Smoking carbon monoxide test high reading

[Crazydiamond106]

I've just had my 28 week midwife check up and they did the smoking breath test thing you blow into, usually its 0 or 1 but this time it was 5!

I've never been a smoker but I felt like she almost didn't believe me! The only thing I can think is we've just had a wood burning stove installed but its brand new, properly fitted and has a CO2 monitor right next to it. It's not an open fire its a closed unit.

Anyone else had problems with this?

I did at my booking appointment with my last pregnancy! I’ve literally never ever smoked anything and not a single member of my family nor in-laws nor friends smoke. Other than breathing it in off people passing in the street, I’m never around cigarette smoke.

I was baffled. My midwife seemed a bit skeptical. The only thing I could conclude is that there were gas works outside my house & there was quite a whiff of gas kicking about. I’d been in the garden for quite a while that morning.. a repeat reading at my 16 week appointment showed 0!

They say 4 or below is good so 5 isn't bad surely? Mine was 1 and I had recently quit when I found out I was pregnant so only 4 weeks before ish

Did you get the bus? The diesel fumes at bus stops give high CO readings.

I had similar. MW thought it was probably from standing at the bus stop (it's a long row so lots of idling buses) for twenty minutes on the way there (just missed a bus and had to wait for the next). All my others had been 0/1 so she just wrote it off as an anomaly.

X-post Torys

Traffic fumes can definitely contribute to it. I haven't actually had a CO test at all (I'm 37 weeks!) but I was planning to decline it if asked because I didn't want to end up with a reading due to walking through the city centre to my appointment which I could do little about - as someone with anxiety that would have been detrimental to my mental health! We have CO monitors at home as part of our Nest smoke alarms so I knew for certain that I was safe at home.

At my booking app.my reading was around 8 I dont smoke... midwife said it was strange and decided to do her own reading shes a non smoker and hers came up 6! Clearly a faulty reader in my case I wouldnt worry about it x

I run a carbon monoxide awareness charity following the death of my 31 year old from CO poisoning, a few months after her wedding. Carbon Monoxide poisoning is the 'silent killer'. I know that there have been some instances where raised CO found following these hospital tests have proved to be from carbon monoxide in the home. I hope this proves not to be in your case but it is worth remembering that the symptoms are similar to flu and if you feel unwell at home but leave the house and feel better, it could be related to carbon monoxide poisoning. You might not have a carbon burning appliance - gas fires, gas hob, wood burning stove, open fire etc. but it must be remember that carbon monoxide can come from an adjoining property, even if you are in an all electric home.

Wait what's this carbon monoxide test? On my second pregnancy now at 31 weeks and never had this done

I’m on my third and I have never heard of this. We have a wood stove. Should I not use it this winter?!

I had a high reading with my second and it turned out to be issues with our heating system. We got it fixed and my levels were fine afterwards.