Faint Positive

kschyala · February 2018

I’m 5 weeks, 1 day pregnant. I got my BFP on 2/4 and now on 2/13 my pregnancy tests are super faint still. I know a positive is a positive, but does this mean my hcg levels aren’t rising as they should? Have any of you had super faint positives at this point and gone on to have healthy pregnancies? This was my first pee of the day and I used two different brands- Wondfo and FRER- both were faint.

*Trigger warning*
Update- my hcg level came back at 19 and I am cramping heavily now. I will go back tomorrow to see if they go back to normal but my doctor is saying this is likely a miscarriage. I wish you all a happy and healthy 9 months.

Gizmo1231 · February 2018

Call your doctor and see if she will order a blood test. That's the only way to determine if your hCG levels are rising or not.

kschyala · February 2018

I should’ve added I had my blood done yesterday but was hoping to hear personal success stories with faint positives

DunkinDecaf · February 2018

With my second daughter I got faint positives for a solid week before they started getting darker. Are you scheduled to do a follow up blood test 48 hrs later to make sure levels are rising?

kschyala · February 2018

DunkinDecaf said:

With my second daughter I got faint positives for a solid week before they started getting darker. Are you scheduled to do a follow up blood test 48 hrs later to make sure levels are rising?

No my doctor said he wasn’t worried yesterday but now I AM worried as I took another test this morning. I think I will request one in 48 hours if it doesn’t come back super high.

DunkinDecaf · February 2018

Even if it does come back super high I’d request a follow up level if you’re worried. The rate of increase matters much more than the actual number.

zwink1 · February 2018

Le sigh. I'll bite, only because I went through this experience and it was extremely trying. First, how do you know you're 5+1? Have you been tracking your cycles?

The other ladies have provided great suggestions. Get a second blood fraw 2-3 days after the one youve had for comparison purposes. Your numbers should be doubling every 48-72 hours. That's much more important than the darkness of a line on a test.

As for the personal story aspect. I went through IVF, so I definitively know when sperm met egg met uterus so to speak. At what was equivalent to 13dpo, my bloodwork came back at 5... which is extremely low. Obviously, I wasn't turning urine tests. I didn't start getting faint lines on wondfos until after 14dpo and then they were super, super faint and not darkening. Despite that, my betas kept going up as they were supposed to. I didn't get a faint line on a Wal-Mart cheap test until after 19dpo.

So far, this appears to be a healthy pregnancy, but it's way too early to know for sure (I'm only 6+5). Either way, my story is not your story and visa versa. That said, I know how much it drove me nuts googling success stories with low betas while I was having them done, so I sympathize. Hang in there.

kaza512 · February 2018

If it is any consolation.. those tests vary greatly with different batches. I had an iui and used the trigger shot of ovidrel (which is hcg). I believe the hcg level is around 6500. I wanted to test out the trigger so the morning after the shot I took a wondfo and it was pretty light considering how much hcg was in my system. I am glad I did that though, because even though they are getting darker now that I am pregnant, they are still not as dark as the control. I get beta’s every two days and they are doubling, so it must be the batch of tests. Hope you can get a redraw to ease your concerns!

kschyala · February 2018

zwink1 said:

Le sigh. I'll bite, only because I went through this experience and it was extremely trying. First, how do you know you're 5+1? Have you been tracking your cycles?

The other ladies have provided great suggestions. Get a second blood fraw 2-3 days after the one youve had for comparison purposes. Your numbers should be doubling every 48-72 hours. That's much more important than the darkness of a line on a test.

As for the personal story aspect. I went through IVF, so I definitively know when sperm met egg met uterus so to speak. At what was equivalent to 13dpo, my bloodwork came back at 5... which is extremely low. Obviously, I wasn't turning urine tests. I didn't start getting faint lines on wondfos until after 14dpo and then they were super, super faint and not darkening. Despite that, my betas kept going up as they were supposed to. I didn't get a faint line on a Wal-Mart cheap test until after 19dpo.

So far, this appears to be a healthy pregnancy, but it's way too early to know for sure (I'm only 6+5). Either way, my story is not your story and visa versa. That said, I know how much it drove me nuts googling success stories with low betas while I was having them done, so I sympathize. Hang in there.

You’ll bite? Thanks. Yes I was tracking my cycles

zwink1 · February 2018

Sorry if you found that offensive. I come from the land of TTGP. This was extremely, extremely mild by comparison. We're still learning and growing this board and every board is different so we'll see where this particular board settles, but from my prior experience, these sort of posts are frowned upon. Hence the "I'll bite" comment. It's not like I was rude, I answered the question with the information you were looking for.

I ask if you were tracking your cycles because, unless you're temping, there's no real way to confirm ovulation (and even that doesn't *really* confirm ovulation) other than well-timed ultrasounds. (ETA: which is to say that I was just going to say that maybe you aren't as far along as you initially thought, which could explain the faint positives).

Wondfos weren't great for tracking progression in my experience.

kschyala · February 2018

@zwink1 it may seem extremely mild to you but it is a loss.

pebbledam · February 2018

@kimscheider - @zwink1 wasn't saying that your loss was mild, but that her snark was mild. And FWIW, I think this thread would have worked better in the "First Trimester" board. I am sorry for your loss and I hope you have a good support system at home to get you through this difficult time.

estellegetty · February 2018

@kimscheider I’m really sorry that you’re going through this. FWIW I wouldn’t have posted on the first trimester board bc my BMBs have always been my go to spot for everything.

Gizmo1231 · February 2018

@kimscheider FX for a sticky babe and higher numbers tomorrow.

zwink1 · February 2018

Thanks, @pebbledam, I didn't see the update - was not referring to the loss and was definitely in relation to my snark. Absolutely agree with everything else you said as well.

Also, for what it's worth, @kimscheider I wouldn't give up hope just yet. You may have calculated O wrong, or the embryo could have implanted late. As I said, my first beta draw came back at 5. Two days later, it was only 9, three days after that, it was up to 61.
You're not out yet, and anything is possible.

In the event that your second draw comes back negative, I am very sorry for your loss.

kate-expectations · February 2018

@kimscheider it seems like you came looking for support & encouragement, and came up feeling a bit short

This must be a really difficult time for you; uncertainty in early pregnancy is so hard to cope with. I hope everything works out in your favor, and that in the meantime you can find a little comfort in kind words from others in this group who have been there

breanneestafford1 · February 2018

@kimscheiderg I’m so sorry your going through this. Like @kate-expectations said, you’ve got support here ❤️

lest12 · February 2018

I'm sorry. I've been there (in the land of uncertainty) and it's a tough place to be. Fingers crossed everything works out.

nasalot188 · February 2018

@kimscheider any update? Did they retake the numbers? I'm so sorry you are going through this. I have been there, it is devastating. Sending T&Ps your way.

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