Faint lines not getting darker

[NWnature]

Hi all
I started TTC my second in December. My last period started 5 Dec and my average cycle is 28 days though it has varied up to 31 in the past. I don’t track ovulation.

I took a clear blue test on NYE which was a day or two before my period was due- negative. By then no sign of period last week and my clue App is saying I’m 7 days late now.

I ordered a packet of the cheap strips from Amazon and I can definitely see a very faint line! However I tested again this morning with “first wee” and it’s still really faint. I’m worrying because I remember it being a strong pink from the outset with my son and surely this overdue it should be stronger?

I have ordered some more clear blue to try again but would love any thoughts / wisdom? Does this seem like a chemical pregnancy as I assume having multiple faint lines means there must be some HCG present rather than a one-off error result. Photo of my tests attached with husbands wee at the bottom as a control 😆

I'm sorry to say this but I would expect a chemical pregnancy especially this late but you might have also ovulated later this month. I would try with a digital, best of luck x

Thanks for replying @MattieandmummyandIs .
I will give it a go with a digital but don’t hold out much hope.

Sorry to be dim but with a chemical, what generally happens now? Will I eventually get a bleed or will it just skip til my next period?

You could also try a FRER they are a bit more reliable than the cheap ones.

With a chemical, I've always got my period just a bit later but don't give up just yet. You might still be surprised x

Thanks so much @MattieandmummyandIs and sorry to hear you’ve had CP in the past. Also thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I always feel awful when I start topics as I usually don’t really contribute much so it feels a bit rude to just hop on and expect people to take time to read and respond - so I’m honestly really grateful.

I will see how I get on with the Clear Blue digital that are on the way tomorrow. Keeping everything crossed but from the maths it doesn’t seem very likely.

@NWnature are the 2 on top from yesterday & the 2 below from today? If so I can see progression. Since you don't track ov it's not unlikely that you ov'd later than usual. Try a hold & see what your result is tonight maybe, I found early on I got a better result later in the day providing I didn't drink anything over 4hrs. Unfortunately it's a wait & see. I like those tests & found them really accurate, but I tracked my chemical with FRERs which did get quite dark over the course of a week but then lightened really quickly too then a bleed came the day after an almost negative. Wishing you luck!

Hi @timetosave yes they are in that order, but I think because I have them opposite ways round it can be a bit misleading to the eye on progression. In real life it’s really hard to see any difference, all four are pretty faint.

I just remember such an instant strong pink before and I got 2-3 weeks straight away on my Clear Blue but to be fair I wasn’t tracking anything other than periods back then either so hardly scientific!

Interesting that you got better results in the PM. I will give it a go and report back. I like these strip tests too as much more eco both in ecological and economic terms!! Thanks so much for responding.

I think I see some progression as well - it is still very early!
With my latest baby - my last period began on 8th December 2021, and my average cycle is generally about 30 days. (I used the Flo to track my cycle and see when was possibly best to conceive so that may be an idea for you). I took my first pregnancy tests (clear blue) on the 2nd January 2022 and they all came up void! I bought cheaper first response ones and my husband brought my some HCG tests back from the hospital (he's a nurse). I tested again on the 4th January with the first response ones and got a negative and then did the hospital ones and got a super super faint line. I tried to put it out my head and waited another few days before testing again and there was definite progression! I'd try waiting a few days before testing again :)

I think there's definitely some really valid points above, some people don't test positive for aaaaages post period being late. I wouldn't give up just yet x

I would buy branded test an give it few days. My last period started 1st dec and I also tested nye negative, I didn't get my faint positive until 4th Jan. Since then my lines got fainter and I'm full on bleeding so I assume I've had a chemical. The lines should be getting darker every 2 to 3 days not fainter

Thanks guys, I was getting my hopes up all yesterday but went to do another test just now and have started bleeding. So gutted but also kind of knew deep down the dates felt weird. Fingers crossed for next time

@NWnature so sorry OP, wishing you lots of luck going forward