Faint Line On A Pregnancy Test: What Does It Mean?

A missed period is one of the first signs that indicate pregnancy. You may take a home pregnancy test at the earliest to confirm. However, if you have very early pregnancy symptoms, such as implantation bleeding, you may take a home pregnancy test before your first missed period.

A one line with some home pregnancy tests means the test is negative and you’re not pregnant while two lines indicate the test is positive and you are pregnant. However, a faint positive line in the results window can get confusing. Read on for some possible explanations related to a faint positive pregnancy test.

Signs You’re Pregnant

If you take a home pregnancy test and the results show a faint positive line, it usually indicates that you’re pregnant. Some women see a clear positive line after taking a pregnancy test at home. But for some, the positive line looks faded. This could be caused by low levels of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

Your body begins producing hCG as soon as you become pregnant and the level increases as your pregnancy progress. Home pregnancy tests help to detect this hormone. So if hCG is present in your urine, you’ll have a positive test result. Hence the more hCG in your system, the easier it is to see and read a positive line through a home test.

There are instances where some women take a home pregnancy test early in their pregnancy. They usually take the test before or shortly after their first missed period. Although there is hCG in their urine, the lower level of the hormone results in a positive pregnancy test with a faint line.

Evaporation Line

Getting a faint positive line after a home pregnancy test doesn’t necessarily mean you’re pregnant. Sometimes, a positive line is an evaporation line. These lines may appear in the results window because of the urine evaporating from the stick. Hence, you may mistakenly think you’re pregnant if a faint evaporation line develops on your home pregnancy test.

It is difficult to determine whether a faint line is a positive pregnancy result or an evaporation line. The major difference to note is that evaporation lines appear in the test window several minutes after the recommended time for checking the test results.

Read instructions carefully before taking a home pregnancy test. The package of your pregnancy test kit will let you know when to check your test results, which can be within three to five minutes which varies depending on the manufacturer. 

If you see a faint positive line within the recommended time frame, there are high chances that you are pregnant. However, if you don’t check the test for more than 10 minutes and you miss the time frame for checking the results, a faint line may be an evaporation line and indicates you’re not pregnant.

Retake the test, if you are confused about whether a faint line is a positive line or an evaporation line.

Early Pregnancy Loss

A faint positive line unfortunately can also be a sign of a very early miscarriage. This is sometimes called a chemical pregnancy and usually occurs within the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy or even much earlier. Hence, your test may show a faint positive line if you take a home pregnancy test after a miscarriage.

If you’re not sure about the faint line on a pregnancy test as a positive result, it is advisable to take another home test after a couple of days. You can also make an appointment with your doctor to take a pregnancy test. Your doctor will take a urine or blood sample and be able to accurately determine whether a pregnancy has occurred or not.