Community post

Information

Do not open pregnancy tests – Reason #1

There are a number of reasons not to open a pregnancy test case. The one I will be addressing today is the "line location" issue. When the test strip is still inside the casing it is lined up with machine precision – the test result viewing window shows only what you need to see. Inside the casing sometimes very very faint lines are harder to see because of the glare from the plastic covering the window which may prompt some to open it up for a closer look. I know that sometimes you may want to remove the strip from the case so you can see the strip (and hopefully the test lines better), but this can cause confusion.

Once the test is dismantled you can lose track of where the test line should be. If there is no obvious line where it should be you'll start to look elsewhere on the strip to find anything that resembles a line. The place that usually gets your attention is the end of the strip where the unused dye collects. It forms a nice line, but not in the right place. This can get your hopes up but since the antibody strip is no where near where this "unused dye line" is, it must be ignored. This line means nothing!

Example
In the image below you’ll see this "end of the test unused dye collection" line – and the test taker thought this might be a positive pregnancy test. (The antibody strip is much closer to the test line) The arrow shows where the dye has collected – this line is in the wrong place. I hate to see people broken-hearted when they misread a pregnancy test and think they are pregnant when they are not. (Same goes for opening a digital pregnancy test – but that is a topic for another post!)

Advice
My best advice – don’t open a test. All the parts of the test strip that are hidden by the casing are hidden for a reason – because you don't need to see them!

Testing
> Read your pregnancy test instructions
> Follow the instructions to the letter
> Read the results in the recommended time limit
> Trust the result and toss the test. Don’t open it!

If you think you are pregnant and the test reads as negative, it may be too early so just wait a another day or two and take another test.

Wishing you all a nice strong obvious positive test!

user submitted image