line can also indicate an unfortunately early loss or miscarriage, also known as a chemical pregnancy. This generally occurs anytime in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy, often even earlier.
This is why, when a woman takes a home pregnancy test after the early miscarriage, the results on the stick might include a faint positive line. This is because of the body residue left of the pregnancy hormone in your body, irrespective of the fact of you not expecting any more.
Early pregnancy loss could also be accompanied by bleeding similar to the menstrual cycle with light cramping. Either or both can be expected around the time of the next period, this is why in most cases early pregnancy is not noticed.
With no specific treatment available, the best you could do is to consult a doctor in case your suspect a miscarriage.
Note, early pregnancy losses are quite common and occur in about 50-75% of all miscarriages. Usually caused due to abnormalities in the fertilized egg. The good news, however, is that the women with an early pregnancy loss would not have problems conceiving later when needed. Many of those have also reported having healthy babies, eventually.
Faint Line On Pregnancy Test: How To Avoid Getting A Faint Line On The Pregnancy Test?
Here are a few ways to help you avoid getting the faint line on the home pregnancy test:
1. Go Digital
The best way to avoid getting a faint line on your pregnancy test is by using a digital pregnancy test. This helps spell the result instantly with no time and space for the test to read faint lines
2. Following The Manufacturer’s Instructions
The most obvious way to eliminate the occurrence of the faint line in your pregnancy test is by following the manufacturer’s instructions for the test, which is of extreme importance. There are many tests available in the market space that carry different sensitivities, that is the level of hormone detection, while also adding some that are suitable for testing before the missed period and others that are not. Reading the manual will help you read it thoroughly and understand the right way for better and more accurate results.
3. Early Morning Tests
Doing a test first thing in the morning. This is best as the levels of hCG are rather more concentrated than otherwise.
4. Avoid Too Much Water
It is best to avoid drinking too much water until the test is done. Drinking a lot of liquid right before the test could have a chance of diluting the level of hCG.
Having said it all, in case you still find a faint line on your home pregnancy test and are not sure of the next steps, we’d recommend you to take the test again in a few days to help detect the right amount of hCG levels. Even after that if things don’t seem to work, consult your doctor.
Faint Line On Pregnancy Test Final Conclusion
No doubt, taking pregnancy tests at home would be inviting a little commotion and confusion, but in most cases, it’s just ok to have the tests done at home as they are mostly accurate. In case you are unsure and would want to have a doctor review the situation, it is best to consult one and not be troubled throughout.
You could also choose to request your doctor for an in-office pregnancy test. The doctor can take the sample of urine or blood for a more accurate determination.
The silver line here is to keep yourself in check and be rest assured of your choice, be it pregnancy or no pregnancy. There is always a next time!
Faint Line On Pregnancy Test FAQs
1) How often is it recommended for women to take a pregnancy test, that is if they are trying to conceive?
There are many tests that are extremely sensitive with it reflecting a positive result, which, in most cases, is generally positive, but it’s always best to check.
Coming to the question, if you are still unsure, it’s best to take at least 2-3 days of repeat, if not then choose to have an in-office urine or blood test, that is, in the presence of the doctor.
