Pregancy Test, False Positive

It may be that you had what is known as chemcical pregnancy - an egg fertilizes and implants but then doesn't get any further. they are very common. most of us don't notice when we have one because we aren't paying such close attention. The positive is that they are nature's way of ensuring that an egg that wasn't right usually chromosomally abnormal doesn't develop. They aren't anything to be worried about as they are really common. Now that so much research has been done on IVF etc. docs now know that over half of embryos created are not chromosomally normal - perhaps as much as 75% of embryos even in young people and nature deals with this by either not fertilizing, not implanting, or not growing. Good Luck next time.

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I took prometrium during the first trimester of my pregnancy to avoid miscarriage as well.

During your menstrual cycle, in the first half (ovulatory phase) estrogen is the dominant hormone. Estrogen helps to grow the egg and prepare it for ovulation. In the second half (luteal phase) which is after ovulation, progesterone surges in the event a pregnancy would occur and need to be sustained. If you actually get pregnant, progesterone levels stay high but if you're not pregnant, progesterone levels drop causing the lining of the uterus to shed and commencing menstruation. Taking a supplement like prometrium is a form of progesterone and your doctor would have you take it to assist in the maintenance of the pregnancy.

Given your previous issues and current test, if this were me I'd make an appointment with the doctor and get blood tests just to be sure.

Hi L.,
I would wait and retest. Different HPTs measure different amounts of HCG so it could be your second test (if it was a different brand) didn't pick up your levels like the first. (you can google and find out which tests are most sensitive) I don't believe there are false positives, only false negatives, so I believe your first test was correct. I know it's not the answer you want, but I had this happen and it was a chemical pregnancy. Very common, but sad when you're hoping to get pregnant and monitoring your cycles. Most of the time, we don't even know about chemical pregnancies. If this is the case, the good news is, you're conceiving. I had 1 miscarriage at 8 weeks and 1 chemical pregnancy before conceiving my healthy daughter. The Prometrium is to boost your progesterone levels and aid implantation and should not have any effect on the HPT. If this is not the pregnancy you'd hoped for, I hope the next one is. Hang in there and best of luck to you.

If you had a line, you were pg at the time i.e. you had enough hcg in your system to produce a positive test. Likely, you had a chem pg. This would show up on a blood test - you'd probably have a very low hcg level. I had some pg symptoms very early once, but then got my period. Had the doc check my hcg - it was low, but it was there - a chemical pg.

Were both tests the same brand from the same lot? It's possible one of them was just a bum test, possibly due to being old or if they're different brands, tests do vary by the levels of hcg they can identify. Or it's possible the positive was actually and evaporation line (if you read it past the time the instructions said to check it). Also if you tested at different times of the day, it might jsut be the difference in the concentration of your urine at that time. False positives are extremely rare I have heard, so I think it would be more likely that the second test was defective, or possibly that it was a chemical pregnancy and your hcg levels already dropped below the levels the test can detect.

I'd personally give things a few more days and test again.

My doctor said the same thing about no false positives. (I had a really faint line too). Maybe the digital one wasn't accurate. Or maybe your medication could have something to do with it.

Yes, hcg can show up in your blood and not your urine. I had a negative test with my first and a very faint line with my second pregnancy.

I think you should definitely call the doc tomorrow. If this is a miscarriage, he needs to know. If you are pg but have low levels it could be that you need something to aid your pregnancy, like a progesterone supplement. Most likely your doctor will give you a blood test. That's what I would reccommend as well.
Also, with the second test, did you make sure that you tested with your first urine? Always pee in a cup (like a dixie cup) and use a first response early results test. The blue dye tests can be misleading. Digitals are also not always accurate as some are less sensitive.

The first "positive" could also have been an evaporation line. Did the line come up with on 10 mins? Was it colored (pink, blue) or grayish? A grayish line would equal an evap line.

Good luck to you! I hope this turns out to be a happy healthy pregnancy!

Yes, prometrium can create pregnancy-like symptoms, especially fatigue.

But if you had a + pregnancy test and then a - pregnancy test a couple days later it sounds like you may have had a chemical pregnancy. Unfortunately there is nothing you can really do to prevent a chemical. I would talk to your doctor about it though.

My doc said there are no false positives, but you can have false negatives. I'd wait another week and test again. I've never taken the medicine, does it vary the amount of Hcg in your urine?

You could always call your OB/Gyn and ask their advice...that's what they are there for. Good Luck!

Hi L.!
I'm so sorry to hear about your disapppointment. I actually had the same thing happen to me this last October (on my birthday, of all days!). I got three faint positives (2 First Response, one digital Clear Blue) on the same day. The next day, I retested thinking, like you, that my levels were just low. I got a negative on a First Response, but then a positive still on a digital test. I was worried, but decided to take it as still being positive. Three days later, I started my "period", which was really a very early miscarriage. I was devestated, even though I only knew about the pregnancy for a few days. You start dreaming and planning the second you see those 2 lines, no matter how faint one may be! I wish I had better news, but it sounds like this is what's going on with you (it's called a chemical pregnancy, because you miscarry before a heartbeat is able to be detected). I would call your dr., though, and get a blood test. Sometimes you can get weird results with an ectopic pregnancy, too, so it's best to make sure every thing is okay. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I wish you all the best.

You don't mention when your period was due, so I am unsure if my comment will help. I took a pregnancy test 5 days before my period was due because I thought I was pregnant and the results came back negative - not even a faint line. I really thought I was pregnant and took another one 1 day before my period and it was positive. I know most pregnancy test allow you to test days before (the one I took said you can test 5 days before and it was inaccurate at that time) but the best results are when you period is due. I have had a friend of a friend who had negative pregnancy tests with ALL her kids (3 of them!). When she felt she was pregnant, she had to go for the blood test. Good luck!

Prometrium can cause pregnancy like symptoms because progesterone is a hormone of pregnancy. Probably what has happened is either the second test was less sensitive or your urine was less concentrated or a very early miscarriage. If you do not have your period wuthin a few days, test again but be sure to use first morning urine. With all three of my pregnancies I have been several days late on my period before I could get a positive urine test but always a positive blood test. Best wishes to you.