Let'due south be honest: It's not easy to read a regular old two-lined pregnancy test. Is that a faint line? Is information technology a positive? Is information technology a negative? And what'southward the bargain with evaporation lines? Taking pregnancy tests can seem stressful with all the what-ifs, but we've got the answers to assist make the process a little flake easier for you lot.

In this post, we'll answer your questions virtually evaporation lines, including:

  • What is an evaporation line?
  • What exercise evaporation lines look like?
  • What'due south the difference between an evaporation line and a faint positive?

What is an Evaporation Line?

An evaporation line is a line that appears on the test once the urine has dried—or evaporated.

Pregnancy tests are meant to exist read when they are wet. This is why pregnancy tests give specific directions. For instance, a examination might say "Dip the pregnancy into a cup of urine for five seconds, then read the results in two minutes. Discard the examination afterwards 10 minutes."

One time the time allotted for the pregnancy test expires, and the urine starts to dry out, information technology tin can leaven an evaporation line. The faint mark this leaves behind resembles a faint line on a pregnancy examination.

That'due south why it'south so of import to follow instructions on pregnancy tests. All tests do not share the same directions, so always read the directions—specially if you switch between brands and styles of tests.

What Exercise Evaporation Lines Await Like?

What does an evaporation line look like?

(epitome source)

Evaporation lines are by and large more than muted than the command line.

  • On a pink dye test, an evaporation line may expect like faded greyness.
  • On a blue dye exam, the line can appear equally gray or even a lighter shade of blue. (Note: For some reason, anecdotally, many mamas notice that blue dye tests are more than decumbent to evaporation lines.)
  • Sometimes, though, the evaporation line appears as a colorless streak, almost like an indentation.

An evaporation line is also often thinner than the control line. In the image above, you can see that the horizontal line is one thickness, while the vertical evaporation line is much thinner and of uneven thickness.

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Evaporation Lines vs. Faint Positive Lines

If you're unsure if your pregnancy test is depicting an evaporation line or a faint positive, it can exist frustrating. Luckily, there are a few tips for differentiating between the two.

Evaporation Lines vs Faint Positive Lines Chart – hat Does an Evaporation Line on a Pregnancy Test Mean pregnancy postal service past Mama Natural

What to Do If You're Still Not Sure…

If you take a pregnancy test and are not quite sure what your outcome is, information technology'due south a good idea to go on taking tests. E'er attempt to apply FMU (first morning urine), every bit this urine is the near concentrated with hCG, the pregnancy hormone that your test is trying to discover.

  • If you had a true evaporation line, futurity tests volition prove a negative issue.
  • On the other hand, if your test showed a faint line, you should keep to meet the line darkening with each day that progresses. (See image below.) An evaporation line will not do this.

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What Else Tin Cause a Faint Line?

Here's a fleck of practiced news: Not all faint lines are evaporation lines.

If you call up y'all're meaning

If you're certain that yous followed the instructions (and read the test within the recommended fourth dimension frame), and you continue to see what you think is a faint line, y'all are probably pregnant. The pregnancy test is detecting minuscule levels of hCG, a hormone that rapidly increases when pregnant. Many pregnancy tests tin detect as picayune as 25 mlU/ml hCG! (source)

A quick trip to your midwife or OBGYN tin can confirm your pregnancy with a blood hCG test. A urine test merely says "Aye, there is hCG" or "No, at that place is not hCG." A blood hCG examination, however, will as well reveal how much hCG is present—a stat which also helps determine how far along yous are.

Or, you can simply look a day or two and retake a pregnancy exam. (In fact, some midwife and doctor offices will have you re-test yourself with a home pregnancy exam once you miss your period because they are very authentic.) If the faint line appears darker, this is confirmation that y'all are almost likely pregnant.

If you lot don't call up you're meaning

In rare cases, a faint line can point a false positive and you might not actually be pregnant. In these cases, a faint line could maybe be attributed to the following conditions:

  • Hormonal imbalances: Hormones trigger the positive result on a pregnancy test, and sometimes hormonal imbalances from atmospheric condition similar PCOS can trigger a false positive. (source)
  • Fertility medication: If you lot're struggling to conceive, your healthcare provider may accept suggested diverse fertility medications. Some medications tin can as well cause a false pregnancy test outcome.
  • Menopause: Interestingly, perimenopause (the months preceding official menopause) can affect your hormone levels. The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can sometimes mimic the symptoms of pregnancy, so it'south understandable if you're confused which life phase you're entering. Fluctuating hormones can even cause a spike in faux positives. (source)
  • Illness: Some medications used for conditions like epilepsy or Parkinson's Disease can trigger a false positive result on a pregnancy test.
  • hCG diets and supplements: The hCG diet is a very depression calorie diet that is supplemented with hCG. Typically, this is a type of medically-supervised weight loss programme used when individuals have extreme weight loss needs. Since pregnancy tests detect hCG, this could upshot in a false positive.

What About Y'all?

Have you e'er had an evaporation line show up on a pregnancy test? Share your experience below!

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