If you are trying to conceive, one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking steps is taking a pregnancy test. You may have waited for what feels like an eternity for the result. When you finally see the result, a faint line on the pregnancy test can be a confusing sign. It could be a positive or negative result, or it could be something else. If you have seen a very faint line, almost invisible, on your pregnancy test, you may be wondering what to do next. Knowing the reasons why you may have seen a faint line on your pregnancy test, and understanding the implications of this, can help you to make the right decision for your situation. In this blog post, we will discuss the various causes of a very very faint line on your pregnancy test, and provide you with the necessary information to make an informed decision.
Why is the line so faint?
You are probably testing very early in your pregnancy if the line is faint.
A pregnancy test is made to display a line if it finds a certain amount of the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in the urine you dipped it into. hCG levels rise quickly in the first few weeks of pregnancy, peak at around 10 weeks, and then gradually decline again.
However, if you take the test very early in your pregnancy, your hCG levels will be low, so even though the test kit can detect them, they will only be enough to produce a faint line.
So if I get a faint line, should I do another test?
Yes, that’s what I’d advise, but wait a few days or so. In the first trimester of pregnancy, levels of hCG double every 48 to 72 hours, so your next pregnancy test result may show a stronger line.
Additionally, I’d advise you to perform the pregnancy test the first time you pee that day since that is when your urine is most likely to be concentrated.
Pictures of negative pregnancy test with faint lines
When the second line—the one that indicates whether you are pregnant—is dry on a negative pregnancy test, that usually means that you are not pregnant.
If you perform the test correctly, it’s challenging to obtain a false negative result, though it is possible. It’s a good sign if you get two lines, even if one of them is very faint.
These pictures below are of negative HPTs:
Ignore the blue line on the left; it serves as a reminder of where to collect urine.
A dried evaporation line on a pregnancy test is the only faint line that indicates you are not pregnant (see below).
FAQ
Can a faint positive be almost invisible?
Sometimes the line on a pregnancy test might be so faint as to be almost invisible. But often, it’s definitely a faint positive test result, just like these below.
Can a very faint line on a pregnancy test disappear?
How faint can a pregnancy line be?
Why is my positive line very faint?