Need Moms Wisdom

Updated on December 07, 2008
J.K. asks from Newark, DE
32 answers

Hello,
My husband and I have been trying for 6 months. My cycle is always consistent to a tee. Well this month it was short and very light. I had a feeling something was up. I just took 2 pregnancy test and they both have 2 lines(positive right?) What is bothering me is that one of the lines on both tests was lighter. We are both so excited but of course I can't help but think that it isn't really true. We have a 19 month old and know how much of a miracle this whole process is. We decided we can't tell anyone yet. And of course my gyno is on lunch break.. Where can I turn. To mamsource of course. I guess what i am getting at is any advice? Has this happened to anyone else? What is the next step? How long do I wait until getting a true blood test?

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So What Happened?

Well its official. The tests were right. We are pregnant and due at the end of July. I am so excited and totally delighted. Since we are only 6 weeks in I am also cautious because having a child is such a miracle. Thanks again for all your great thoughts. I love this site. I will keep you all posted.

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J.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

My first pregnancy the line was dark and really obvious. I had a miscarriage with that pregnancy. My subsequent two pregnancies the same thing that is happening to you happened to me. The lines were hardly there and with my second one my husband could barely see it and told me i was nuts. Well, I wasn't nuts, I was pregnant and almost through my first trimester! I had an exam in addition to the blood test within a week and the exam was all that was really needed. Best of luck!

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T.S.

answers from Scranton on

Go now! My test read the same way and I called for a blood test the very next day. It is better to know than sit there and wonder... Good luck!

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L.P.

answers from Harrisburg on

Hi J.,

I would definitely say your pregnant by what you said. When I was pregnant with my son, the line was very very light also. Obviously your hormone level is high enough to make that second line show up at all. There is no such thing as a "false positive" on a pregnancy test (my dr told me this). So if I was a betting person I would definitely tell you congrats and to call the dr to get a blood test to confirm.

L.

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A.B.

answers from Reading on

During the first three months of my pregnancy I think I took at least half a dozen pregnancy tests. I would call my husband when he was on his way home from work in tears demanding he stop at a drug store to buy ANOTHER test just because I didn't 'feel' like I was still pregnant. I was already so attached to my baby that I became almost paranoid it wasn't actually happening. I think what you're feeling is normal (one of the lines was always lighter on my tests) and almost a defense mechanism. So, no advice, just know that you aren't crazy.

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F.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

My suggestion is to simply make an appointment with your ob/gyn. Don't tell anyone until you have the confirmation from you doctor.

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T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

In my case the light 2nd line always meant positive! Congrats!

But...to the mom that said there is no false positive, that is wrong. I cannot believe an ob said that. I had a false positive with the test that spells out pregnant/not pregnant. I came to find out that certain things in my urine (due to kidney issues) and also that particular test both cause false positives occasionally.

I doubt this is your case and i am smiling for you!!!

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

If the tests were negative, I don't think you'd have the second line at all. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

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M.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Sounds like a congrats is in order! :) As long as there was that 2nd line, I'd say start planning for a summer baby!! :)

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J.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

After fertility treatments with my first two children I new I would never have to worry about getting pregnant. This past May a day before my period was due I was so sick and sleepy I took a test and had a very faint second line. I then took 6 more tests 4 had faint lines and the last two were the digital read out kind which said "pregnant". A faint line is still a line. I am now 7 weeks away from delivery. Get the digital kind just to put your mind at ease. Good luck!

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B.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

If you can't wait to see the ob go to your primary Dr just for the blood work.

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K.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Two lines means pregnancy and it doesn't matter how light the second line is. My early tests always had a really faint second line (and I say tests because I took about ten of them just to be sure). I think I looked it up online or read it on the box though - two lines, no matter how dark or light they are, means a positive result. Of course you can always do what I did, which is buy a bunch of other tests to see if they show a more definite answer. And that's how I ended up taking so many. :-) Congratulations!

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K.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

Yep - sounds like you are expecting (get your gyn to confirm). I had the same thing with my second son (second line was very light). Wish you all the best!!

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J.K.

answers from Harrisburg on

Honey save yourself the mental hard ship and get the blood test AND the digital test :) The test rairly gives you a false positive, its more common to get a false negative. The test reads a hormone found only during pregnancy. The paper used for the testing is coated with a chemical and it is reactive to that agent being present in your urine. So, what all that means is that......the tests had diferent amounts of chemicals on it, it didn't wick as fast, or your urine was more diluted. Translation again : BIG FAT POSITIVE!!! Congrats on your next baby!

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M.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi J.,

Same thing happened to me. I do know from past experience and what my gyno told me that with those pregnancy tests... there are no false positives. There can be false negatives where you could be prego but it comes up that your not... However, not the opposite. So.... Congrats! However, I am no doctor but pretty sure you probably are... If you weren't pregnant, I don't think a second line would come up at all.

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W.B.

answers from Allentown on

I had the smae thing with my first one and then again with this pregnancy. I waited a few days and tested again before I made my appt for my gyno to get checked and they sent me for blood work a few weeks later and no doubt it was positive. The second time I took the test a few days later it was no doubt true and definately darker. Hope that helps

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J.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

CONGRADULATIONS!! You are definatly pregnant. My husband and I tried for about 6 months and frankly was getting tired of "trying". I took pregnancy test about twice a week. He now are enjoying 3 month old Gannon. A line is a line no matter how faint it is. Your hormones will make it darker as days go on. CONGRADULATIONS AGAIN!!

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C.G.

answers from Philadelphia on

Congrats! You're pregnant! Same thing happened to me back in May and the doc said there is no such thing as a false positive on these tests. I'm now at 36 weeks. You're on your way, so call back the OB's office and get that blood test so you can officially celebrate!

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J.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

I say a line is a line, congrats! If you want to know more about HPT's and the difference between a digital test and the traditional test check out www.peeonastick.com. This lady has way too much time on her hands and I know I have benefitted from reading all about it! As long as that second line is colored (even lightly) with the dye for that test (pink or blue) then it's +. If the line is gray, off white, or looks more like a dent then it may be an evaporation line (which I think mistake for a "false +). Be sure to follow the directions carefully and don't read the test past the allotted time!

Congrats, looks like a BFP to me!

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R.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi,
Congratulations! Yes, both times I was preg. my lines on the test were faint - personally, I always have low hormones, so the lines were faint from that reason, but it could also be if you're newly preg. they maybe a little light. Just a thought. Good luck!!!

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L.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Congrats. even if the line is faint, it is possitive. I had my first positive blood test at 2 weeks.
Good luck.

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K.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

J.,
With my first baby, I had 6 negative tests, and they should have been positive. My other three kids, all of the lines were very faint. It just means your levels aren't as high. You can get blood work right away, I always get it immediately so I know. Also, in my case once I did have to take progesterone, to make sure my levels were high enough. Congratulations and good luck!

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L.G.

answers from State College on

J.,

I had the same thing with one of my pregnancies. Call your family doctor or whoever does your pap smears. Since you know about your period cycle, they can tell you when you can have a blood test and can confirm relatively quickly. For such a big exciting thing, a couple of calls won't take long!

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S.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

Don't fret about the "lighter" line. I have taken many a prego test with the same result. Take a deep breath, relax and wait for your obgyn to come back from her lunch break. If you don't want to wait go back to the drug store and get a digital test. It will say, pregnant/not pregnant. They are kinda expensive but if you don't want to wait that's what I would do. Good luck!!

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S.W.

answers from Harrisburg on

I havent read the other responses - but I had a negative blood test and a positive "pee" test (for lack of a better word) and i was still pregnant - my dr said that you cant have a "false positive" pregnancy test (the at home ones) but that you can have a "false negatve" test - make sense? I am obviously not qualified - but i am a birth doula and everything that i have read and dealt with says that the at home pregnancy tests, the mothers "feelings" and the lack of period are the key determining factors - so i would say yes you are but if you wanna get a second opinion (ie blood test) then go for it!

let us know what happens! Good Luck and God Bless - and Call if you want/need a Birth Doula!

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C.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

My suggestion, just get the blood test done. Those things can happen. I took a pregnancy test with my daughter and the line was very light. I then went to planned parenthood and took their pee test and they told me I wasn't. A month later with no period still I went to my gyno and sure enough I was 2.5 months pregnant. I probably should have just gotten a blood test instead of using planned parenthood at the time. ( I didn't have coverage the first month I went there, I was waiting) It does usually say on the instructions that one line can be lighter or darder than the other. Good luck!

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R.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I hope this will help...
My husband and I had been trying for a baby for about 6 months. I was very antsy any time it came time for my period. So, after a short, spotty period I decided to take a pregnancy test. (Just to let you know...for me, ever since I had been on microgestin-bc pills and then got off of them, I had very irregular periods, so this was not uncommon.)
The pregnancy line on the test came out VERY faint, almost nonexistent. My husband had been cautioning me about taking pregnancy tests all the time, he was worried that it would bother me too much, but I just had to have them on hand. So, I felt a little self-concious about telling him about it, but when I did, all I could tell him was that it came out "maybe". I wasn't real sure whether I was or not, so he suggested we buy newer tests (he figured the others were too old to be reliable). So we waited about five days and bought new tests. This time I wasn't taking any chances, so I used the last old test and one of the new tests. They both came out very clearly positive. We called the doctor that day for a blood test.
To give you an update on the pregnancy...well,...my baby boy is now almost 2 months old.
I hope all works out for you!

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K.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Congratulations! A lighter line only means not as much HCG was detected, which would mean early pregnancy. It's possible to get a false negative on those tests, since the HCG may not have been detected yet. But it's rare to get a false positive since the test MUST pick up HCG (pregnancy hormone) in order to get any kind of positive, which would mean pregnancy must be present. Congrats! Now, go to the doc to verify and get on an immediate health care tracking.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
Chat and events, within 2 hour radius

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D.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

I had that happen to me. The blood test showed that I was pregent also, but what I had was an empty sack. I hope this isn't your case but I would ask my gyno to do an altersound as soon as she will. Also for your well being don't tell anyone until the altersound is completed. Good luck

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B.W.

answers from Erie on

I'm not well versed on this stuff any more but I think you are more apt to get a false negative than a false positive. If you want assurance, you can always buy another EPT and re-do the test. It all depends on hormone levels, and they build from conception onward. :-)

Good luck. It IS a miracle, creating new life. It's both a joy, and a responsiblity.

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A.C.

answers from Allentown on

J. check the box to see if 2 lines is pregnant first. With both of my children you could barely see the second line. They say it is because the hormone that the test tests for isn't really strong, but you are still pregnant. Get an appt. asap they have better tests in the office.
Congrats!

S.Y.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Congrats!
Pregnancy test detect the hormone HCG, and even if you have a little, that line will appear...even if it is VERY light, you are pregnant!! The SAME thing happened to me (the line was soooo light!) so I ran out and got one of those "pregnant" or "not preganant" tests (I mean the ones that actually SAY the words)...maybe that would help? Run to Rite Aid, honey...no need to wait for a Dr.'s confirmation...and I pretty much guarantee you are pregnant! :)

M.L.

answers from Erie on

Well, they usually say that any line (no matter how light) means a positive! If you want, though, I would spend the extra couple bucks and get one of the digital ones. Then you would really know for sure :)

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