Very very very faint line on pregnancy test

  • A faint line on an at-home pregnancy test can mean you're in the earlier stages of pregnancy. 
  • But, it can also mean the test wasn't taken properly, so its important to follow instructions. 
  • If you get a faint line, start taking a prenatal vitamin and schedule a doctor's appointment. 

Understanding the results of an at-home pregnancy can feel surprisingly complicated at times. A pregnancy test measures the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is produced by an embryo. Though not as accurate as a pregnancy test at the doctors, an at-home pregnancy test can measure hCG levels with 97 to 99 percent accuracy. 

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. Any line means pregnant," she says. 

Here is what to do if you get a faint line on your pregnancy test at home according to an expert. 

What does a second, very faint line on a pregnancy test mean?

If you take a pregnancy test and a faintly colored second line appears, it usually means you are pregnant.  Here's why you could be getting a faint line:

It's early in your pregnancy. If you take a pregnancy test in the days immediately before or after a missed period, the test will only detect small amounts of hCG, which can show up as a faint line. Most pregnancy tests on the market only work properly if you take them a week or more after missing your period, says Cara Delaney, MD, a gynecologist and instructor at the Boston University School of Medicine. 

You have a chemical pregnancy. A chemical pregnancy is a type of miscarriage that happens very early on in pregnancy. It can cause a false positive result or a faint line on a pregnancy test because the brief pregnancy produces a small amount of hCG in your body.

You made a mistake in taking the test. "If you wait too long to read the test it can dry and leave a line that can be misinterpreted as a positive test," says Lincoln. Most pregnancy tests include instructions to read the results around three to five minutes after testing.

How long after a faint positive should I test again?

Lincoln says that if you get a faint line on your test and it concerns you, test again in the coming days. "It's most accurate to wait until the day of when you'd expect your period to come, but with the sensitivity of our tests it is OK to start testing a few days prior."

If an at-home pregnancy test is positive, "the majority of people don't need a blood pregnancy test to confirm they are pregnant. And in fact, our[doctors'] urine tests are exactly the same as the ones you can buy yourself so no need to come in for those either," says Lincoln. 

There are some circumstances where a blood test might be needed: "If your healthcare provider is concerned about an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, or you are undergoing fertility treatments, a blood test may be recommended, but other than that they aren't usually needed."

Insider's takeaway 

If you take an at-home pregnancy test correctly and see a faint line, it either means you are pregnant or have recently been pregnant and miscarried. 

The best time to test for a pregnancy is the day you would expect your period to come.

Shaena Montanari is a contributing writer to Business Insider.

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Madeline Kennedy is a health writer for Insider covering a wide range of topics including reproductive and sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and infectious disease. Before joining Insider, Madeline worked as a health news writer for Reuters, and a domestic violence therapist. She has a master's degree in social work from UPenn and is interested in the intersection of health and social justice.

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Does a faint line on a pregnancy test mean positive or negative? Find out for sure, plus learn how it differs from an evaporation line.

Maybe you’ve been TTC for a few months, and you’re anxious to see those two pink lines. Or maybe your period is a little late, and you’re wondering if a surprise baby is on the way. In either case, you’ll need a pregnancy test to give you some answers.

But what if you get a faint line?! What does that mean? You’ve got questions, and we’ve got answers. In this post, we’ll cover:

Here’s a video!

What Does a Faint Line on a Pregnancy Test Look Like?

A faint line looks different depending on which test you use. Most pregnancy tests use two parallel lines or a plus sign to indicate pregnancy.

  • If you take a test with the plus sign, you’ll be looking for one dark vertical line (the control line) and one faint horizontal line crossing it.
  • If you take a test with parallel lines, you’ll be looking for one darker line next to one faint line.

If you are testing early (before you’ve even missed your period), the faint line may be so faint it’s barely visible—almost like a tiny, tiny smudge. The further along you are, the darker the line usually becomes. You can see what this progression looks like in the image below:

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What Does a Faint Line Mean?

A true faint line—unlike an evaporation line—is usually a true positive.

A positive result (even a faint positive result) means that implantation likely occurred, and your body is beginning to produce HCG, a hormone that is vital for sustaining a pregnancy. This also means that you’re in the very early stages of pregnancy.

If you continue to test after you get a faint line, you should notice that the line grows darker as the days go on.

Can a Faint Line Be Negative?

Pregnancy tests have one goal: to detect hCG. When your test shows a faint line, it means that your body is detecting some hCG, which typically indicates pregnancy. Urine tests should display a positive test when 25 mIU/ml hCG is detected, according to a German study on pregnancy tests.

Unfortunately though, it is possible to see a faint line that goes away. It’s also possible to get your period shortly after seeing a faint line. This could point to a very early loss, like chemical pregnancy.

There are also some cases—beyond early pregnancy loss—that could cause a faint line to develop, even if you aren’t really pregnant. These situations include:

  • Hormonal imbalances such as PCOS: Sometimes ovarian cysts may release hormones (including hCG) even if pregnancy isn’t achieved.
  • Fertility medication: Some fertility medications may trigger positive results before you’re actually pregnant. If you’re currently going through fertility treatments, it’s a good idea to take a pregnancy test only when advised by your provider.
  • Recent miscarriage: If your hCG levels have not returned to 0 mIU/ml hCG, it’s possible that a pregnancy test is still detecting residual hCG.
  • Menopause: Early menopause can also trigger higher than normal hCG levels, which could lead to a false positive.
  • Illnesses: Specifically, medications used for Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy can trigger a false positive.
  • hCG diet: The hCG diet is a weight loss diet that incorporates this hormone into the treatment plan. Not surprisingly, if you’re on the hCG diet, you’ll likely get positive pregnancy results since the test is picking up those hormone levels.

The Difference Between a Faint Line and an Evaporation Line

Or, the faint line might not really be a faint line at all. It could be an evaporation line…

An evaporation line is the line that develops as urine evaporates off of the pregnancy test stick. Here’s how to spot the difference between a faint line and an evaporation line:

Thickness

An evaporation line tends to be skinnier than the control line; faint lines tend to be the same thickness as the control line.

Color of line

Most evaporation lines will be gray in color, not pink or blue like the control line. (Although, there have been reports that the blue lined pregnancy tests can show a light blue evaporation line. Ugh!)

Timing of the test

You should also consider the timing of the test. Evaporation lines appear as urine evaporates, which means it takes a several minutes for this to happen.

  • If you take a test and immediately see a faint line, it’s likely a positive test albeit just faint.
  • If you take the test and check back on the results after the allotted testing time frame, it’s probably an evaporation line.

Many mamas have taken tests, received a negative result, threw the test out, and then later noticed the line. This can cause some confusion, but generally those are late-appearing lines are evaporation lines. Always check your test within the specified time frame to help reduce the chance that you see an evaporation line.

What About Digital Pregnancy Tests?

Digital tests are much easier to read. Digital tests visibly display the words “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant”—there are no lines to decode.

The downside? Digital tests can be very expensive, especially if you like to test before your missed period (and therefore might use more). Digital tests also need a higher concentration of hCG to yield a positive result, which could lead to a false negative if you test too early.

Think You’ve Got a Positive Pregnancy Test?

Congratulations! Check out this post to learn more about your positive pregnancy test.

Once you’ve received a positive test, it’s time to check in with your midwife or OBGYN. During your first appointment, your provider will take a blood test (which are more sensitive than the urine tests) to confirm your pregnancy, and from there, you can commence with your prenatal care.

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Very very very faint line on pregnancy test

How faint is too faint pregnancy test?

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. Any line means pregnant," she says. Here is what to do if you get a faint line on your pregnancy test at home according to an expert.

Is a faint line a weak positive?

If the window on the testing stick shows two lines, the tester is positive for COVID-19. The opaqueness of the lines also can indicate more, Vail said. If the line is fainter, the patient is likely to be less sick, less infectious, or might be nearing the end of infection, Vail said.

How long 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.

Can a faint line be thin?

What Do Faint Pregnancy Test Lines Mean? If you follow all of the instructions correctly, you may notice a thin, faint test line that appears within a few minutes. It can seem at first that the line is too faint to count, but after 10 minutes, it darkens.