If your period is late and you are starting to feel nauseous, your breasts are sore, or you feel like you have to pee all the time, you may be pregnant. Taking a pregnancy test is always a good idea, but sometimes they are expensive and confusing. In this blog, we hope to provide some clarity. However, if you want to have a medical professional help you determine your pregnancy, we can do that too. Skip to the bottom of this article to find out how to get the help you need.
What Are Pregnancy Test Lines? Pregnancy tests tend to be all about lines. Certain line alignments display the result of the test. However, some tests display symbols such as positive or negative symbols.
The lines have particular colors and designs and a specific manner of estimating hCG levels depending on the brand. hCG is often called the pregnancy hormone because it is made by cells formed in the placenta. A pregnancy test measures the level of hCG, which determines if you are pregnant or not.
Because of this, it is important to purchase pregnancy tests from the same brand. Each brand will have unique timing, sensitivities, and accuracy. Getting the same kind of test is essential.
If you are not satisfied with one test, buy two, but make sure you do the same process for the second test as the first one. Follow all the directions exactly. For instance, if you took a pregnancy test, you should repeat the same process when repeating the second test the next morning.
What do the two lines mean? Not all pregnancy tests are the same. For example, some are more sensitive than others. Meaning, they can detect a pregnancy a few days before a missed period very accurately. But after taking a pregnancy test, you may get confused when noticing a faint positive line.
In most pregnancy tests, one single line means the test is negative, and you are not pregnant. Two lines indicate the test is positive, and you are pregnant. What happens when the second line is faint? Keep reading!
What are faint lines on the pregnancy tests? It doesn’t matter whether it’s lighter or darker in color. When the second line isn’t noticeable on a pregnancy test, it generally means you’re not pregnant. However, when the second line is almost unnoticeable, and this happens, you may end up throwing away the pregnancy test without even realizing you are pregnant.
Other times, you may doubt and agonize over whether you are seeing that second line or not. If you notice a faint second line, but you are not quite sure if it’s actually there, get a second opinion from your partner or friend.
Additionally, you should know, if you wait longer than the recommended interval of time to check, you may notice a faint line. However, this doesn’t always mean you’re pregnant. This line could be the evaporation line. These lines occur on such tests when the urine sample starts drying out and evaporates. The evaporation will create a shadow on the pregnancy test, which results in a fake positive result. Therefore, reading and following the instructions for each test is imperative!
If all this is too much work for you, why not come to the Women’s Choice Resource Center and we can oversee your pregnancy test and perform an ultrasound. You can make an appointment online, or give us a call at 817-736-1905!
