Is it normal for the control line to be faint?

Is it normal for the control line to be faint?

If the line is faint, it usually means that the hCG level is low. One reason why hCG levels may be low could be because you’re still very early into your pregnancy.

Can a pregnancy test show a faint line and be negative?

Can a barely visible pregnancy test result be negative? A barely visible pregnancy test result usually can’t be negative — because it detected hCG — but it might indicate a false positive for actual pregnancy or an early pregnancy loss. You can also get a false negative result.

How faint is too faint on a pregnancy test?

Pregnancy tests with blue or pink dye typically show one line if the result is negative and two if hCG is detected, meaning the result is positive. If you get any type of second line, even a faint one, you are pregnant, says Jennifer Lincoln, MD, an obstetrician in Oregon. “A line is a line, whether faint or dark.

What does a control line mean on a pregnancy test?

At-home pregnancy tests are designed to detect this hormone. Typically, an at-home pregnancy test involves urinating on a test stick and checking the results minutes later. If your pregnancy test result only reveals one line (the control line), it often means you’re not pregnant.

Is the control line always on the right?

The Control Line and Test Lines One is the control line (always there) and the other is the test line (determines if you’re pregnant or not). Specifically, if you’re looking at the First Response Early Detection pregnancy tests, the control line will be on the right, closer to the handle.

How would you know if you had a chemical pregnancy?

A chemical pregnancy can only be detected through a pregnancy test, which shows elevated hormone levels. A pregnancy becomes clinical when a doctor can verify the pregnancy through an ultrasound or fetal heartbeat. A chemical pregnancy has no signs that can be felt or heard.

How many days after a faint positive should I test again?

So, if you do get a faint line, Kirkham recommends waiting two or three days, then testing again. If it’s still faint, she suggests going to your family doctor for a blood test, which can measure the specific amount of beta hCG, to check if the pregnancy is progressing as it should.

Does a faint line mean miscarriage?

Unfortunately, a faint positive line can also be a sign of a very early miscarriage, sometimes called a chemical pregnancy, which occurs within the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy, often much earlier. If you take a home pregnancy test after a miscarriage, your test may reveal a faint positive line.

Why is control line after test line?

Negative Result: NOT PREGNANT There should be no apparent band on the Test (T) region. The control line is designed to validate the test and should be crisp and clear in intensity against the white background.

What does the control line mean on a pregnancy test?

Pregnancy Test Lines It will typically have two lines. One line indicates that the test is working properly (control line), and the second line is considered the actual pregnancy test line. A second line is what indicates pregnancy.

Does the test or control line show up first?

As the pregnancy test begins to work, you will see blue lines start to develop in the result and control windows. Make sure you wait for the blue control line before reading your result. A blue line must be present in the control window when you read your result. This shows the test has worked.

What is a positive pregnancy test?

An early pregnancy test becomes positive only after the fertilized egg implants in the uterus and then sends enough amounts of hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, the pregnancy hormone, into your bloodstream, and from there into the urine. The urine pregnancy test (home pregnancy test or HPT) checks for the presence of the pregnancy hormone hCG.

What does a light line on a pregnancy test mean?

Although a faint line on a pregnancy test can be considered a positive result, sometimes it can be caused by an evaporation line, which leads to a false result. In most cases, if you are pregnant, you will see a dark, unmistakable result.

What does a blank pregnancy test result mean?

A blank pregnancy test is defective . It may be expired, incorrectly made or you may have tested incorrectly. To be accurate, all pregnancy tests should have a control line appear. This line appears whether you are pregnant or not and means that the test is working. If the test is blank, you need to try again with a new test.

Does it matter if a pregnancy test line is darker?

When taking a pregnancy test, any line in the test indication area is considered a positive pregnancy test, even if it is lighter than the control line. The darker line is usually the control line. This is not a sign of a problem with the pregnancy or the pregnancy test, assuming it came up within the time limits of the test.