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One of these tests is not like the other ;) The top three tests ended up with either the ghost line or grey evap line. The third test seemed to even have some colour at some point, but dried white. The bottom test is a true positive with 15 mIU hcg.
I have made an investment in 10 Dollar Store tests to research what conditions need to exist in order for a false positive to occur. (Hey, I know the $10 could have gone into Sebastian's schooling fund, but as a woman TTC a brother or sister for Sebastian, this $10 is a wise investment in his future too ;)
So, I have had a couple of TTC friends these past few months enjoy the thrill of a brief "BFP" on a Dollar Store test (namely Dollar Tree test in the US, and Pro Care Dollarama test in Canada) only to test the following day and get a BFN. The tests I used are the Dollarama tests from Canada. Sure the argument can be made that a chemical (very early miscarriage) pregnancy had happened, but from the looks of it, a false positive may be in play too. The following is a description of what I have done in the last couple of days to check for what may cause a false positive to happen... the saying is 'a line is a line is a line' ... but sometimes, it's not.... hmm.....
Scenario: You POAS... then, as you check, and check again - from every angle and in every light, after pulling apart the pee stick... there is a line....
1. OVARIAN CYST!: Not cancer, or anything as evil as that, but rather, a benign or fluid filled cyst on one of your ovaries. These cysts can cause your natural hCG (pregnancy hormone) level to go above the natural level of 0 - 5 mIU. On the Dollar tests, they claim to be able to detect 25 mIU of hCG, but trust me, they can detect less! (more on that later). if you have painful ovulation or periods, and seem to be getting the slightest pink line bit then get AF, see a doctor for an ultrasound, a cyst may be to blame.
2. 'The pee stick is still wet, and I see a line!': You drop 4 - 5 drops of pee in the well and watch the dye climb to the control line. That appears instantly. You immediately pick up the test and start turning it into better light, better angle... you can see a shiny strip where the test line is! It has been less than a minute!... the test line contains an hCG detector, and pink dye. When it is newly wet, it 'swells' a little and appears to have a raised, etched appearance. There should be no colour too it, but in natural light or a light bulb, boy can you see it!! This is a BFN. You must keep the test on a flat surface for the duration of the test. If you pick it up, the pee will actually 'flood' the test area, and 'wash away' a potential BFP! Put it down girls, put it down ;)
3. HEAT!! The most obvious cause of a false BFP so far! I had hubby use his pee for this one, so no chance of me throwing an early BFP into the mix (I am in the two week wait after all!). In under 10 minutes on the shelf over the stove while cooking dinner, a line appeared. It was mostly grey, but there seemed to be some pink, and it was clear. I am thinking this test mimics an hour or so in summer heat, or a window. (I am looking for the best light to get a pic of it). I think we can sometimes convince ourselves that an evaporation line is a BFP.
4. The soap combo!: I mixed pee with a few drops of different kinds of soap. In under 10 minutes, a 'ghost line' appeared. It was whiter than the test paper, and it looked convincing as something that MIGHT be a 'ghost line positive' that we have heard of in the past!... Later that afternoon, the test strip returned to the colour of the rest of the test strip paper. The lesson here is be careful you are not using anything contaminated with soap to collect your pee!!
5. Fertility pill contamination!: I made a witches brew of a Vitex pill (Chasteberry, contained in FertilAid) and a prenatal and pee. Some of us are taking a massive dose of all kinds of stuff to help us ovulate/get preggo! The result: A convincing BFN at 10 minutes, three hours and the following day.
6. Soy milk and pee: Again, yuck... it's all for TTC science ladies! Hmm... after ten minutes, there seemed to be a slight evaporation line, almost looked like a hint of colour. Late that night/following day. BFN.
NOTE: I have a pic of some of the test results in my pictures on my page - last page, last pic! One of the tests is my positive that came (15 minutes before blood drawn to confirm my hCG at 15 mIU) the last day I had measurable hCG in my system from the ectopic pregnancy - less than the required 25 mIU to get a positive! Sensitive!
Does anyone have a suggestion of common household stuff I can throw on a test to see if I can squeak out a false positive? How about your own false positive story? While it is true that these tests only cost a dollar, they are FDA and Canada Health Agency approved, so I am not convinced that 'you get what you pay for' applies - what do you think went wrong with your test if you got a false positive? If I get enough complaints, I'll have fun making it my mission to bug the test makers with our complaints ;) Maybe they will send me some freebies!
Results: POA$1S and let it sit for three to ten minutes, look for two minutes in all light - if no line: TOSS TEST!! Did you cave in and dig the test from the garbage hours later, and see a line? Don't convince yourself of the positive yet, test again with morning pee the next day!
Same pee stick, different angles and exposure to show an evaporation line. This pee stick was tested with PLAIN WATER. I'm pretty sure my tap is not pregnant ;) so here is an evaporation line. After I added the water to the test, I left it on my computer console to dry. I know you have all left your pee sticks near your computer before (come on, admit it, you were looking for pictures of faint BFP's while you waited for the ten minutes to pass on your pee stick!) Well, computers get HOT, especially laptops. So squint, lean back and you will see a dent in the paper, a grayish line... an evil evaporation line!! This is a Dollarama test (the only type I can currently afford to experiment with - but accurate all the same!). This evap line showed up in less than 10 minutes, thanks to the sped up drying time. Lesson here: Don't let your pee stick get hot and dry too fast! (Note: these test pics are different than the test above (#3) where I used hubby's pee!)
This is a false positive (confirmed as false by hCG blood work results showing negative) likely caused by peeing in a container contaminated with soap! Be warned that contamination can cause funky results - rare, but it sure can happen!
UPDATE: On August 4, 2009, Readyfor2 was rewarded for her patience with the false positive - one month after this cycle with the 'falsie' Readyfor2 is happy to report her REAL BFP!! CONGRATS!
Thanks again to Readyfor2 from IAP.com for this photo. She inspired me to conduct the 'when is a positive not a positive test' in the first place!
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THE CAUTIONARY TALE OF THE FALSE POSITIVE!!
Thanks to boyoboy from i-am-pregnant.com for sharing these tests with me, and us all! What a bummer to have the thrill of a very faint 'positive' only to be confirmed as not pregnant later with a blood test. Here's here cautionary tale.
These are pics of HPT's that ended up being negatives. The fact plus one came up right away with the line, the tester took a fact plus before this one and thought it was an evap line because it came hours later but this one was right away. The other test, ept was taken early in morning (3am) and was not looked at until 6am and it was positive. Also, when the tester was digging the trash to take these pics for this site, she saw the first response (rapid result, 100mIu) was slightly positive. The point is don't dig old tests out of the trash and if it isn't positive in 10 minutes don't trust it. She does know what happened with the fact plus, but won't use that brand again.
Diane here again... here is my theory on how 'fast' faint positives such as these occur. You know what I have learned about false positives on the +/- tests?
They often seem to develop a thin line on the left side of the test strip, almost like as the pee passes through the test, it picks up some pigment because of the naturally occurring 1 - 2 mIU hCG most women have, and then the pee 'rolls back' onto the left side of the test strip once it has passed all the way through, and deposits the line. That is the only way I can see an immediate 'positive' happening when you are really not pregnant (how much does that suck??!!) And as for the other tests that developed over time - that tiny bit of hCG really does cause some color development after the ten minute mark. I keep my tests now overnight just to hope for false positives to post! lol
A sinister 'false positive' or 'dye run' as the Clear Blue phone reps like to call it. They claim this can happen if the test window is flooded with too much pee (not the testers fault, just the way the pee entered the test window - design flaw in my eyes!), and the dye from the control line runs to the test area, then before the 10 minutes are up, some of the test line starts to show colour. This is an error in the test that should result in getting a refund either from the store where it was purchased from, or from Clear Blue directly. It pays to call and complain. FANTASTIC UPDATE! We're still calling this an evaporation line, but a few days after this Clear Blue test, last.one got her actual BFP on a 10 mIU internet strip. She had several light lines show up on the strips the day before, but they showed after the 10 minute mark. Today the results were there in 3 minutes. Congrats last.one!
photo courtesy of last.one.for.me from i-am-pregnant.com with thanks and hopes you get your true BFP soon!
