Taking a home pregnancy test that turns positive after you use it provides you with a wonderful feeling. However, it’s not uncommon for many women to want to take a second or third test just to make sure that her eyes aren’t playing tricks on her. While there are very few false positives, sometimes it happens that a woman receives a positive result on one test and a negative result on another. Before you panic, it’s imperative that you understand there are many instances in which this could occur.
One reason you might receive a positive pregnancy test the first time and a negative the second is that you are not using the test correctly the second time. It happens. If you use a different type of test, you might forgo reading the instructions because you feel that you already know how to use a pregnancy test. However, if that test has different requirements for use, you could end up using it incorrectly and seeing a negative result. It is always in your best interest to read the instructions provided with your pregnancy test prior to using it.
You might have used a defective test. All pregnancy tests come with test lines and/or timers. For example, if you use a traditional test in which you look for a second line to appear to tell you that you’re pregnant, you have to ensure the first line appears. If it does not appear after your urine hits the absorbent tip, the test is not working correctly and will not provide you with the correct result. If you use a digital pregnancy test, make sure that there is a little timer in the screen that blinks while you wait for your results to appear. If there is not, your test could be bad.
Another reason you might not receive a positive pregnancy test the second time you test is that you did not use your first urine of the morning. If you’re very early in your pregnancy, you need to use your first morning urine. Eating and drinking throughout the day can dilute your urine and cause your test not to detect the pregnancy hormone in your urine.
The good news is that if you took a pregnancy test and it was positive before you took a secondary negative test but you are not bleeding, you are probably still pregnant. Assuming that your positive test was not the result of a test taken while you are on fertility medication or right after a miscarriage, chances of it being a false negative are very slim.
If you did take a positive pregnancy test and then a negative test later, you could have done something wrong. You could have used an expired test. You could have used a broken test. You could have used urine that was too diluted for your test to find the hCG within it.
Additionally, there is a chance that you are too early in your pregnancy to see a positive result from just any pregnancy test.
The test you used when you saw your positive result might have been a more sensitive test. This means that this particular test has the ability to detect lower levels of hCG in the urine. If the test you’re taking and receiving a negative with is not as sensitive, it doesn’t matter if you use your first urine of the morning and do everything correctly. The chances that this test will show a positive result are slim based on the levels of hCG in your urine.
Furthermore, you might receive a negative the second time around because of the type of test you’re using. Digital tests are foolproof to read. The tests that feature lines you have to look for in the results screen are much more difficult for some women to read. If the line is very faint, it might go unnoticed and you might assume that you are looking at a negative result.
Digital pregnancy tests are much easier to read than regular pregnancy tests. One you urinate on the absorbent tip, you will watch the screen until your test results appear. If you are pregnant, you will see the word, “Pregnant,” appear on the screen. If you are not pregnancy, the words, “Not Pregnant,” will appear on the screen.
If you use this test and the result is positive, you are very likely pregnant. False positive pregnancy test is very uncommon in pregnancy tests. However, you might think that there’s something wrong if you test later and receive a negative result. If you do receive a negative result on a secondary test, you need to check for a few things.
The first is that you are using the test correctly. Incorrect use can cause the results to be negative and/or inconclusive. The second thing to look for is that the test is not expired or broken. There should be a date of recommended use on the package of your pregnancy test. If it’s broken, the test line or test timer will not appear when you use the test.
You should also check the sensitivity of the pregnancy test. If you used a sensitive digital test first and a much less sensitive test second, you might not have enough hCG in your urine for the less sensitive test to pick up. Finally, be sure to check that you’re using your first morning urine. Urine from the rest of the day is not really recommended for use when taking a home pregnancy test. Why? Because this urine is diluted by everything you’ve consumed throughout the day. Since you aren’t up all night drinking water or other beverages, your first morning urine is far less diluted and much more likely to show the true levels of hCG in your urine. Once you’ve checked each of these factors, call your doctor to schedule an appointment if your tests continue to show a negative result.