Taking an at home pregnancy test is a nerve-racking process. Waiting for the result whether you wish it to be positive or negative can feel like forever. You have read through the result process and taken the test according to the instructions as if they are ingrained in your brain only to be greeted with a white line on the pregnancy test.
What Does A White Line on Pregnancy Test Mean?
Evaporation lines- there is no foolproof way to prevent them yet identifying them can make your brain circuit in alternative ways. They can appear on any test and are usually colorless. They are unfortunately sometimes mistaken as a positive result so it’s important to understand the difference between a positive and a white line on a pregnancy test straight away.
Pregnancy Tests
Feeling out of sorts? Are your boobs sore? Frequent headaches making you question what on earth is happening to you?
Well the answer could be in the result of a pregnancy test. Many women feel the effects of pregnancy before actually getting it confirmed. There are however times where reading the results of your test prove to be more confusing than your symptoms.
Stick with us to find out all there is to know about seeing a white line on a pregnancy test.
White Line on First Response Pregnancy Test
Nowadays pregnancy tests can come with many different displays. From a dip stick to a digital display the choice is totally down to how much you wish to spend.
How Do They Work?
Every at home testing kit is created to detect the pregnancy hormone known as hGC. It is only present in your system if your body is working hard through the implantation process. This is why it is unlikely to obtain a false positive result.
Once you receive a positive test your doctor can book you further blood tests to ensure your hCG levels are doubling and getting higher as you progress through early pregnancy.
Yet there are times where you can see those two all important lines but in fact you may not be pregnant. As cruel as this may seem it’s important to highlight evaporation lines and how to tell them apart from a true positive result.
How To Identify An Evaporation Line
Evaporation lines are very common yet many leading brands of the strip tests cannot prevent their occurrence. It’s down to science. As your urine is absorbed through the tip it can dry and leave a colorless line which you can mistake for that all important BFP you may be desperate to see.
So you can’t control if an evaporation line appears but you can learn to distinguish between the two.
The biggest issue with pregnancy tests is the curiosity to read your result too early or too late. This is why it is so important to read the result according to the instructions. If left too long then your urine will dry causing what could look like a positive result.
I feel the need to add in here that there is a difference between a faint positive and an evap line. On both my pregnancies the result window signaled two lines yet the positive line was so faint that it failed to show unless you studied it.
With such an uncertain result and symptoms that only pointed to positive, I made sure to retest in a few days which cleared up my confusion as my testing line was much darker then.
Look at the table below to help clear up any misconceptions you may have reading your results.
|
Positive |
Negative |
Evaporation |
Invalid |
|
A clear two lines in the testing window. One in the control panel to signify it’s working and another the same color or lighter. |
One line in the control window. |
One line in the control window and a colorless line or a line that appears white in color. |
No lines show – use another test. |
If you feel like you are looking at a false positive or get a white line in pregnancy test then opt to retest in a few days time and ensure your urine sample is when it’s of the highest concentration.
Avoiding an Evaporation Line
Evaporation lines totally depend on the climate of the room you are in, leaving a test to work where there is heat will make your test dry out quicker so avoid placing your test in a window where the sun could be glaring through. Also keep your test away from any heat source. Radiators are great for drying but if you place your test close enough it can leave an evaporation line.
Finally ensure you discard your test after the recommended time limit. First response tests instruct you to read your results after two minutes, anything after this can provide you with what you could believe is a positive yet your urine has dried leaving you with false hope that you have conceived.
White Line on Pregnancy Test Then Disappeared
Have you spotted a white line only to relook and notice it’s vanished?
Firstly I recommend you retest. It sounds as if this white line was actually an evaporation line that’s disappeared as it’s totally dried. I understand this may not be the outcome you are hoping for but it is extremely rare for a positive testing line to disappear.
As we know the test will indicate the hormone hGC if it’s present then the line will be there, even if it is faint it shouldn’t disappear.
Wrapping Up
To conclude, seeing a White line on a pregnancy test is confusing.
The risk of getting a false positive or negative result is also fairly common. If it is early days then your hormone levels may not be high enough to detect in the beginning.
Retesting using your first morning wee and ensuring you follow the instructions accordingly is a great way to be sure of your result. Also take note of where you place your test whilst it’s processing as this can increase the chances of showing evaporation lines.
If you are still yet to see a clear positive result and yet to see your BFP book a doctor’s appointment where they can book a blood test for a more indepth result.
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