How reliable are at home tests?

[Otakumom]

My partner and I both have various health conditions that mean getting pregnant should be very difficult for us, if possible at all.

My period can be a bit all over the place (especially when stressed, which
I have been), but it's usually a couple of days either way and with the help of an app, I tend to track it fairly well.

I'm currently 8 days late; I took a test when I was just two days late, and it came up negative, but the second test I've taken ( another early detection test, at 8 days late) came up positive. I've not had a positive before. Can they be fairly inaccurate? How many tests should I try to confirm? I don't want to get my other half's hopes up, as we aren't/weren't sure we'd be able to conceive naturally, and he's away for work at the moment.

Thank you.

im sure a positive result is a positive result. You can get a negative and still be pregnant

I'm sure its fairly common to get a negative test when you're pregnant (especially so early on) but very rare to get a false positive.

Take another with fmu and see what it says

At home tests are all most of us get - your GP or midwife won't retest if you tell them you are Pg based off a home test. False positives are quite rare. Maybe try another tomorrow to satisfy your disbelief (I was the same, didn't feel real!) but if you have a clear positive I would say you can take it at face value! Tentative congratulations!

What test is it? I recommend a First Response Early Result. Or if it was a very strong positive try a Clearblue Digital as that should pick up at 8 days late even though they are a bit less sensitive.

Seconding the CB digital. I didn't believe my two positive internet cheapies at 5 days late so I took the digital and had to blink a few times before I registered it actually said "pregnant" 😊

Good luck!

Thanks everyone for your advice! I managed to get a clearblue test, which seems to show the same results (well, it shows 'a' of the possible 3 not + outcomes, which suggests pregnant apparently just further along...). I think I need to take a third test to be sure

Either a first response or a digital one. I quite like the digitals as there's no ambiguity about them.