Pregnancy test getting lighter

Are you looking at the right line? It could be a dye stealer

@Lindsey I’m looking at the test line x

How far gone do you believe you are?x

@Kerrianne coming up to 5 weeks now x

Depending on how far along you are it could be the hook effect

@Nicole I’m coming up to 5 weeks, what is the hook effect? X

@Josie I had similar. Stop testing or you'll drive yourself insane x

@Kerrianne I’m now going to wait a week to test as told by midwife but I am just so stressed already!!! X

@Kirsty I have had very light spotting only sometimes when I wipe for 2 days but no pain or full flow. My doctor won’t do any bloods and I have to wait a week test again and if still positive I can have a reassurance scan, I suffered with HG in my last pregnancy and have been very nauseous again already! X

@Josie idk your options there but here we can buy our own HCG blood tests at local labs for about $49. I did that for a while until I saw my OB.

At about 5-6 weeks the tests become pretty unreliable, unfortunately. This is because your hcg levels are getting pretty high and can ‘overwhelm’ the test. This can lead to the ‘hook effect’ where the tests start to look lighter or even come up negative, even though you’re still very much pregnant! It’s best to try to get blood work done and wean yourself off the home tests for your own sanity. (I know that’s easier said than done!)

Apparently after a certain level of HCG tests stop working and in fact can get lighter.

@Josie once you get past a certain gestation your tests naturally become lighter as women only produce an increase of HCG for the early stages of pregnancy. I would definitely go get blood work if you’re concerned with your HCG levels or even get an early scan which I did instead ☺️

It could just be the hook effect. Home pregnancy tests are only designed to pick up certain levels of HCG. Once your HCG exceeds those levels the rest gets overwhelmed and can’t register and it can give a negative result. However it could also indicate a miscarriage. This has happened to me 3 times. GPs will rarely do HCG and you’d need another repeated 48 hours anyway to know for sure. If you phone your midwife and say you’ve had spotting and you’re very concerned, they should be able to refer you to your local EPAU for a scan. You can get private beta HCG done though Medichecks or Superdrug’s that have a clinic.

Why are you stil testing if you think you are 5 weeks? You will drive yourself crazy

@Vicki some of us just can’t help it. When it’s taken yours to conceive and multiple losses, it’s more of an obsession that a choice.

@Lani I can understand that. I would say for now stop testing and wait for your midwife appointment/scan.

@Vicki now she’s had that fainter test I’d say it’s more impossible than ever for her to stop testing

I started seeing the hook effect at 5 weeks! Dilute your urine with half water and half urine and test it again. If it comes back darker then it’s hook effect, and it’s time to stop testing. And trust me I know how hard it is after 2 losses but you’ll be relieved when you do xx

Agree with above I had hook effect around this time too x

I had this happen to me around 6 weeks or so. I diluted my urine with water and it came out stronger. Even when I went to my dr apt they said it was really light for how far a long I should have been. I mentioned the hook effect and she didn’t know what I was talking about lol. They just thought maybe I wasn’t as far along as I thought. I booked my scan the next week and baby was perfectly fine. Measured 8w4d. So try not to worry. If you don’t have loss of symptoms or bleeding and cramping I wouldn’t worry about it. Good luck!

Its a dye stealer, at 5 weeks amd above the tests become dye stealer as your hcg is really high at this point.

Same happened to me and i got worried then called my dr to check, and she told me this and is true, i was 5 weeks then.

@Koumal I had no issues with tests up to 11 weeks pregnant. It's not always a dye stealer x

@Koumal a due stealer is when your test line is stronger than the control line. Not when the test is negative

@Lani yes i know. She didn’t say there negative, she said there lighter.

@Koumal test line would be darker then control line if a dye stealer. It wouldn't be lighter then before x

@Koumal okay sorry, but she says the test line is fainter. Still not a dye stealer. With a dye stealer the test line is so dark it’s darker than the control line. Not the other way around.

Any update?

@Nicole she's been told not to test for another week by midwife x

@Kerrianne that’s the best advice really, baby dust for next week ✨ x

@Kerrianne @Nicole couldn’t help myself! Tested yesterday and it was super dark again, tested again today but was a bit lighter! If still positive on Sunday I have to call the midwives to book for an early scan! Xx

@Josie keeping everything crossed for you girl 🥰 I have a feeling that it will just be the hook effect, if it was super dark again yesterday it’s a good sign!xx

@Nicole I hope so, I still have sickness and also now have increase in discharge and constipation which I had in my first pregnancy but it’s so different this time I’m just baffled🤣🤣xx

@Josie every pregnancy is different! Hope you’re okay ☺️ let us know what happens on Sunday xx

@Nicole so true! Just sooo stressed for the outcome! Sunday can’t come soon enough! Xx