First response pregnancy test is a faint line: What does it mean?

Have you also experienced a blurred line on your first response pregnancy test? This faint line is perhaps a false negative or positive. Are you also wondering what is the explanation for the confusing pregnancy test result? We will answer that in this article. 

The 2 lines on pregnancy tests are often used to indicate the pregnancy test results. When 2 lines appear on a conventional pregnancy test, you are pregnant. When only one comes out, you’re negative and not expecting a child. But, there are also times when the first response pregnancy test faint or blurred line appears. What does this really mean?

Not all pregnancy tests are the same, the accuracy sometimes depends on the quality of the kit also. Some can say that you are pregnant in just a matter of days while some return a negative result even if you’re already past your first trimester.

Nevertheless, the confusion in pregnancy test results is often caused by a faint line on a pregnancy test after time or a faint line on a pregnancy test not getting darker. What is the reason behind this occurrence?

First response pregnancy test faint line: What does this mean?

1. You may be pregnant

Yes, even if the lines’ appearance is very faint, you might still be bearing a fetus inside you. 

Pregnancy tests are designed to look for the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). This hormone begins to be released by the body as soon as a woman becomes pregnant. Its levels continue to rise as the pregnancy progresses. As its urine levels also increase, the line becomes clearer in pregnancy tests.

When you are only a few days pregnant, HCG levels in your body may not be enough for a clear line. This is the reason why the positive pregnancy test in hand is still blurry. If you want to have the best result, you should wait longer for your HCG level to rise. 

However, even if the rates are still low, they can be detected by some pregnancy tests. Due to the low presence of HCG, the line that will tell you might be extremely faint and being pregnant may not always be clear. Even so, it still means positive.

2. Read your test results within the said time frame

Wait for it.

Unbeknownst to most, pregnancy tests have a so-called evaporation line this is why many have been confused with their results. This is the line that comes out over time as the urine evaporates. This causes confusion because it appears long after the result is seen as negative.

There is a recommended time for the pregnancy test result to be accurate. Read the instructions on the pregnancy test package each kit has instructions on how many minutes before the result comes out.

Usually, it is focused on not just how long it takes to get the right result. You should be following this instruction to know the more accurate result. You can clock in with your watch to ensure the most accurate time to see the result.

After the usual 10 minutes, what is seen here may not be precise. These are the times to start seeing a faint line on the pregnancy test evaporation line.

3. It is too early to tell (HCG levels still too low)

As mentioned, the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone is the main key for your pregnancy test to know if you are pregnant. The levels of HCG increase as the pregnancy progresses, meaning that the longer you wait the more accurate result you can get.  

If you got a faded line on your pregnancy test it means that the hCG concentration may not have reached levels to tell you are pregnant. The best option you can have is to wait a week and try again.

4. Your urine is diluted

You may have heard that it is good to stay hydrated always. Yes, this is true, but if you are going to take a pregnancy test you need to avoid your urine being too diluted.

The kit will have a hard time determining your hCG levels if your urine mixes with other liquid you are taking. This is one of the reasons why you can experience faded lines even if you are pregnant.

Professional experts recommend taking the pregnancy test in the morning as this is the time when a person’s urine is most concentrated.

5. You suffered a miscarriage

Unfortunately, one of the possible reasons why pregnancy test result has one very light line in appearance is because of early miscarriage or chemical pregnancy. This faded line is caused by hCG in your body that gradually decreases because you are already suffering from stillbirth.

You may experience bleeding during periods. If you try to take a pregnancy test at this time, you may see a faint line.

Such events are caused by an abnormality in the fertilized egg. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you won’t get pregnant again. In fact, many who have experienced chemical pregnancies have been followed by vigorous subsequent pregnancies.

6. Menopause

Menopause is the stage when a woman is at a point in time where it is already 12 months after her last period. While the years leading up to this phase is called the menopausal transition or perimenopause. This transition usually begins between the ages of 45 to 55.

If a woman in perimenopause or menopause does not menstruate and undergoes a pregnancy test, the results might be confusing. It may be rare but sometimes you will see two visible lines in the pregnancy kit indicating that you are positive for pregnancy. This may be a false positive, the results are due to the abnormal increase in luteinizing hormone levels.

7. You are taking fertility medication

A pregnancy test results faint line or false positives can be caused by traces of fertility drugs or other drugs that contain HCG. If you receive an HCG injection as part of fertility care, the HCG level can remain high for at least seven days after even if you are not pregnant. Consult with your doctor what are the steps you should do in order to know if you are really pregnant. 

8. You may be sick

A pregnancy test positive faint line may be the result of you having a disease. Experts say that it is very rare but some diseases such as cancer may interfere with your body’s hormonal production. This is the reason why you get incorrect and inaccurate pregnancy test results.

If you are not sexually active and you missed your period thinking that you may be pregnant, it is still best to consult your OB-Gyne, trusted medic, or doctor. This also lets you know if you are really sick.

9. The pregnancy test is expired

There is a high chance that the result will not match whether you are pregnant or not if the pregnancy test has expired. Sometimes you will also experience a no line in the pregnancy test because it is not working properly.

Be sure to double-check if it has not expired and then undergo another pregnancy test for a more accurate result. Make sure to take another one that is not expired already. 

Also, don’t forget to read the instruction on the pregnancy test package in order for you to know what is the best way to know the results. 

An unclear pregnancy test result is usually not negative – because it detects HCG – but it may indicate a false positive for actual pregnancy or early pregnancy loss. You may also get a false negative result.

How to read pregnancy test and how it works

Home pregnancy tests work by determining the level of hCG in the first trimester of pregnancy. Pregnancy tests that detect HCG even when its level is low are more likely to show that you are positively pregnant.

The body’s HCG level rises rapidly in the first trimester, usually doubling every 48-72 hours. By the end of the first trimester, HCG decreases.

The hCG level is very low the day before and after the first missed period. Also, these levels can vary with each woman in the early pregnancy period. Some naturally have lower HCG levels than others.

According to a study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the average concentrated HCG in the urine is at 9 days after ovulation. This could be more or less 5 days before your missed period. 

Most early-result pregnancy tests will only detect hCG when it rises to 25 mIU/ml or higher, which usually occurs on the 11th day. On the 14th day, the HCG level is usually at 137 mIU/ml. For some women, it can be as low as 45 mIU/ml.

Because HCG rises very rapidly in the early days of pregnancy, having the wrong ovulation day of 1-2 days can affect the pregnancy test result.

A woman who believes she is on the 11th day of pregnancy can usually expect a suitable result, but if she is on the 9th day, the test may not be definitive yet.

False negatives are more common than false positives. If the result is negative, it is a good idea to take another pregnancy test in a few days, to give the HCG level a chance to rise.

Faint line on a pregnancy test after time? How do you confirm if it’s positive or negative?

Does the pregnancy test result has fading lines? If you are unsure of the result of the test you did, don’t worry there are several ways to confirm it. Here are the following things you can do:

Repeat the pregnancy test

Many women are doing this, some even get tested 10 times just to confirm. If the first time you took the test has a faded line or the other line has a very light color, it is best to repeat it.

You can wait after a few days before taking another one. This will give you enough time for HCG levels to rise further if you are pregnant. As such, it is possible to provide a clear line that will not cause confusion if you are really bearing a child or not. 

Take a blood test for HCG

To know the best result, you should always consult your doctor. One way to check if you are pregnant is to take a blood test for the levels of hCG in your body.

Your doctor can tell from the results what your pregnancy is really like. However, it may be necessary to do this several times to see the change in such hormones.

Undergo a transvaginal ultrasound

Transvaginal ultrasound or also called endovaginal ultrasound means through the vagina.  It sees into internal examination to be even more specific. This procedure will take a look at the female pelvis.

This is usually done in the first two months of the suspected pregnancy. It can also monitor the heartbeat of the fetus growing inside you, identify any abnormal bleeding, or even diagnose a possible miscarriage.

This also helps in checking if there are any abnormalities inside the woman’s uterus or womb, cervix, the endometrium of the lining of the womb, fallopian tubes, and ovaries or the pelvic cavity. 

What is good about this is it can provide specific information another test cannot. 

When to consult a doctor

Waiting for results if you are pregnant is really tedious, especially if you are doing any activity that may lead to miscarriage. There are a lot of problems you may encounter if you are unsure of your pregnancy. That is why it is really important for women to monitor their bodies from time to time. 

A simple way to help make sure the result is correct is to undergo a pregnancy test again a few days later. If both show a line, even if one is a faint line, the result is likely to be positive.

Anyone unsure of the results should give HCG levels time to rise.

Consult a doctor for a more correct diagnosis. A doctor can determine whether a faint positive result is due to early pregnancy, medication, or a chemical pregnancy.

Additional information from Ange Villanueva. If you want to read the Filipino version of this article, click here.

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