QuestionI had a baby 8 weeks ago today. 7 weeks after birth I had unprotected sex, where the man did not come inside me. I didn't take the morning after pill until very late, it was about 80 hours after the intercourse.
This morning (8 days after intercourse) I got a faint positive line on a pregnancy test. My urine was very, very concentrated. I am not breastfeeding. I have not had a period since having my baby 8 weeks ago.
What are my chances of a false positve on this pregnancy test?
AnswerDear Mary,
Well, unfortunately there is typically some leakage of semen prior to actual ejaculation. This is why the withdrawal method of birth control has a much lower success rate than other methods. So, the possibility of pregnancy would still exist if the encounter took place during a fertile time for you - meaning around the time of ovulation. And you wouldn't have had to have had a period before ovulating, so you would have been fertile before ever getting that first period after childbirth.
Now, 8 days after conception is pretty early to get a positive urine test - not impossible, but pretty darn early. Typically, hCG levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12-14 days after conception by a urine test. False positive results are not a normal occurrence. hCG is not something you have in your system in detectable levels (by urine test) unless you are pregnant. Drugs such as anti-convulsants, anti-parkinson drugs, hypnotics, and tranquilizers have been known to cause false-positive results, but this is not something I would rely on. I would recommend that you wait another 7-10 days and re-test. If you get another positive result, especially a stronger positive, you should go ahead and go in for a blood test to confirm or rule out a pregnancy.
I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well and apologize for the delay - I need a new computer! :)
Brenda
