Please offer me some reassurance - I'm driving myself mad

[CrabApple00]

So my husband and me (39) have been trying for 1.5 years and for 7-8 of those months doing everything in our power with no luck.

This year I started keto and lo' six weeks later I got a positive this month! Typically my cycles range from 26-29 days. I got my positive last night on the 29th day of my cycle. We DTD between CD12 and 16. I don't know for sure when I ovulated.

Last night CD 29 the test was faint but clearly positive and this morning CD30 I did another (same kind) and it was maybe tiny but fainter but it dried to the same colour.

I do have changes to my nipples (huge areola, montgomery bumps for days), tiredness, cramping and some gentle food/smell aversions.

I'm just terrified that my HCG levels aren't high enough since the test are faint and not getting darker?

I should also say I'm in Prague so seeing a doctor isn't straightforward - though there is a clinic where I can get HCG and progesterone blood tests cheaply - is it worth doing that at this stage and then going back in two days to see the difference?

Thank you if you've read this far...I was so overjoyed last night but now I am FREAKING.

Hi - are you saying you have done 2 tests, about 12 hours apart? I don't think that is enough to say they are not getting darker and the first test I did was faint as well (on the day of my missed period). A line is a line!

I know it's really hard but I think you have to try and step away from the pee sticks. You can have a miscarriage and they continue to show up positive for a while. The darkness may change over the time of day dependent on how concentrate your urine is. I don't think it is a reliable way of telling you what is happening and may make your anxiety worse.

If you are not bleeding or experiencing pain then the odds are in your favour. I know chemicals and miscarriages are common but even if they affect 25% of pregnancies, that is still 75% who don't miscarry. The symptoms you have are also a good sign, and don't worry if they come and go a bit, or don't get much worse, that is normal.

I know it is hard when you want something so much, but I would try and wait a few days, perhaps do another test on Saturday/Sunday and maybe consider getting a blood test from there if you want to be sure (or just holding out for a private scan in a few weeks). Fingers crossed for you.

Hi, I think the pregnsncy hormone doubles every 24-48 hours so I wouldn't be too concerned at the moment,with two similar coloured lines 12 hours or so apart. I'd try and wait a day or two, or at the very least until the morning and re test again. It's hard I know, but will hopefully give you a clearer answer. Good luck! I hope it's your positive!

@Keha thank you so much for this lovely, reassuring message. I'd actually called my husband who talked me down too! While I still have symptoms and no indication that anything is going badly I'm going to just try and be happy, bond with the bean and enjoy that this even happened...got to say, I did not expect to descend into pregnancy neurosis as quick or as deep as I did!

@Nicecupfococo Thank you for reply...I'm going to wait a good few days and then pay for the blood tests (they're very inexpensive and not a hassle to get done) and then I'll have the best indication...in the meantime, I'm remembering I'm meant to be growing a small human so shouldn't be stressing!!

I’ll have my fingers crossed for you.
It’s normal to descend into panic especially given how long you have been trying.
But it will be the first of many things you can worry about so try to find a way to navigate it as wel as you can. Easier said then done, I know!
Good luck!!!!

@seekingadviceagain2020 - thank you. Funnily enough 'this is just the start of things we'll worry about' was exactly what my husband said! I am much more zen tonight...I think I needed to process! x