Clearblue says 1-2 but strong line and I'm 5 weeks

[seven201]

Morning. This is over 5 years of ttc (including lots of ivf, 3 surgeries and 4 early miscarriages) for me so emotions are high. According to my clinic I am 5 weeks. My first response lines have been slow to progress but definitely there. I had a good line on first response this morning (photo is from 3 mins, it got darker) yet clearblue weeks says 1-2 which means HCG of 10! If I'd just done the clearblue one I'd be devastated. Now I'm just panicking/ very confused. It was a first morning wee, so not dilute. Anyone had similar happen?

Are you with a clinic now? Would it save you a lot of anxiety over tests if you asked them for an HCG blood test? It will check your levels exactly and then they’ll repeat it in 48hrs to see how the levels are increasing.

Sorry if this is unhelpful but I have PCOS and was told by my midwife that if you have hormonal imbalances (which could've relevant due to your ttc journey) they can be quite inaccurate in weeks. Mine was also a little behind.
I really hope it all works out for you.

This.
The clearblue 'weeks' tests are, in a word, bollocks. There's huge variety in normal levels of HCG and they're trying to neatly bundle that up into a one-size-fits-all stick which then causes huge anxiety in people if it doesn't progress exactly as expected. They honestly make me really angry, I don't think they should be allowed to sell them.
I have been where you are, with positive tests after lots of fertility treatment. I know how stressful that is. I've had it end in miscarriage, and I've had it end well, and to be honest all I really achieved by doing 10,000 pregnancy tests in the time before I could have an early scan was to line the pockets of First Response, so my advice to you is to stop testing, as hard as that is, or at least dial it back to much less frequently and on one consistent brand of test. And yes, if you really want reassurance, the gold standard is two blood tests at 48 hour intervals. If your clinic aren't able to offer this, you can also get it via mail-order testing service (although be warned, you have to get more blood out of a finger-prick than you may be expecting).

I wish you absolutely all the luck in the world and am thinking good thoughts your way. (And giving clearblue a Paddington Bear stare.)

Hi op, clearblue dates from when you (approx) conceived, your pregnancy will be dated from the first day of your last period. So you should add 2 weeks onto the clear blue and that will make it closer to accurate.

Came on to say this

Thanks all. I know 1-2 is actually 3-4 but as I did a trigger shot I know it should be at least 2-3 by now. But after reading replies and a bit of googling I have calmed down a bit now. It's just so bizarre how I could get such a strong first response line but 'only' 1-2.

Within a few mins of the test I'd already ordered a medichecks fingerpick HCG (used them for previous pregnancies) so hopefully that will offer a bit of reassurance. My scan isn't until the 15th. I really do need to step away from the tests! The plan with the clearblue was that should make me stop testing, but the plan backfired!

Thank you all x

Hi OP, I’m currently 18 weeks with my second child.

To avoid any anxiety/heartache I wouldn’t take a clear blue digital until after 6 weeks. That way I knew it would definitely say 3+.

I had a MC previously so taking the clear blue was triggering for me as it didn’t go by 1-2 weeks. So hence why I waited until after 6 week mark.

good luck 💐

@hairpuller I do have pcos, I didn't know that was a factor, thank you.

@Bigmummaof2 thank you. I do regret buying them now! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

I know, but you just want that reassurance which is completely normal. They are super expensive though!

Although you may know when you ovulated, you can take up to 12 days to implant, in which case 1-2 could be correct. It would explain why the frer isn’t as strong as you’d often see at 5 weeks. Unfortunately tests aren’t a great indicator (hard to stop sometimes though I know) the best thing is a blood test 48hours apart. As long as the hcg is doubling every 48 hours is better than looking at tests. Fingers crossed for you

Thank you. I do think I implanted on the later side as the official clinic test day 22nd I thought I only had an indent, but was actually just a very faint positive. Only time and HCG ( and scans!) will tell.

Thanks again everyone

Exactly, clear blue counts pregnancy from conception, not last period (like midwives and doctors do).

Yep, my last period was 27th Jan so I count as 5+1 according to my clinic but I do think I implanted late. I should technically get 3+ now but was expecting to see 2-3, definitely not 1-2. There are a lot of Google examples of the weeks one staying at 1-2 from the off, even at 7/8 weeks when a heartbeat has been seen, so hope is not lost. It's bonkers how the tests don't at least come with some kind of warning.

To be clear, this isn't an ivf pregnancy this time, it's a letrazole round, so implantation can be a wider window than it would be for ivf.

Are those medicheck tests repeated after 48hrs or are they just the one test?

You just buy two, so gets quite expensive. I might be content enough if I get put in the correct HCG bracket for the weeks I think I am roughly. In reality I'll probably end up buying a second!

Not much of an update. First response line stronger today and I thought I might as well use the other clearblue. I'm alright though, just got to wait it out to see which way it goes.

Hi OP,

I have exactly the same dates as you. I had a strong positive on Tues and then stupidly carried on testing and noticed they were getting lighter and lighter as the days went on. I didn't get past 1-2 weeks on a CBD. Yesterday I started bleeding at 5 weeks. My gut feeling knew something was up and when I woke up on Fri my pregnancy symptoms were pretty much gone.

After lots of Googling myself I think the CBD tests are horrendous and I won't be using them again (if it ever happens for me again). So many stories of them causing unnecessary anxiety in people.

It looks really positive that you are still getting strong positive FRER tests. Wishing you lots of luck and positive vibes ✨️

@Proudmummy67 sorry to read this. That's how three of my losses started. I guess the small consolation is that it has resolved itself and happened early on without the need for medical intervention. Be kind to yourself. I hope you have a successful pregnancy soon.

How are you @seven201 Did you use the medicheck test in the end?

@SBHon I did it only yesterday lunchtime so need to wait for the results. I still have a strong line though. Have got another medichecks to send off tomorrow too.

Glad to hear the line’s still strong. Hope your results come through quickly.

So I'm going to be the dissenting voice here and say I've also had lots of miscarriages and IVF and took countless clearblue weeks tests alongside blood hcg tests and in my case they were always very very accurate and they accurately indicated all 5 of my miscarriages when they weren't progressing as they should and at the point it should move to the next weeks level. I'm not saying this will be the case for you because some women's bodies just metabolise hcg in urine differently but I think it's important to not give false hope by stating these tests are always inaccurate - they aren't.

If you are certain of your ovulation date - so within max 36 hours of the trigger shot then yea you'd expect a hcg level in excess of 153 now which is the threshold for 2-3 weeks on the test

Good luck OP x

I hope everything goes well for you!

Let us know how you get on :)

Also thank you so much for the kind words the other day - they really meant a lot!

Thank you all, I'll let you know either way