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One pregnancy test says positive. Another says negative. Or maybe your test is negative, but your period still hasn’t arrived, and you’re noticing symptoms that make you wonder if you could be pregnant.
Conflicting results can be frustrating, but there are several reasons they happen. Anderson Pregnancy Care offers pregnancy testing so you can get results you can trust. Schedule a free appointment today.
Start With When You Tested
Pregnancy tests detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced after a fertilized egg implants in the uterus. In early pregnancy, hCG starts at a low level and increases over time.
That means two tests taken several days apart can produce different results. If the first test was taken before or around the time your period was expected, there may not have been enough hCG in your urine yet.
For better accuracy, testing a day or two after your missed period is generally recommended. If you receive a negative result but your period still doesn’t begin, wait a few days and test again.
Look at How You Took the Test
Timing isn’t the only reason results can differ. How you use a home pregnancy test matters, too.
Drinking a large amount of water beforehand can dilute your urine and make hCG harder to detect. Testing first thing in the morning may help because your urine is typically more concentrated then.
Check the expiration date and follow the instructions for your specific test. Reading the result too early or after the recommended time window can also leave you unsure of what you’re seeing.
What About a Positive Followed by a Negative?
Although less common, a positive result followed by a negative one can occur.
One possible explanation for a false-positive result is a very early pregnancy loss. hCG may remain detectable for some time after a pregnancy has stopped developing, meaning an earlier test could still show positive.
Certain fertility drugs containing hCG can also affect pregnancy test results. If you’re receiving fertility treatment, ask your healthcare provider how the drugs you’re taking could influence testing.
When Your Results Still Don’t Make Sense
If you’ve tested more than once and the results still conflict, you don’t have to keep buying home tests and guessing.
Professional pregnancy testing can give you another source of information, and if you receive a positive result, you’ll need to gather additional details. An ultrasound can provide information that a pregnancy test cannot, including where a pregnancy is located and how far along you are. We offer free limited ultrasounds following a positive pregnancy test with us.
Schedule an initial appointment with Anderson Pregnancy Care today for free pregnancy testing. Getting reliable information will help you better understand what your body is telling you.
