There are few things more frustrating for the couple who are trying to get pregnant than a false positive pregnancy test. In many ways, getting a false positive and then finding out you’re not really pregnant is a grieving process. If you’ve been trying to conceive for a long time, it can be especially devastating. It’s not easy to get your hopes up and them have them dashed to the ground.

There are a few things that can cause a false positive. They include:

• A chemical pregnancy. This is, essentially, a very early miscarriage. The fact is that about half of all first pregnancies miscarry in the first couple of weeks after implantation. Most women don’t even know they’re pregnant at this stage of the game. This usually happens when you’re using a high-sensitivity pregnancy test that detects hCG levels before the baby is truly starting to develop.
• Missed reaction time. For accuracy in home pregnancy tests it is essential that you read the test results in the stipulated reaction time. If you let the test sit for too long (after the instructions on the box tell you), the test is invalid. This may cause it to show false positive results. Most tests today, however, guard against this kind of false positive.
• Evaporation lines. An evaporation line is a faint line created when the urine crosses the test, and some women may mistakenly interpret it as a positive test result.

Fortunately, false positives are rare. Home tests on the market today have an accuracy of 97 percent or above. Still, until you actually visit the doctor and have a positive result in that environment, it’s probably best not to post your pregnancy to Facebook or to get your hopes too high. Give your body the time it needs to let you know what’s really going on.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 7th, 2010 and is filed under Pregnancy Tests.