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Original poster

False positive on clearblue digital

8 replies

Rkljjj · 13/11/2023 14:23

Just wanted to share my experience to see if anyone had any idea what happened / might help someone going through the same thing.

I have irregular/long cycles so when I was TTC I would often test after 28 days and then every now and then until AF showed up.

Anyway, after 28 days I had a positive clear blue digital test. Followed by a series of negative tests (both digital and otherwise). Confused, I did a blood test which was negative.

I had an assumed it was a chemical or something like that which was fairly upsetting. However, a couple weeks later no AF so I did another test, and it was positive. I immediately went for the blood test and definitely positive and doubling after 48 hours.

I am now in my second trimester and all going well but date wise, I would have probably ovulated around the time of the first positive test.

I always thought that clear blue digital was hard to get a false positive but there is no other explanation - maybe it picked up LH and mistook it for HCG?

Anyway, if anyone has had the same let me know!

OP posts:
AlienSuperstar · 13/11/2023 16:10

this is really interesting to hear as I had a couple of faint positives a week ago followed by negatives but I haven't had a period yet, please keep me updated

AlienSuperstar · 13/11/2023 16:11

oh sorry, I just ready that your pregnancy is progressing well, congratulations !

ironorchids · 13/11/2023 16:17

I had a positive pregnancy test once that was a false positive. I had peed into a cup and dipped a cheats strip test in and it came back positive, so I dipped another into the same cup and it was also positive. I went for a blood test within the hour and it was negative and showed an LH surge, ie I was ovulating. I peed into a cup again and dipped a few more tests and they came back negative. I did this a few times over the next few days and still negative.

My only conclusion is that there was something in that particular sample that made the LH surge mimic the hcg the test was trying to pick up. I think if I'd dipped a clearblue test in there it would have shown positive. It must be the sample not the test as I used multiple tests in the same sample and got the same result.

ironorchids · 13/11/2023 16:20

typo, I meant cheap test strip.

AlienSuperstar · 13/11/2023 16:23

ironorchids · 13/11/2023 16:17

I had a positive pregnancy test once that was a false positive. I had peed into a cup and dipped a cheats strip test in and it came back positive, so I dipped another into the same cup and it was also positive. I went for a blood test within the hour and it was negative and showed an LH surge, ie I was ovulating. I peed into a cup again and dipped a few more tests and they came back negative. I did this a few times over the next few days and still negative.

My only conclusion is that there was something in that particular sample that made the LH surge mimic the hcg the test was trying to pick up. I think if I'd dipped a clearblue test in there it would have shown positive. It must be the sample not the test as I used multiple tests in the same sample and got the same result.

This is really interesting, I wonder if this has happened to me.

XenaTheWarriorPrincess · 14/11/2023 02:21

I'd guess that the digital test was faulty. It's rare but possible. The sensor in the test that reads the test strip may have been faulty, or there could have been a manufacturing error causing a smudge on the test strip that was read as a positive.

Also possible I suppose that it was a chemical error during manufacturing that caused the test to react to LH, but I don't know how likely that is.

Either way, congratulations on your pregnancy!

Jordan2000 · 15/05/2024 20:48

Hey, the exact same thing has just happened to me. I had a positive digital saying 1-2 weeks and then negatives after that. Went to the doctor and they said negative. I don’t know what to do now as I’m still feeling like I have symptoms.

False positive on clearblue digital
trying58 · 13/08/2024 11:32

Jordan2000 · 15/05/2024 20:48

Hey, the exact same thing has just happened to me. I had a positive digital saying 1-2 weeks and then negatives after that. Went to the doctor and they said negative. I don’t know what to do now as I’m still feeling like I have symptoms.

Hi Jordan,

Do you have an update? I've just had this happen to me and dont know what to do now 😭

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