HCG is normally only present in your body if you are pregnant. Any positive line, no matter how faint, means your result is pregnant. Levels of hCG in your body will increase over the course of your pregnancy. If you test early, your hCG levels may be still be low and you'll see a faint positive line.
Can a barely visible pregnancy test result be negative? A barely visible pregnancy test result usually can't be negative — because it detected hCG — but it might indicate a false positive or an early pregnancy loss. However, false positive results that are not related to early pregnancy loss are incredibly rare.
Some very sensitive pregnancy test kits can detect pregnancy as early as 6 days before your missed period (5 days before you expect your period), however the levels of hCG this early are so low that you can expect any line to be faint.
While a dark line that shows up quickly is a sign that there's more virus in your body, even a faint line can be positive (and may turn darker if you test again in the coming days).
When did the line show up? If a pink line showed up quickly, then it is likely a positive, pregnant result. If the line only showed up much later (say ten minutes or more) than the control line, it may be an evaporation line.
Faint line on pregnancy test not getting darker
The strength of the positive test line depends on the amount of hCG in your urine. Wait until your first missed period if you want a darker test strip. Even a digital pregnancy test might not be conclusive before a missed period.
An evaporation line (or evap line) typically appears like a faded streak, while a faint positive test result looks like a lighter blue or pink line, depending on the test dye color.
A faint line could very well indicate that the urine used for the sample is pretty diluted, or that it's very early in the pregnancy—there is just enough hCG to turn the test positive, says Woeber.
Your body starts producing hCG right after implantation. If you have a typical 28-day menstrual cycle, hCG may be detectable in your urine 12 to 15 days after ovulation if you're pregnant. The levels of hCG are very low at first and then they rise quickly, usually doubling every three days in early pregnancy.
However, you don't need to stress too much about taking a pregnancy test at a specific time of day. Using urine later on when it's less concentrated may only “hypothetically delay a positive result by only 12 to 24 hours,” advises Dr. Flanagan.
You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex. Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period.
In general, yes, pregnancy test results should get darker early on as a pregnancy progresses. This is because the pregnancy hormone, hCG, typically doubles every two to three days during the first few weeks of pregnancy. After six weeks, the levels will double about every four days.
A mark on a pregnancy test may be an evaporation line if: More than 10 minutes have passed since taking the test. The mark is faint and colorless, and it resembles a water spot. The mark has no visible dye in it.
HCG increases quickly (almost doubling every three days) for the first eight to 10 weeks of pregnancy. Healthcare providers look at how quickly a person's hCG levels rise in early pregnancy to determine how the pregnancy and fetus are developing.
For the line tests, sometimes, a faint-colored second line appears. This may represent an early pregnancy or may simply be an evaporation line. If you read the test after the recommended time in the instructions, the results might be a false-positive since the evaporation line may show up more clearly.
Evaporation lines are relatively common, and they might appear on a pregnancy test as the urine dries. They typically show up after the timeframe where you're instructed to read the results—which is generally from two to five minutes after you pee on the stick.
A positive result (even a faint positive result) means that implantation likely occurred, and your body is beginning to produce HCG, a hormone that is vital for sustaining a pregnancy. This also means that you're in the very early stages of pregnancy.
Unfortunately, it is possible to have a faint positive, only to get a negative when you retest a few days later. If this happens to you, it may be that you have had a very early miscarriage. Sadly, miscarriages are very common, with a quarter of pregnancies thought to be affected. Learn more about early miscarriage.
Don't Drink A Lot Of Water Before Taking The Test
Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results. Take a test when you naturally need to pee. This way, you'll avoid diluting your hCG level and getting a false 'Not Pregnant' result.
So, if you do get a faint line, Kirkham recommends waiting two or three days, then testing again.
The pregnancy test looks like it's positive—there seems to be some sort of a faint line—but it's actually not a true positive result. An evaporation line rarely has any color to it. It's more like a faint line where you would expect to see a pink or blue line.
To help ensure an accurate result, the best time to take a pregnancy test is 1 week after a missed period. Results of a pregnancy test are either positive or negative. If a woman takes the pregnancy test earlier than 1 week after a missed period, it may give a negative result, even if the person is actually pregnant.
The earlier you test, the higher the chances that this scenario will occur. If you get a false negative but still suspect you're pregnant, repeat the test in a few days. If it's negative again but your period still hasn't arrived, book an appointment with your healthcare provider.
It's also possible to get a positive test result followed by a negative result. If you use two different pregnancy tests, this could be the result of varying test sensitivity. Wait a few days and test again. You also may no longer be pregnant.