So you think you might be pregnant. Luckily we live in the 21st century and there are many different tests available that you can easily take at home. They even give you quick and easy to understand results. Don’t they? Well they are supposed to at least.
Some boast to be so accurate that you don’t even have to wait until you missed a period to get a result. But sometimes the result on the test you took can look a little strange.
Even if you did wait after you missed a period you can still get a fuzzy line. You don’t want a pregnancy test to confuse you more. The reason you are taking this test in the first place is to be certain about whether you are expecting or not.
But what does it mean when there is a faint line, or a faint symbol on the test? Well, in this piece we will try to clarify this for you. We will cover some of the basic elements about pregnancy tests, so you will be able to know what is going on when the tests seems to be shirking its duty to tell you clearly what is happening.
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Pregnant or not
Most home tests will have two lines that can show up. The control line and the positive line. If you are not pregnant only the control line will be visible. But if you are pregnant the positive result line will show up as well. This line is usually clearly visible. So, what does a faint line mean? Well, basically that you are pregnant, but necessarily very far along.
An indication of a positive result, no matter how faint, is still a positive result. False positives are extremely rare, and if you have checked that any medication you may be taking cant mess with the results, the chance is even slimmer.
What is a faint line and what isn’t?
A faint line to someone might be a clear line to someone else. But a line that you can see even if it is really faint, is still a line and still an indication that there are hormones present. When a line is so faint that you can barely see it, and need to convince other people that it is really there.
The best thing to do will be to wait a day or two and do another test. That way you give your body time to generate more hormones, and you will get a more distinct line on the test.
Evaporation lines
There are other lines that can also cause some confusion when it comes to the results of a pregnancy test. The little buggers are evaporation lines and can also give you the wrong idea when it comes knowing if you are pregnant or not.
You might see a faint positive line on the test. You paid attention to what we said before, so that must mean that you are pregnant because the line is there. But unfortunately this is also not always true.
You might see a faint positive line and it will be a false positive. This is because of an evaporation line that has appeared. These faint lines usually appear after the time of the test results as passed. This is usually quite a few minutes after the result of the test should have clearly appeared.
The best way to be sure about the results you are seeing is to read the instructions of the specific test very carefully. The instructions should tell you when you will see the results. That way you will be able to recognize evaporation lines more easily.
Most tests like these should give clear results within three to five minutes. A faint line that shows up long after this time will most like be an evaporation line. Then it will mean that you are not pregnant.
You should also keep in mind that if you take the test earlier in the day, it will give more accurate results. The best time is actually to test first thing in the morning. Another factor that can have an influence on the results is if your urine is too diluted. If it is to dilute you probably should be able to attend.
Our Last words on the line
In this piece we have tried to make the lines a bit clearer for you. The most important things that you can keep in mind with pregnancy tests and their results are that you need to look at the instructions.
Then you also need to remember that a faint line, can mean that you are pregnant, but only if it showed up during the time the test says it should. If it shows up later it can be an evaporation line and that will mean that you are not pregnant.
If you have taken a test once or twice and you see a faint line but you are not sure if it really is a positive, visit your doctor who can help you with a more accurate test. A doctor can even do a blood test to show exactly if you are pregnant or not.
All in all, the best thing to do is to not believe the first test you take. Do one or two extra tests a few days apart so you can get a bit of a clearer idea. You could even use tests from different brands and see if they all give you the same result.
The best thing is to wait until you have skipped a period and then take a test or two. You can take a test before you miss a period, but the results are more likely to show a faint line.
Hopefully things are a little clearer when it comes to the lines on pregnancy tests. We hope you will be able to know from the lines you see if you are pregnant or not. So you can enjoy this phase of your journey without worrying about faint little lines.
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