Can Drugs Cause A False Positive Pregnancy Test?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can drugs cause a false positive test? It may cause a false-positive reading on an at-home , particularly if the test is taken too early.

Other medications can also cause false-positive pregnancy tests

. They include but aren't limited to: anti-anxiety medications, like diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax)

Can drugs affect pregnancy test?


Most medicines should not affect the results of a home pregnancy test

. This includes over-the-counter and prescription medicines such as birth control and antibiotics. Also, alcohol and illegal drugs do not affect pregnancy test results.

How common are false positive pregnancy tests?

A false-positive test result only happens

less than 1% of the time

, but when it does, it can make the following days or weeks confusing before you realize you're not actually pregnant.

What drugs contain hCG?

Human chorionic gonadotropin(hCG), such as

Novarel, Ovidrel, Pregnyl, and Profasi

. This medication is usually used along with other fertility drugs to trigger your ovaries to release an egg. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), such as Bravelle, Fertinex, Follistim, and Gonal-F.

Can anything else make a pregnancy test positive?

This is a rare one, but some medical conditions such as certain kinds of cancer, chronic kidney disease, as well as problems with your ovaries could cause the body to have increased levels of HCG and potentially lead to a false-positive pregnancy test.

Does Coke affect a pregnancy test?

Alcohol and illegal drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin

may not interfere with the results of a pregnancy test

, but these substances should not be used if a woman is trying to conceive, is pregnant or is sexually active without a reliable form of birth control.

Can I have 3 positive pregnancy tests and not be pregnant?

Could a positive result be wrong? Although rare,

it's possible to get a positive result from a home pregnancy test when you're not actually pregnant

. This is known as a false-positive.

Can a UTI cause a false positive pregnancy test?

Serious urinary tract infections (with high levels of WBC, RBC and nitrite)

can occasionally cause a false positive pregnancy test result

. Ectopic pregnancies typically produce lower levels of hCG than normal preganancies.

How many pregnancy tests should I take if positive?


You don't have to take another test if you get a positive result, but many women choose to repeat the test just to be sure

. If you do get a positive result, book an appointment with your doctor or midwife.

Can drugs affect your hCG levels?


Some of the drugs used during in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) can interfere with hCG measurements because they are forms of hCG

. Typically, it takes about 10 days for the synthetic hCG in these trigger shots to clear from your blood and urine.

What produces hCG when not pregnant?

An elevated β-hCG in the absence of can occur for multiple reasons and has a broad differential diagnosis including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy,

pituitary hCG production

, trophoblastic disease and phantom hCG.

How often are pregnancy tests wrong?

Home pregnancy tests are usually accurate, but researchers estimate that

up to 5% of tests give a false negative

— meaning the test says you aren't pregnant when you actually are. There are a few reasons why you might get a false negative. You might be taking the test too early or after drinking too much water.

Are faint lines on a pregnancy test positive?


Any positive line, no matter how faint, means your result is pregnant

. Levels of hCG in your body will increase over the course of your pregnancy. If you test early, your hCG levels may be still be low and you'll see a faint positive line.

Can clearblue give a false positive?

All Clearblue

®

pregnancy tests are over 99% accurate from the day you expect your period. False positives can occur if you're taking fertility medications that contain hCG, if you have a rare medical condition (such as an ovarian cyst) or if you've recently had a birth, miscarriage or termination.

What should you not do before pregnancy test?


Don't drink too much water, or any liquid

, before taking a pregnancy test. Excess fluids can impact the accuracy of the test results, so if your urine is diluted or pale yellow, hold off on taking a test. Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results.

How long does the vinegar pregnancy test take?

Add 1 cup of white vinegar to 1/2 cup of urine. Wait

3 to 5 minutes

. A change in color indicates a positive result.

How soon will a pregnancy test read positive?

You can carry out most pregnancy tests

from the first day of a missed period

. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex. Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period.

Are toothpaste pregnancy tests reliable?


No, a toothpaste pregnancy test isn't accurate

, nor is it a reliable way to confirm a pregnancy. There also isn't any evidence out there to suggest that toothpaste can detect the pregnancy hormone in a woman's urine.

How can I check my finger for pregnancy?

How to check your cervix. It's possible to check the position and firmness of your cervix at home. You can do this by

inserting a finger into your vagina to feel for the cervix

. Your middle finger may be the most effective finger to use because it's the longest, but use whichever finger is easiest for you.

How do you do the salt pregnancy test?

There's no one way to take a salt pregnancy test (or an official set of rules, for that matter), but in general, all you have to do is

combine a tablespoon or two of salt with a sample of your morning urine and wait a few minutes to a few hours

. If the mixture turns “milky” or “cheesy,” then you're supposedly pregnant.

Can multiple positive pregnancy tests be wrong?

Home pregnancy tests can be up to 99% accurate. However,

in some instances, they may produce a false-positive result

. Incorrect test usage, previous abortions and miscarriages, and some medications may lead to a false-positive pregnancy test result. People should always see their doctor after a positive pregnancy test.

What causes a positive pregnancy test?

When you get pregnant, your body produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. Home pregnancy tests look for that hormone in your urine.

If hCG is present, you should get a positive test result when you pee on a stick

. But hCG levels start out very low and increase over time.

Which pregnancy test is most accurate?

The

First Response Early Result manual test

is the most sensitive over-the-counter pregnancy test you can buy. It gives accurate results as or more quickly than most of the tests we considered and is just as easy to read as a digital test.

Can a pregnancy test turn positive after 30 minutes?


This usually ranges between a couple of minutes up until 10 minutes later

. If you see a positive result beyond this time frame, you may be left second-guessing the results. However, the false-positive reading, in this case, is due to something called an evaporation line.

How do you tell if it's a faint positive or evaporation line?

In early pregnancy, there may be very little hCG in the urine, and the positive line may be faint. But even

a faint positive line has color, and this distinguishes it from an evaporation line, which is colorless

. Any coloration in a positive line indicates pregnancy.

How do evaporation lines look like?

What Do Evaporation Lines Look Like? Evaporation lines are generally more muted than the control line.

On a pink dye test, an evaporation line may look like faded gray

. On a blue dye test, the line can appear as gray or even a lighter shade of blue.

How dark should a pregnancy test line be?

When taking a pregnancy test, any line in the test indication area is considered a positive pregnancy test, even if it is lighter than the control line.

The darker line is usually the control line

. Sometimes this second line is so faint, you can barely see it.

Can drugs cause false negative pregnancy test?

Could medications interfere with test results?

Fertility drugs or other medications that contain HCG might interfere with home pregnancy test results

. However, most medications, including antibiotics and birth control pills, don't affect the accuracy of home pregnancy tests.

What can throw off a pregnancy test?

What should you not do before pregnancy test?


Don't drink too much water, or any liquid

, before taking a pregnancy test. Excess fluids can impact the accuracy of the test results, so if your urine is diluted or pale yellow, hold off on taking a test. Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results.

What can cause a negative pregnancy test?


Too much hCG in the urine

If you have too little, (if you took the test too early or diluted your urine), it won't be detected. If you have too much, (if you took the test too late), the test strip may not be able to bond to any of the molecules, possibly showing a negative result.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.