I've had positive, faint positive, and negative pregnancy tests. Do HCG levels fluctuate?

You mentioned that you've gotten a positive pregnancy test result, a light positive, and then a negative, and you're wondering what's going. And I can understand why you're confused with all those conflicting results. The most important thing to take from this is that you have had a positive result. That, in and of itself, is enough reason to call your doctor and let them know what you've been seeing. And based on their ability to ask you more specific questions and to even perform an exam, they'll decide if another test is necessary. They'll likely bring you into the office, have you do another urine test, and based on those results, they'll be able to settle this for you once and for all.

Here's a little bit about how home pregnancy tests work versus blood tests, and how it's all related to HCG, or the hormone that the test is detecting. So when you get pregnant, your body starts to release a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG. And these levels rise exponentially until around 8 to 11 weeks gestation when they peak. Levels don't go up and then down, and then up and then down - they should be on an upwards curve. A home urine test is detecting that in the urine, and this usually can't be detected until 2 weeks from conception. It's not high enough at that point. But a blood test is more sensitive. It can usually detect pregnancy as early as about a week after conception. And of course, a urine test only gives you a positive or a negative. A light positive doesn't mean that HCG levels are necessarily lower or anything like that. But a blood test can tell you either positive or negative, but a doctor can also order a more specific test that actually gives you an HCG level. And if they suspect that there might be complications with the pregnancy, they'll typically do a blood draw on one day, and then 2 days later, draw your blood again and compare the results. And the HCG levels should be climbing. If they're not climbing fast enough, they're staying the same, or they're going backwards, then complications are suspected.

Now for you, if you are actually pregnant, then there are a few things that could affect your results. For one, it's the timing in relation to conception. So I mentioned before that the soonest a home pregnancy test can detect HCG in the urine is about 2 weeks from conception. So if a woman takes a test to early or too soon, then it's very possible that she's seeing false negatives. And so the best rule of thumb is to wait until your period should start, and then if it doesn't, then it's time to take a test. But even if that one is negative, you haven't started bleeding, in another 5 to 7 days, it's best to retest again and see what that result is, just in case the first one was taken a little bit too early.

Another factor that can affect pregnancy test results is the time of day that you take the test, especially in the early weeks when you're just on that border of the test being able to read positive or negative anyway. Urine is most concentrated in the morning, so it's best to take a home pregnancy test first thing in the morning. If you take it later in the day when your urine is more diluted, especially if you had a lot to drink or something, it's possible to get a false negative or even a lighter positive, because, remember, it's just detecting the presence of HCG.

A third factor that could affect these things is when you read the pregnancy test results. The manufacturers of most home pregnancy tests say that you should read it within a 3 to 5 minute window, and if you read it outside of those parameters, then those results aren't reliable. So some girls let it sit on the toilet, initially it was negative, and then they come back an hour or 2 later and it looks slightly positive, those results can't be relied upon, and a pregnancy test should be repeated in another 5 to 7 days to see what the results actually are.

[chosen.forgiven.blessed]

It’s so important to mention early pregnancy test should be done under the same conditions. You can’t take one test on an 8 hour hold with no fluids and then take another one the same or next day on a 4 hour hold and expect a consistent result.

[tawanamiller]

Hello I’m Tawana and after my last baby I lost my uterus and I have faith I can have more blessings amen I took 3 pregnancy tests and it show I’m pregnant because of the faith of GOD I’m pregnant with my miracle Blessing’s amen hallelujah 🙌🏽🙏🏽💖

[pratibhanaikwadi]

Had positive pregnancy test and then faint positive, what it means?

[michellefranklin]

Sunday testimony congratulation married couple at 1

[amandadean]

I got positive pregnancy test on friday but I have underactive thyroid which is treated could this give me false readings

[hyunjaekang]

hi i have a question pls help me answer it.. huhuhu i take pt this morning and had a faint line but why is it moving and stop and moving again until it lost.. huhuhu i thought its positive

[gloriacastillo]

Yes cause u have to have 1 to 5 and I had 0 so yes u might be u should ask ur doctor

[Alexia-tooe]

How do you determine the DPO? If you don't know when exactly you ovulated? Today is Oct 10 and my period is due Oct 15th, i took a preg test from the dollar store and I got a faint line positive. Could I be pregnant? Just early to test with a strong line? Same thing happened to me last month. I except I tested a day before my period and it was a faint line and then I got my period the next day!

[roxannahtx]

Has anyone ever got a dot where the second line should be???

[brookebenton]

I had this recently and it ended up being a chemical pregnancy. I missed a period and on the next scheduled period had a terrible one with huge clots and heavy flow. For anyone reading this I started taking bupropion (for depression) around the time this happened. I found out later it can affect hormones (no one told me this). I don't know if it caused me to lose the pregnancy, but please be careful!! Hopefully this message helps someone❤

[gracegamit]

good day ! i have a question pls help me to answer this coz im totally curious .first i have miscarriage last may 23 and then i got possitive pt on june and i got bleeding and back to negative pt another possitive test on july then got bleeding again and back to negative pt my god ! i really dont know what really happening to me now i take a test again while on my period its possitive faint result.pls help me thanks and god bless you

[funfunsize]

I don't have a period on the shot supposed to get it the 15th got faint positive

[JaneCooper]

I drink ALOT of water, and my test line came up extremely light, but the day before was almost as dark as the control window, again, I do drink ALOT of water, so could it be that the reason the test line can be lighter, and if it continues to be lighter does that definitely mean you'll miscarry

[amberosepearson]

I had faint positive a week ago and then a positive and then back to faints and negitive digitals

[elizabethunger]

The earliest to take a test is definitely not 2 weeks from conception for some women. I got my first obvious positive with my son at 9 dpo. Positive digital and positive blood test the next day with hcg at 33.

[bahamas]

In may or just i had three postive. And now i took on in november same year on the 26 i got three postive and now it neg this happen to me twice already this year.

[tanvikhillare]

Hello mam
I m Little bit confused can u help me???

[georginalench]

I took a pregnancy test 2 days before my period and got a faint line (11 DPO) I took another one on 12 DPO and then got a negative and had brown spotting when I wiped but only the once. I had a really sharp pain in my pelvis area on the right side which I usually experience when I ovulate 😕 what does this mean?

[nikhitharangu]

I got positive first bt after a week its negative may I know the reason n am I pregnant r not??

[bh]

I got a faint positive yesterday and two negatives, and a faint positive today, waiting for these blood tests is so hard