For expectant mothers, pregnancy tests can be either the bringers of good news, or bad news. However, did you know that pregnancy tests can also give a false positive result?
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Letting it sit too long
Letting the test sit too long without looking at it, then the urine can evaporate and show a different result. Save yourself the suspense and a false positive by following the instructions and not letting it sit too long.
2. The pregnancy test is already expired
Yes, pregnancy tests can expire. So make sure to check the label of the test you’re buying and make sure that it’s far from the expiration date.
3. Medication can mess with the results
Pregnancy tests measure a chemical called hCG in your urine. And there are certain types of medication, such as injections used in IVF, that can increase your hCG levels, causing a false positive.
For IVF patients particularly, it’s still best to get a test from the doctor and not simply trust an over-the-counter test so that you won’t get false hopes.
4. An early miscarriage can result in a false positive
There are cases wherein an early miscarriage can show a false positive result. A lot of women can miss the signs of an early miscarriage, and when they do a pregnancy test, it might give a positive result since they were pregnant, but not anymore because of a miscarriage.
5. Residual hCG in your system can linger after a delivery or miscarriage
hCG in your body can last for months after a miscarriage or a delivery. This means that if you see a positive test result soon after a miscarriage or delivery, don’t immediately assume that you’re pregnant. Sometimes it’s the residual hCG lingering in your bloodstream.
Source: self.com
READ: 10 Pregnancy fears that you shouldn’t really worry about
