If you’re thinking of doing your pregnancy test for the first time, wait a minute! Before your first attempt, learning about how these DIY pregnancy tests work is crucial. You might have heard that two lines on a pregnancy test indicate you’re pregnant. But today, you will learn about the second line on the pregnancy test. So, let’s begin, shall we?

How Do Pregnancy Tests Work?

When a fertilized egg attaches to the uterus lining, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is produced in the female body. The presence of this hormone is detected by the urine pregnancy tests that we mostly do at home. 

Many over-the-counter pregnancy tests detect the presence of this hormone in the urine. When a woman pees over the pregnancy test stripe, the test looks for this hormone. Such pregnancy test stripes have antibodies. If the presence of the hCG hormone in urine is enough for pregnancy, the stripe will change color, and in some tests, it shows a specific sign or line. 

This is how you see if you are pregnant using DIY pregnancy test strips. 

What Happens If a Positive Line Appears Later?

“How soon will a pregnancy test read positive?”

You must have this question in mind. If you are doing your pregnancy test for the first time, you must know that some pregnancy tests have a specific time window for the accuracy of the results. After that time, the urine might evaporate from the strip, causing a faint line to appear in the place of a positive outcome. It is essential to know that the line may look colorless and, in some cases, grey and doesn’t indicate pregnancy. 

Your positive line can't appear later because urine starts evaporating after a specific time frame (mostly 10 minutes), and the results become unreliable. So, if you take the test now but check later, you might see a line on the pregnancy test with two lines, but it’s not the positive results. 

What If My Positive Line Is Faint?

Sometimes, you may see a very faint line on the pregnancy test with two lines and wonder if the test is positive or if it’s just an evaporation line. Note that you may see a faint line due to low hCG levels when you test for pregnancy too early. If you check the test results within 10 minutes and see a faint line, know that it’s positive. 

To ensure the accuracy of the results, make sure to check it within the mentioned time. It is also essential to read the instructions on the package carefully so you know exactly when to expect the results. A few YouTube videos can also help you learn how to use those stripes and interpret the results. 

You might be scared while testing for pregnancy for the first time, but don’t worry! Our guide about lighter pregnancy test lines would help you learn more about the procedure so you can do it yourself!