Faint line on ovulation test could i be pregnant mumsnet

It’s a handy tool to help you work out the most fertile time in your cycle, but can an ovulation test detect pregnancy, too?

Faint line on ovulation test could i be pregnant mumsnet

Ovulation tests and pregnancy tests are both pretty common items to find in your bathroom cabinet if you’re TTC.

A pregnancy test does, well, just what you expect it to!

And an ovulation test can give you important clues as to when the most fertile time in your cycle is.

But does this type of test have hidden talents?


Specifically, can an ovulation test detect pregnancy, as well as predict ovulation? We’ve got the answers here.

First, though, let’s take a spin around the basics.

In this article: 📝

  • Ovulation test vs. pregnancy test: what’s the difference?
  • Will an ovulation test be positive if you’re pregnant?
  • How can an ovulation test detect pregnancy?
  • Can an ovulation test detect pregnancy earlier?

Ovulation test vs. pregnancy test: what’s the difference?

Ovulation test

Also known as an ovulation predictor kit (OPK), an ovulation test measures levels of the luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine.

LH is the hormone sent from your brain to your ovaries, with the message: Release the egg!

So, a positive result on your ovulation test means that you’re likely to ovulate in the next day or so.

Armed with that info, you can then time sex or fertility treatments to maximize your chances of getting pregnant.

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Pregnancy test

A home pregnancy test measures a different hormone in your urine—human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

HCG is the hormone made by the cells surrounding a new embryo, which will eventually become the placenta (your baby’s life-support system in the uterus).

So if the test detects hCG, you’ll get a positive pregnancy test result.

Some early pregnancy tests can detect hCG up to five days before your next expected period.

But for a standard test, it’s recommended to wait until at least the day your period is scheduled to come.

Say, though, you’ve run out of pregnancy tests, but you’ve got stacks of ovulation tests—could you use an ovulation test to test for pregnancy instead?

Will an ovulation test be positive if you’re pregnant?

Strangely enough, an ovulation test might be able to detect pregnancy.

If you take an ovulation test around the time you would normally take a pregnancy test, and you get a positive result, that could mean you’re really pregnant.

But it’s not a surefire thing. Here’s how it works:

How can an ovulation test detect pregnancy?

Basically, even though they have very different jobs to do in your body, LH and hCG have similar molecular structures.

And this similarity can “trick” some ovulation tests into giving a positive result if they detect hCG rather than LH.

That means you could take an ovulation test in the early stages of pregnancy and test positive.

And that’s because the test is picking up the wrong hormone.

But here’s the thing. An ovulation test isn’t designed to be used to detect pregnancy.

And there are a couple of good reasons not to use them for this purpose:

  • Ovulation tests aren’t as sensitive as pregnancy tests. There’s a good chance they won’t pick up on hCG early in pregnancy, when levels of the hormone are still low. So you could get a negative result on an ovulation test and still be pregnant.
  • You can’t tell whether the test is picking up hCG or LH. If you want to use an ovulation test to check for pregnancy but test too early in your cycle, the test could detect LH rather than hCG. And you might then think you’re pregnant when you’re actually about to ovulate!

Can an ovulation test detect pregnancy earlier?

The two-week wait (TWW) can feel like an eternity, we know.

It’s totally understandable that you want to take a pregnancy test ASAP.

So could taking an ovulation test (as a pregnancy test) get you that positive result sooner?

Probably not, unfortunately.

As we explored, ovulation tests just aren’t as sensitive as pregnancy tests, so they might not detect any hCG early on.

Instead, you could try taking an early pregnancy test, which can detect pregnancy up to five days before your expected period.

And then test again a few days later if need be.

Essentially, both ovulation tests and pregnancy tests are handy tools to have in your TTC toolbox, but it’s best to use them for the purposes they were intended for.

We’re rooting for you. ❤️

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What to Know About Late Ovulation
What Does Ovulation Feel Like?
What Can You Do About Ovulation Cramps?
How Soon After Unprotected Sex Can I Test for Pregnancy?
Can You Get Pregnant After Ovulation?
How Soon After Implantation Can I Test?
Probable Signs of Pregnancy
Negative Pregnancy Test But Feeling Pregnant? What’s Going On?
What is the Evaporation Line?
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What Do Faint Lines on a Pregnancy Test Mean?
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Can you get a faint line on ovulation test and be pregnant?

They don't have the kind of sensitivity it takes to distinguish LH and hCG. So, this means that if you're pregnant and you take an ovulation test, it might show a false positive because it's accidentally identifying high hCG levels, not LH. This does not mean that it's accurately detecting your pregnancy.

Does a faint line on an ovulation test mean?

The hormone that ovulation tests are looking for, luteinizing hormone (LH), peaks right before ovulation, but is present throughout your cycle. So a faint test line means a little LH was detected, but not enough to indicate an LH surge which happens right before ovulation.

Can ovulation test be positive if pregnant?

Luckily, the Proov Confirm testing protocol will help you test on those key days to help you understand your levels to get pregnant. While an ovulation test can be positive if you're pregnant, it's best to use each pee stick as it's intended to be used.

What will an ovulation test read if pregnant?

If you are pregnant, your hCG levels will be much higher than normal and an ovulation test may inaccurately detect this and read it as a high LH value. This is not to say that ovulation tests can substitute for a pregnancy test—pregnancy tests are much more accurate.