Faint line first response, clearblue not pregnant

Supercell

My wife is tapering off breastfeeding our 12 month old and her first full period was before xmas and had some spotting a couple of weeks later.
She took a first response test today which gave a faint second line after a few minutes. We rushed out and bought the clearblue digital ones but it says not pregnant?

Not sure if we should try them again in a weeks time - the clearblue one is supposed to be very accurate. What do you think?
We are not trying to conceive so to be honest we are hopeful she isnt!!

Thanks!

Neyite

A line is a line.

Personally I found FR more sensitive than Clearblue. A test cant give a false positive but can give a false negative

ETA: sorry I congratulated you because I though you'd posted here hoping you were pregnant.

Dolbert

+1 Sounds like a positive to me. Clearblue are less sensitive than FR.

Supercell

Thanks guys, she was all relieved, three under three would be quite a handful, think I wont say anything until she tries again at the end of the week and figure out how I'm going to handle it if it's conclusive next time, hmm.

ariana`

Hmmmm i got a really really really super faint line on a first response on a Thursday morning. Spent the whole day wondering did i imagine it. The next morning i did a clearblue, it was definitely no doubt about it negative. That was a Friday so i put it out of my head for the weekend assuming i wasn't pregnant. By Monday evening there was still no sign of my period so i did another generic cheap test (Tesco brand i think) and it was an instant +. And here i am sitting at my desk in work with babs doing summersaults :-)

I hope whatever happens ye can reconcile yourselves to it, best of luck, do let us know!

Sligo1

On my second pregancy, a couple days before my period was due I did 2 clear blues... Both said negative. That day my mate told me to do a FR as apparently they are more sensitive than CB. I did one that day and low and behold a faint line appeared.

ShaShaBear

Agreed, I got a super faint line with a First Response 4 days before my period was due, but didn't get a positive ClearBlue until I was 2 days late. First Response are made to react to far lower levels of pregnancy hormone than ClearBlue is, meaning that it will work sooner in the pregnancy (obviously). She could wait till next weekend to do a ClearBlue, or she could just do another First Response in the morning. If the line re-appears and is deeper than the last one, then she is pregnant

seventeen sheep

I think FR measures something like 10-20 units of HCG, whereas the CB digitals are more like 40-50, so FR are much more sensitive. Also, avoid the CB with the lines - blue dye is notorious for false positives.

So I'd take the FR results as an early positive. Congrats.

skallywag

seventeen sheep wrote: »

... Congrats...

Not sure if a positive is the desired outcome for the OP in this case!

skallywag

Neyite wrote: »

A test cant give a false positive but can give a false negative

Taking certain medication (e.g. Valium) can raise hCG levels leading to a false positive.

Neyite

skallywag wrote: »

Taking certain medication (e.g. Valium) can raise hCG levels leading to a false positive.

Actually you are right - IIRC, the fertility nurse explaining if I tested early while taking pregnyl it could be a false positive, but I was well warned beforehand!

Extremely rare though, and becoming even rarer due to home tests becoming much more sophisticated and sensitive, and its unlikely that a breastfeeding mother like the OP's wife would be on medicines that are dangerous to baby or have one of the very rare illnesses to the extent that it would give a false positive.

I just assumed a breastfeeding mother would not be on those meds.