This is when an egg implants outside of the uterus, which can be life-threatening for a pregnant woman. In the case of ectopic pregnancy, hCG levels may be lower and/or rise abnormally. If the home pregnancy test is positive, but you suspect it could be an ectopic pregnancy, you will need to see your provider immediately for further blood testing or ultrasound to make the diagnosis. It’s important to differentiate if you experienced your period or spotting. Spotting after a positive pregnancy test occurs in 15-20% of pregnancies in the first trimester. Spotting (aka implantation bleeding) is much lighter than most periods and lasts for a day or two. Spotting happens when the fertilized egg causes a little bit of lining to detach during implantation and is an early sign of pregnancy.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the test. This is really important. Different tests will have different sensitivities (what level of hormone they can detect) and some may be suitable for testing before your missed period whereas others may not be. If you want to test early, make sure you use a test designed for the job. It may be easy to think a faint line is a false positive, but it’s very, very rare to get a false positive result. You can read more about false positive pregnancy test results here. What does a faint line look like? If your pregnancy test progression lines get lighter or disappear, a couple of things could be happening:Getting your full period after a positive pregnancy test, on the other hand, could potentially be a chemical pregnancy. A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage that occurs when an egg is fertilized but does not fully implant into the uterus. The bleeding associated with a chemical pregnancy is typically like a period, but can be heavier. If you test again and get a negative result, this could be the case. If you are having a chemical pregnancy, keep this in mind: research shows that women may be more fertile after chemical pregnancy. Ectopic Pregnancies If you are taking a pregnancy test before the day of your expected period, and are indeed pregnant, the line will start as a faint line (a “squinter”) and get darker as time progresses. Why Is My Pregnancy Test Line So Faint? The strength of the positive test line depends on how much hCG is in your urine. If the line is faint, it usually means that the hCG level is low. One reason why hCG levels may be low could be because you’re still very early into your pregnancy. 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. As your pregnancy progresses, the levels of hCG will rise, so if you choose to test again, you will likely see a much stronger positive line. If you tested with two brands that have varying levels of sensitivity, the results could look different. Try using the same brand test and comparing tests within the same brands.

It is rare, but bleeding in early pregnancy that is heavier and/or accompanied by abdominal pain may indicate an ectopic pregnancy. [2] Do the test first thing in the morning. if you’re testing early, take the test first thing in the morning when your hCG levels are more concentrated. With home pregnancy tests, you’re likely to have questions about interpreting results as opposed to pregnancy tests done at your doctor’s office. One of these questions with a home pregnancy test is a light or faint line. Two lines on our pregnancy test, no matter how faint, is a positive result. But say you tested today and the line seems lighter than your test from yesterday—don’t panic. It could simply be that your urine was more diluted today, meaning it was harder for the test to detect the hCG. Test again in the morning when the hCG should be most concentrated.It could be a chemical pregnancy. A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage that occurs when an egg is fertilized but does not fully implant into the uterus. Adapted from: Gnoth C. and Johnson S. Strips of Hope: Accuracy of Home Pregnancy Tests and New Developments. GeburtshilfeFrauenheilkd 2014;74(7):661–669.

Go digital. Use a digital pregnancy test that spells the result out for you, so you no longer need to try to read faint lines. Getting pregnant can be a difficult and confusing process. We at Natalist are here to serve you during this time. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Immediate Dark Positive Pregnancy Test Result- What Does It Mean?Each pregnancy test is different, with some brands using a red dye and others, like Clearblue®, a blue dye. For a red dye test, a faint line will look light pink, whereas a blue dye test will produce a light blue line. See images below to get an idea of what a faint line can look like.