On bcp & use condom - false positve hpt?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2005
On bcp & use condom - false positve hpt?
5
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 11:37am
Okay, this is kind of convoluted. My boyfriend and I have been on and off the whole summer. We decided to "get back together" after mid July. So between the end of April and the middle of July we didn't have "relations". We had sex again on the the day after for the first time since April on 7/16/06. That was the first day of my placebo week. I am on the pill and I use a condom (because I am paranoid about getting pregnant). Now, at the end of that week and sometime the following week I know that we had sex I just don't remember the days. I know I had diarrhea at the end of that week on the Friday (I take my pill at 7am and the diarrhea was probably around 8:00 - so I was a little bit nervous) The week after that we may have had sex at the beginning of the week but I can't remember. So that was the week of 7/30/06. Now my next placebo week was 8/13/06. I had been nauseous on 8/10, 8/11, and 8/14.

See where I am going with this?

I don't get "normal" periods because I am on the pill. They tend to be spotty and brownish since I started taking it (Yasmin) 4 years ago. So my last period was the week of 8/13/06 but it was only for a day or two and not really heavy (but it never is).

I have been extremely emotional lately so I thought about that and the nausea (no vomiting, though) and I decided what could it hurt to pee on the stick. I had one from December when I missed my period (probably due to my weight loss which was caused by extreme stress). So I peed on it last night (First Response) and the "it's working" line showed up and then a crooked smidge of another line showed up. I freaked out of course and when right to the OBGYN.

I mean, statistically speaking it's nearly impossible for me to be pregnant. I use a condom and I am on the pill (I don't miss them and I take them within a half hour of 7am each day) I let him in without the condom for mere seconds when we first got started once in July but then I start freaking out so I made him stop. then he pulled out and put on the condom and then we had "actual" sex.

I peed for the doctor and he did two tests that showed negative. I did two more this morning (first morning pee) and both were negative. I bought two new boxes last night and got two diffrent types of tests (First Repsonse and Clear Blue Easy) the line on the original test from last night only goes about a third of the way up and gets faint as it it rises. there was no preg lines on either of the docs tests or on the ones this morning.

So, needless to say I am freaking out. I have heard about countless false negatives but NEVER a false positive. I went online and found some info that tests can be defective and show a false positive. My doc didn't seem to be concerned and opted not to send me for a blood test.

I'm not symptomatic, either. I mean if I was prego enough for hormone to show in my urine I'd think that my boobs would hurt or something.

What do you think? Have you ever heard of a false positive or a defective Home Preg Test?
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-18-2006
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 12:25pm

False positives *are* possible. They're rare, but possible. I had one two years ago. I was 19 and I really freaked out (it was a blurry false positive like you had). My dog (I know this is different and probably unrelated) had one too. They did a blood test, were certain she was pregnant (we wanted her to be), and no puppies ever came. If you take your pill regularly and you use condoms, I think you are in good shape. If you were not on the pill and you said you let your boyfriend inside you without a condom, this would be the time to remind you that you can get pregnant from that method even if he does pull out. BUT, since you are on birth control, you are protected and technically don't even need a condom except for extra protection. You seem to be taking the birth control correctly, so if you think about it (which you probably have), the condom was there to protect you in case in the off chance (really off chance, like .5% chance) that you had ovulated (and of course, to protect you against stds if there were a risk, which there probably isn't since he's your boyfriend). AND, condoms are 97% effective, so right there, you should not be worrying about pregnancy.

Also, keep in mind that the other pregnancy tests you took showed up negative *and* your doctor thinks you have nothing to worry about (and doctors are usually really cautious about this sort of thing -- think how bad that would look if your doctor was like, "oh, you aren't pregnant" and then nine months later you're having a baby...). I think you are probably set. If you start showing other signs of pregnancy over the next month (like sore boobs, nausea, weight gain, etc.), I would say go ahead and take another test or go in for a blood test.

Sometimes I feel weird if I haven't had sex in a while and I start having it again -- I think it's just my mind playing tricks on me. It's like I didn't have any pregnancy to worry about before, and now I do, so maybe I'm pregnant. It's not rational, but I guess it's just something we girls do to ourselves =) (and I'm on the pill too, and usually use condoms with my boyfriend, so I'd be in the same situation as you)

Good luck with everything. I am sure you are fine!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2005
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 1:08pm
Thanks for the response. I'm glad I'm not the only one that has those "I haven't been having sex so I MUST be pregnant now that I am" moments.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 2:34pm

Hi chicklet4160, welcome!


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2005
Mon, 09-04-2006 - 4:31pm
Well here is my update. It is now almost a week and I have taken 13 more tests of every brand I could get my hands on. Used them at all different times of the day. All negative. I called the OBGYN and they said that the way my "positive" test came up is a good indicator of it being a faulty test because the line was incomplete. It wasn't a light line but an incomplete one. They have chosen not to send me for bloodwork since I have taken so many pee tests and I have no other symptoms. I'm still freaked though!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 09-05-2006 - 7:35am

You can't possibly take that many tests and have them all be wrong!

Judie Cl for Birth Control