Control line not fading anymore

[Keyval89]

Hi

I'm a bit of an obsessive tester bit I'm also extremely worried as iv had 2 previous losses.

I'm 5weeks +1 day today and my tests are very dark. I probably should have stopped by now . I'm getting anxious that the control line isn't fading anymore and it's staying the same . Is this normal? Maybe it won't fade anymore?

I'm still testing 2-3 on a clear blue digital and also My easy@home strip is possibly close to becoming a dye stealer. Maybe a few days off .

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks K

I'm sorry for your previous loss. All a pregnancy test can tell you is that you are currently pregnant. It cannot impart anything about the health of the fertilised egg, future foetus or baby. Stop testing, spend the money on help for your anxiety. There's a long way to go yet

The control line shouldn't fade, it should always be the same dark shade, it shows the test works (it's the control).

The test line is the one that can have different shades, and I see the HCG strips are dye stealers (test line as dark as control) - that's good! The test line colour will vary depending what time of day you test, the dilution of your urine, the brand of test etc.

I know you are worried but honestly if you can step away from the tests, you have your positive test now, the rest is out of your hands. Maybe you can get an early scan given your history of losses? All the best for this one sticking!

OK thank you . I am on anxiety medication. But I think its only natural after a loss to worry about losing or lines fading. I have 2 children already 8 and 11 . I have a scan booked for 6+3 :) thanks

@AussieManque dye stealer means it literally steals the dye from the control line so that the control line is lighter than the test line. It’s pretty common with a strong positive, lots of examples of it online.

@Keyval89 they look about as strong as they are going to get, much stronger than mine at that stage. I’d really advise stopping now, mine started to get lighter (hook effect) and it sent me into a panic, everything was absolutely fine though. As above it doesn’t tell you anything about how the pregnancy is progressing. Fingers crossed your scan goes well.

Thank you. I appreciate that . Xx

There is only a certain amount of dye in each test. Once you get to a certain point the tests will be the same every day. The control line can't fade completely. No control line means the test didn't work.