Pregnancy Tests-Helpful Information

I know that a lot of you have questions about when a Pregnancy Test gives you a False Positive, so here is some helpful information along with some links to sites.

Drugs that have the pregnancy hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), such as Pregynl, Profasi, Pergonal, APL in them can cause incorrect results in home pregnancy tests. The Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) in them may be responsible for the false positive pregnancy test. If you have had an HCG shot due to infertilty treatments, you need to be sure the shot is out of your system before you attempt to use early pregnancy tests.

For accuracy in home pregnancy tests it is essential that you read the test results in the stipulated reaction time. If you let the test sit for too long (after the instructions on the box tell you), the test is invalid. This may cause it to show false positive results.

Also, there are some medical conditions that can cause false positives. Ovarian cysts are one. Certain rare medical conditions such as trophoblastic disease, islet-cell tumors. Certain forms of cancer, such as choriocarcinoma (an extremely rare type of cancer usually found in the uterus) can cause an elevation in hCG levels as well as certain types of breast, ovarian or testicular cancer leading to a false positive result.

Some drugs like Methadone, chlordiazepoxide, or promethazine can give a false positive pregnancy test.

If you get an early positive result and then get your period soon after, you may also have had what's called a "chemical pregnancy." That means a fertilized egg implanted in your uterus and developed just enough to start producing hCG but then stopped developing for some reason. This happens with about 30 to 50 percent of all fertilized eggs because they're abnormal or otherwise incapable of developing into and surviving as an embryo. If this is the case, you'll go on to get your period (though it may be a little heavier and a few days later than usual). When pregnancy tests were less sensitive than they are today, these so-called "chemical pregnancies" were never identified. Many practitioners think that's another good reason to wait until a week after your period is due to perform a home pregnancy test.

An ectopic pregnancy can give you either a positive or negative result on a pregnancy test. Call your practitioner right away if you have any abdominal pain or abnormal bleeding, no matter what a pregnancy test tells you.

These are some valuable websites with invaluable information:

http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/positive-negative.html

http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/falsepositive.html

http://www.justmommies.com/articles/false-positive-pregnancy-test.shtml

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/preconception/gettingpregnant/2029.html#5