People that congratulate OP on the faintest line on a pregnancy test

[Peachbellini007]

It’s a pet peeve of mine!

OP posts a photo of a faint line on a pregnancy test, could be an evap - or could well be a faint positive. She isn’t sure, asks for line eyes and some comments are congratulating OP. Whilst I totally understand congratulating a very clear positive. I see often OP getting congratulations on a barely there line to then update a few days later that her period has arrived.

YANBU - agree, you shouldn’t congratulate OP on a positive test when it is the faintest line. Just say you can see something. You could be getting her hopes up on an evap.

YABU - don’t be negative, OP is the one putting herself in the position for all comments so if it gets her hopes up then it’s ultimately her issue. Saying congratulations is nice and no malicious intent

False positives are rare on pregnancy tests. And a positive is a positive.

There’s a weird fixation on the ‘strength’ of the line that probably has more to do with hydration than anything else. And don’t get me started on testing lots of times and comparing the strength of the positive long after a positive test. Very weird modern thing.

Well I think testing before your period is due is nuts but early testing seems to be more and more a thing. So much false hope.

The whole 'Line eyes' thing irritates me anyway and makes me hum Eagles songs for the rest of the day.

But I voted YABU because as you say, they're putting themselves out there for it.

I think it's worse when we people post a "congratulations" when the OP has said she isn't sure if she's happy about the pregnancy.

Trust me, after miscarriages we can’t help ourselves. We don’t choose to be “nuts”

I think the weirdest thing is when people ask what brand of test others used when they got a positive somone is either pregnant or not regardless of the brand.

It’s after miscarriage that made me not want to test before my period. Why do I want to know I’ve had a chemical pregnancy, or a pregnancy that didn’t stick. I’m much “happier” just thinking I was never pregnant and without all the false hope.

Each to their own, I save any congratulations until the baby is actually here.

Grief and the stress affects us all in different ways!

One thing I've noticed is that people are talking about having miscarriages when a test shows a questionable positive and their period arrives virtually on time. It seems to make a stressful situation so much more stressful.

I’ve got a history of miscarriages, maybe that’s why I hate when people say congrats to the thinnest grey line on a test

Yes that’s right but not all lines are positives. Some lines are grey, very thin and are evaps. OP gets excited when people congratulate her on the most questionable line and then she updates her period has arrived

I don’t know, I think it’s much worse when I’m almost certain I’m looking at a negative pregnancy test and a poster says ‘I think I see something, OP!’ and I think why give someone false hope.

that said I had the faintest whispering ghost of a line on a test once, my husband couldn’t see it, (I didn’t post on here) and I was definitely pregnant as he’s almost four now! It didn’t show up on a clear blue at all a day or so later but it did on a much cheaper pound shop one so you never know.

So difficult after a miscarriage though. The constant looking for reassurance I really get. I used to go onto a website each day of my pregnancy to see what statistical chance I had of losing it the further along I got.

I never see a line.

It’s fun, in a “gone a bit mental” kind of way. Like fishing old tests out of the bin six or seven hundred times ‘just to see’.

I don’t think anyone posting a faint line on Mumsnet is looking for a real, medical confirmation of pregnancy. Of all the internet’s crimes, this one is pretty low down on my list.

I find the automatic congratulations awkward when the OP hasn’t said how she is feeling about a prospective pregnancy. Pregnancy isn’t always good news. They might be posting because they want everyone to say they can’t actually see the line because they don’t want a pregnancy/baby and having everyone congratulating them won’t be helpful.

1. You don’t know anything about my fertility or any miscarriages I may have had or not
2. it is ‘up to you’ - it’s a choice to test early
3. I don’t believe that early testing is helpful in any scenario but even more so for those who are having trouble.

That is my opinion, others can feel differently, that’s up to them. At the end of the day you’re either pregnant or not. Knowing about it 5 days sooner isn’t going to change it.

It’s a plus to be able to conceive naturally, whatever happens next, so I‘d understand the congratulations to be for the conception rather than for anything more.

How lovely. Usename checks out. Not looking to argue about giving an opinion on the hardest time of my life but thanks for trying. Have a nice day

I agree that it bothers me more when people presume a positive is good news.

It's nasty to call it 'nuts' to test before a period is due - there are good reasons why people might want or need to do this. And while some people don't want to know about a possible chemical pregnancy, for others it might be a useful indication of what's going on.

I'm probably being very boring, but I think maybe we should all just be nicer to each other and accept different people want to do different things.

Agree 😬

I have seen people talking about experiencing a ‘loss’ or miscarriage when it’s that exact scenario- testing at the very earlier point possible days before period is even due, getting a faint positive that quickly fades with re-tests then their period arrives at the expected time. Most people just wouldn’t even realise because period would be on time and they wouldn’t have tested, and it would just be another month of ttc.

Much easier to just buy the tests with the actual words "pregnant 1-2 weeks" etc.

IMO, it was more helpful to say to a consultant gynaecologist

“I had DC no problem; but then four miscarriages and three early pregnancy losses at around five to six weeks…”

It shows that it’s not a case of having a miscarriage 6 months ago, and after leaving it for 3 months as advised, nothing has happened since? Three early pregnancy losses in the next three cycles, showed we’d still been trying and conception was no problem. Keeping them was the problem!

If I hadn’t done a test, nobody believed me I’d been pregnant!

I'd never heard of this constant testing before seeing it on here. A positive is a positive.why the need to keep testing 🤷

I don't think very early testing has any benefits, and can cause a lot of stress.

My SIL was very upset over a misscarriage at what would have been 2 weeks after her period was due - before early testing this would have been a late period, instead she was grieving the loss of a baby.

Testing when your period is at least a week late gives you enough time to have a medical abortion, if that's your choice, and if you're keeping the baby, I suppose you can start folic acid earlier, give up drinking etc, but how much of a difference would a week or two make?