BFP OR..... WISHFUL THINKING? DOLLAR TREE TEST! FAINT LINE

[Bizo26]

Hi ladies! I am new to this forum! Don't have much of a story to tell. Started getting some weird stomach pinchy sore pains the other week to where my pants couldn't even touch (didn't ovulate) and decided to take a dollar tree test. I got a faint line... or what I think is a faint line. If I am preggo, it's 7 weeks, but...... today I am getting period like cramps and weird side sore pangs. Expected period not due for another 8 days. Has anyone experienced this and been pregnant? I will be going to the doctor tomorrow to figure all this out!

[Jaimee]

Welcome to MDC!! 

It's really hard for me to see the faint line on my computer, but if you can see it, it's colored (pink or blue- not greyish), and showed up within the proper window of time then that is a BFP!  A line is a line no matter how faint if the above conditions are met.  A grey line would indicate an evap line. 

But I am a bit confused by your description of the timing.  You said that if you are pregnant, you're 7 weeks?  I don't think you'd be getting such a faint line at 7 weeks.  Furthermore do you mean that you did have period like bleeding a few weeks ago, but are unsure if it was in fact your period?  Because then you say that AF isn't due for another 8 days, but if you have an average length luteal phase of 12-14 days then you would only be 4-6 days past ovulation.  It is not possible to get a positive that early.  Is that why you suspect last cycle?   Do you chart your basal body temperature and/or cervical fluid?  Do you use OPK's?  Do you recall when you had unprotected sex if there was fertile cervical fluid around that time- creamy or eggwhite in consistency?  All these things would help pinpoint ovulation better.  It's entirely possible that you ovulated earlier than usual and you are farther into your LP than 4-6 days, which would also account for period like symptoms you're experiencing now, which could be the start of AF or could be pregnancy symptoms.

All this aside, only time will tell!  I'd wait another 48 hours and test again to see if you get a clearer result.  Be sure to use FMU and I suggest a pink dye test.   Keep us posted!

[southernmommie]

Do you have long cycles? I'm not understanding how you could be 7 weeks pg if you're af isnt' due for another 8 days unless you have long cycles. I do kinda see a line, but I am not a good person to say for sure if it's a good line or not. 

[Bizo26]

Hi ladies. Thanks for the warm welcome. Ok so here's the deal...

I am saying 7 weeks because my last "period" was not normal and may have been implantation bleeding.

Cycles are every 30 days. I don't chart or anything. Just a woman who is very in tune with her body. I always know when I ovulate because since forever I have always gotten that ovulation pain they call mittelschmerz. I mean down to a T, I know when I am. The pg test was a dollar store brand, I'm very confused now since I feel like I am literally on my period (since today) with these strange cramps, no bleeding, and nausea. I will be going in to the doc this week to figure out what's up. The reason why I took a test to begin with was because right after my "period" I started getting bloating, and having weird tugging, tingling, and sore pains in my abdomen. Sore to the touch. I've been going through episodes with weird pangs since then. Last "period" was July 26 (when all the madness began) before that was June 26. I have normal periods, never been on bc and am healthy. What's up?

[Jaimee]

Well, a blood test will certainly confirm for you!  I still doubt a very faint BFP at 7 weeks, but it's possible!  Implantation bleeding is not at all common despite the frequency at which it is discussed on forums like these.  If you did indeed conceive last cycle, what you likely experienced was hormonal bleeding around the time of expected AF.  This is not uncommon and likely implantation occurred before then.  I would probably run out and get another HPT (a FRER) to see if the line is any darker now.  Try holding your urine for about 4 hours before testing. 

Otherwise, you say you can feel O pain without fail, then did you feel it this cycle?  If so, when... we should know how many DPO you based on that.  And if so, that means you weren't pregnant last cycle.  It would be very rare indeed to O after conceiving.

Keep us posted!

[Pasta]

It kind of looks like an evap.

I think you should get a blood test at a doctors to be sure! 

[Bizo26]

hi! Thanks for the responses. To answer the question of did I feel the ovulation for this cycle, NO. I've been racking my brain looking for places to go and get a blood test.  I am uninsured and am still looking for clinics. Most of them I've talked to will not do a blood test. That leaves me just waiting. Going to buy more tests. The tests I took prior to the one I posted didn't have evap lines. All the same brand. We shall see soon ladies. Another really strange symptom that I had yesterday was feeling pain in the uterus (right in the middle) I literally was convinced that I would be staring my period as it felt like bad cramps. Today I still have some odd pangs in the right side but the major cramping has subsided.

[Jaimee]

Where are you located?  Planned Parenthood should do it on a sliding scale.   But time will tell as well.  If you're uninsured you might want to look into county and state programs for women.

[maryamrose]

I got a blood test at PP a few weeks ago and it was fairly easy. Like Jaimee said, they do sliding scale. They'll also probably do their own urine test as well before the blood test.

[Bizo26]

Hi Ladies! Line is thicker this time. I have to get a pee test before they will give me a blood test, nonetheless, I will be going to the obgyn for sure next week! Wish me well!

P>S... took a digital this morning and got negative result. Is it normal to have faint positives and get negative on digital?

[crunchy_mommy]

I don't know, your 'positive' lines are so very faint they could be evaps. Maybe it's just the way they are showing on the computer though. Are they pinkish in real life? Usually evaps are kind of grayish while faint positives are pink. I also think it would be unlikely to be that faint if you were 7wks pregnant -- I would think you're only 3-4 weeks if it's that faint, but everyone is different, right? Good luck!

[Jaimee]

It depends on which digital you are using.  Some digital tests require higher hCG levels.  Check out these sites for HPT sensitivity levels:

http://www.peeonastick.com/hpts.html

http://www.babyhopes.com/pregnancy-test-sensitivity-comparison.html

http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hpt.html

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/tg/galleryStats.php

I can see the line and I think it's colored, but again, I feel uncertain.  I'm just surprised that over the last 72 hours that it has not gotten darker.  If the pregnancy is viable then your hCG level should double within 24-48 hours (though occasionally it takes up to 72).  So if you got a positive three days ago (or was it 6 days ago?) on a test that requires a level of 25, then your levels should be at least 50 by now (and if it was 6 days ago, your levels should be more like 75-100+).   In other words, I would assume at this point that you should test positive on almost any HPT (there are very few that require levels over 100)- especially if you are 7 weeks pregnant (your levels would be well beyond 100 by then).  There is the possibility that you're one of those women that "fail" pregnancy tests b/c not enough hCG is metabolized into your urine to test positive.  My advice would be to pick up a very reliable test that requires a level of 25 like First Response Early Response and take it with first of the morning urine tomorrow.  But ultimately, the blood test will be the deciding factor!  Good luck!

[Bizo26]

crunchy mommy, yes, they are pink. My other negatives that I took before I got the lines were pure white in the test window, no evaps. I wish you could zoom in. Maybe I can make up links so you  can see them better. I took the walgreens brand digital. I think that's the same manufacturer of ept right?

[crunchy_mommy]

Try uploading your pics here: http://www.canyouseealine.com/ They can invert the lines for you too.

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Bizo26 

 took the walgreens brand digital. I think that's the same manufacturer of ept right?

Walgreens digital needs a level of 25.  So the fact that it is negative leads me to believe something is up with the other tests you've been taking.  Careful when inverting the color of the lines... this can lead to even greater error in interpretation if interpretation was in question to begin with. 

Quote from POAS.com article on false positives:

Most often the error lies in the interpretation. It's easy to squint, tilt the test, scan it and invert the color with a photo program, or try any number of tricks to see a positive result. (I've done it-- I know that of which I speak!) All tests are prone to evaporation lines-- a gray, colorless, "ghostlike" line, or a "dent" in the test in the place where a positive line would be.

All tests have two antibody strips in the test window. One of these lines will always turn pink (the control line) when exposed to moisture. The other line will turn pink only if exposed to moisture with hCG (pregnancy hormone.) These antibody strips are not invisible. They are difficult to see, but they're there. When exposed to moisture, the "results" line becomes easier to see (because the moisture causes the light to reflect differently.) When you scrutinize the test, therefore, you will always see "something" there. Alas, it doesn't count unless it is obviously pink (or blue, obviously, if using a test with blue dye.) If you can't tell what color it is or it's too faint, assume it is negative.

http://www.peeonastick.com/falsepos.html
 

[Bizo26]

thanks ladies! I didn't even know that inverting stuff existed. LOL Anyway, I am not going to take anymore tests until I see the doc! Just for fun, here is one of my inverted tests, the first one i posted

http://www.canyouseealine.com/view_home_pregnancy_test.php?method=invert&testID=13986

[Bizo26]

Hi ladies! Wanted to update since you all were so kind to respond! My period was 4 days late, I didn't test any of the late days since they usually tell you docs want you to at least be a week or 2 late. Anyway, today, I took another test that looked slightly positive and am now having light bleeding. I'm thinking its a period. I still have my ob appointment next week (Friday). I want to make sure everything is ok! A few weeks ago I was having some really bad cramping like I was going to start my period and there was nothing. The weird stomach soreness and pain since my last period was very strange. Any insight on what it could be? Also, I was having breast soreness before my expected period and now it's gone.

[Jaimee]

Have you taken another digi?  It should really be accurate by now and leave no room for interpretation.  Unless you fail HPT's!  But your blood test will certainly confirm for you soon enough!

As for the bleeding, it is quite common to experience light bleeding/spotting around the time of your expected AF.  This bleeding is normally hormonal in nature and the pregnancy can go on to be perfectly healthy.   Bleeding at other points in a pregnancy can also be normal, though, later in pregnancy it can also be a sign of something to be concerned about and should be checked out. 

It is also quite common to miscarry around the time of expected AF.  A chemical pregnancy occurs when not enough hCG builds up in time to signal to the corpus luteum to remain intact and not shed the uterine lining.  Otherwise it disintegrates, the lining is flushed, and the embryo is flushed with it.  More and more chemical pregnancies are detected these days with modern, sensitive HPT's.  Loss of pregnancy symptoms can be an additional sign of miscarriage, or could be caused by fluctuating hormones as your body adjust to being pregnant.  Or if you are indeed much farther along than just a few weeks, then you could be experiencing the ease of symptoms toward the end of the first trimester.

I'll be anxious to hear the results of your appointment!   

[Jaimee]

Update OP?