If you are trying to get pregnant, it’s time to get familiar with the home pregnancy test. There are so many choices to choose from. You now have the option of using a digital or a “line” test. Once you’ve got the stick in hand, how do you use it? You can either use mid-stream urine (pee on the stick) or dip it in a cup. Once you have results, how do you figure out what those are? What about false negatives, false positives, evaporation lines or errors? It’s enough to make a woman pull her hair out!
Digital Tests: Digital tests take all the guess work out of reading a pregnancy test. The only downside is you are paying a higher price. But if the color and darkness of your line test is driving you crazy, take a digital to put your mind at ease. These run about $10 for two when they are on sale.
Line Tests: These are your classic variety. One line, you’re single. Two lines, you’re a pair. These tend to cost less and you’ll find them at any store, including Dollar General. Personally, the dollar brands work just as well in my opinion. I used a Dollar Tree brand test just 11 days past ovulation and it came up positive. That’s just as sensitive as the $10 tests! These test are more prone to user errors, however, since they can show evaporation lines, errors, etc.
Mid-Stream Vs. Cup: You may notice you have the option of peeing directly on the stick or peeing into a cup and dipping the stick into the urine. This is entirely up to you and both options will give you an accurate reading. The upside to peeing into a cup has everything to do with neatness. When liquid hits a hard surface at a fast rate, it tends to splash. Enough said.
False Negative: Sometimes pregnancy test, regardless of what kind, can turn up with a false negative. If you take the test too early or your urine is too diluted, you may get a false negative. Other factors include how quickly the hCG hormone is rising. If your period is late, take another test just in case.
False Positive: False positives are extremely rare. Sometimes a false positive is actually a terminated pregnancy, or chemical pregnancy. Most miscarriages happen very early and many woman are never aware of their occurrence. If a woman takes a very early pregnancy test,she may get a positive reading and still get her period relatively on time, leading her to think the result was false, when in fact she lost the pregnancy at a very early stage. Other false positives may actually be test errors (see below).
Errors: If the line on the test is incomplete or the wrong color, this is not a positive result, it is an error. Errors are similar to evaporation lines, which are responsible for disappointing women everywhere (see below).Also, if a positive result disappears in under 24 hours, this is an error.
The “Evap”: Evaporation lines appear as a dent, gray or extremely faint line where the positive result should appear. These are not positive results, however. Most often, a woman who is desperate to become pregnant will mistake these very minuscule lines for a positive result because that is what she wants to see. If you find yourself taking a photo of the test and messing with the color balance just to see the line, it’s probably an evaporation line.
If all this information has your head spinning, take the guess work out of the equation and visit your doctor or midwife for a blood test. Good luck!