No dye stealer at 25dpo

[TreeWizard]

Hello, I'm 5+4 today and still haven't had a dye stealer on a FRER. I'm sure with my first child I had one well before now. The photo was taken with FMU so definitely not diluted urine. I can feel myself starting to worry
Has anyone else not had one this late and everything has still been fine?

What are you asking? That is a clear positive what are you expecting to change?

I don't really know @bunnytheegghunter I think I've freaked myself out googling and looking at lots of photos of other people's tests where they have had a very light control line compared to a dark test line by now.

I had a chemical pregnancy and an early miscarriage last year and I think they have affected me more than I realised as I can't seem to relax and step away from the tests.

You are going to have to explain what you mean as after well over a decade on mumsnet that's the first time I've heard the term dye stealer.

I've never had a dye stealer and I have 3 babies. With my first I obsessively tested for ages after my positive test as well. Stop, it won't do your mental health any good. You would be better off using that money for a reassurance scan

@pastabest It's when the control line of the test is lighter than the testing line if that makes sense? I don't think it's an official term by any means but I fell down an internet rabbit hole earlier and they seem to feature heavily on some sites as a sign that HCG is rising.
I think I might need to have a word with myself based on replies so far!

Step away from the pregnancy tests.
You are very clearly pregnant.

I ended up faintly hysterical and convinced i had a blighted ovum as at 6 weeks i had a faint positives that werent darkening on strips.
£200 later i was very much reassured and the sonographer kindly told me to stop peeing on things and reading dr google.

Urine tests are not an accurate way to measure how your pregnancy is progressing, I say that as someone who has had losses too and peed on way more sticks than I care to admit! It will never make you feel better. Even a 'dye stealer' won't make you feel better, because you'll want to see it again and then the next one might be ever so slightly fainter and you will panic.

If you need reassurance, I recommend a blood test. Seeing my HCG in numbers and then seeing it rising as it should in the next test made me feel so much better. The blood test can't be wrong, but there are so many reasons why a urine test might not be as dark as you think it should be. I'm 5+3 today and feel much more relaxed now waiting for my private early scan.

Hi, I’m in this exact same position now at 5w2 days. I was wondering what the outcome of your post was if you don’t mind me asking? X

I never had a dye stealer with any of my kids...I had a massive dye stealer with the baby I miscarried. There's no rhyme or reason to that. You're pregnant, it's probably better if you stop testing. If you think it would help book a private scan at around 8 weeks. Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy

@JParker25 Unfortunately I started bleeding and had a miscarriage a week after my post, however there are lots of other people who have posted here with the same issue who went on to have successful pregnancies and healthy babies so I really don't think test line strength is a reliable indicator. Wishing you lots of luck with your pregnancy.

So sorry to hear this. It’s such a hard time to go through especially if you’ve had a few miscarriages already it just makes things very difficult to deal with and not obsess over. Sending my love

Don't worry.

A home pregnancy test is a binary test and not a quantative one. The darkness of the line does not change based on how much hCG is present. The only time this happens is when you're very close to the minimum threshold, and then you will get a very faint line.

I know people on the internet seem to think that a stronger line = more hCG but it doesn't. That's not how those tests work unless you're testing crazily early. The line getting "stronger" than a standard positive is just random chance and isn't something you need to aim for.

If you want to see how things are progressing the only home test you can do are those digital ones with weeks indicators, although please be aware they are not especially accurate and if it's likely to cause more stress, then don't do it. This is a good explanation of how they work if it helps you make a decision about whether to buy one:

www.amazon.com/review/R21VL5LTF4V7I9/ref=cm_cr_rev_detdel_redir?cdThread=Tx2SR9XEZ3E9MCO&newContentID=MxBB7MIRQZJ4GX&_encoding=UTF8&cdPage=1&asin=B00D05VGCS&store=hpc&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&cdForum=Fx1CC46NS99D3FC#MxBB7MIRQZJ4GX

Oh OP I'm really sorry I can't believe I didn't read until the end of the thread.