The home pregnancy test says you’re pregnant but when you had your ultrasound, there is no sac found in your uterus. If that happened to you, you will most likely feel confused and frustrated especially if you have waited so long to get pregnant. They say that home pregnancy tests are 99% accurate then how come this situation happens?
Pregnancy test kit detects the amount of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) or commonly known as the pregnancy hormone found in your urine. This hormone is secreted once the embryo implants itself in your uterus. Once it is detected by the test kit, it will come back with a positive test result. There are certain situations that may have caused your hCG to increase and there are also other factors that lead to the false positive test result.
1. False positive pregnancy result can be a result of improper testing. Buying the home pregnancy test kit over the counter is very convenient and oftentimes we miss out on one very important step before taking the test. As soon as you get your test kit, make sure that you read the specific instructions on how to properly use them. The instructions should also tell you how long before you go check to see the results. Use a timer if you need to. Some women would get impatient and feel anxious with the results but you have to tell yourself to be patient. As soon as you see the results, don’t tell yourself to wait for another 5 minutes and check again just to be sure. This is exactly why test results get inaccurate.
2. Confusion with the evaporation line in the pregnancy test is another factor. Usually an evaporation line appears once the urine dries up. If you waited a little bit longer before reading the pregnancy test results then it is possible that you may have seen the evaporation line instead of the faint positive test line.
3. You have a medical condition or you are taking medications that can possibly affect the accuracy of the test results. This is not very common however; it can cause your hCG level to elevate. Examples of medicines with hCG are Pregnyl and Novarel. Sometimes if your urine has traces of blood or protein, it can affect the test result.
4. A defective or expired pregnancy test kit can also cause a false positive pregnancy test result. When you go out and buy one at the drugstore, always look at the expiration date to make sure. And if you can, go get a new test kit and not use the one that has been lying around for months.
5. You had a chemical pregnancy. The egg was fertilized and you were pregnant for some time, which explains the pregnancy test results; however, the embryo didn’t develop and so you had a miscarriage very early on. The truth is, most women who had a chemical pregnancy never realized they had a miscarriage because they got their period on time.
The best way to confirm your pregnancy is to see your doctor so they can perform some tests and validate the results.
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