What is a False Positive Pregnancy Test?

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) pregnancy tests or home pregnancy tests determine pregnancy through the detection of the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) in a woman's urine. A false positive pregnancy test means that your pregnancy test is positive but you are NOT pregnant. Most women who have a positive pregnancy test are actually pregnant. However, there are a few women who receive a positive pregnancy result from a home pregnancy test are not actually pregnant. One cause of a false positive pregnancy test is simply reading the home pregnancy test incorrectly. Pregnancy tests have specified and individualized instructions and they also differ from one another. Most manufacturers suggest that you read their test after 3 minutes and advise not to read it after 10 minutes. Once you have a negative test after 3-5 minutes throw out the test. Any positive test appearing well after that time is inaccurate and cannot be considered positive.

However, a false positive pregnancy test can also happen after an hCG injection. Doctors recommend that you wait until you have missed a period to take a home pregnancy test. If you cannot wait that long to find out and you know the day you may have conceived, then the earliest you can take a test would be 14 days after possible conception. Home tests are usually 97% accurate when all instructions are followed correctly and the results are read on time. Read more about the reasons why you might get a positive pregnancy test when you are not pregnant.

False Positive Pregnancy Test - Always Pregnant?

A positive pregnancy test usually means that you are pregnant. There are only a very few circumstances in which a false positive pregnancy test means that you are not pregnant . ... read more »

Pregnancy Test After hCG Injection Shot

I had an hCG human chorionic gonadotropin shot or injection to help me with ovulation. What will happen to the pregnancy test after my hCG injection? ... read more »

False Positive Pregnancy Test and Phantom HCG

A false positive hCG pregnancy test, or a positive hCG test when you are not actually pregnant rarely happens, but if it does, it can be seen both by blood and urine tests. ... read more »

Other HCG Sources For a Positive Pregnancy Test

Besides a normal pregnancy there are other medical conditions that can give you a positive pregnancy test. ... read more »

What Is a Phantom hCG?

A positive blood pregnancy test without a pregnancy is also known as a 'false positive' test. There are many conditions which can give a phantom false positive hcg blood or urine pregnancy test. ... read more »

Positive Pregnancy Tests And Medications

Is it true that fertility medications such as Humegon, Pergonal, Repronex or Fertinex, Clomid, Serophene, Gonal-F, and Follistim can cause false-positive or false-negative results on HPTs (home pregnancy tests)? ... read more »

False Positive False Negative Pregnancy Test

A false positive early pregnancy tests is a pregnancy test that is positive when in fact you are not pregnant. ... read more »

What Is A Phantom hCG And What Causes the False Positive Pregnancy Test

A "Phantom hCG" is a false positive blood pregnancy test. Patients with phantom hCG will have a persistently and not significantly rising positive blood pregnancy test despite a negative urine test. ... read more »

hCG Levels and Pregnancy Test After Miscarriage

My pregnancy test was positive three weeks after miscarriage. ... read more »

What Is a Chemical Pregnancy?

A chemical pregnancy happens much more frequently than most people expect, probably up to 30-40% of all pregnancies end up in a chemical pregnancy. ... read more »