Help! Hook effect or cause for concern?

[MrsImpatient]

Hi mumsnetters,

I'm afraid I am here with my tail between my legs feeling a little embarrassed and sorry for myself! Really looking for some advice and reassurance if possible (but not false hope!)

I had 2 early miscarriages in June and July, back to back. I then was lucky enough to fall pregnant again in August, and of course I was anxious and tested daily (easy@home) until I got my dye stealer. I'm one of those people who get stronger test results in the afternoon, so my first dye stealer came on 20 dpo in the afternoon, and on 22dpo I got my first dye stealer with FMU. I was basically just ecstatic to see them progressing. I stopped testing at 22dpo when I got my strong FMU dye stealer. Im 6+2 weeks (or 27 dpo) today.

Yesterday on the train to work I read a post on peanut about the hook effect and had never heard of it, I thought it was pretty nifty (I'm a bit of a science geek). This morning, I thought I'd give it a go, and told myself I would either get a blazing dye stealer (yay) or a faint positive in which case I would try out and prove the hook effect (also yay). However, when I did my first test with 100% urine, I was slightly stressed to see that it wasn't either. It wasn't a dye stealer, but it also wasn't a faint line. It was just a decent positive. So then I started to worry that my HCG was just waining. Went ahead and did the dilutions, and got the below results which, whilst slightly darker than the 100% urine, don't show any major differences and still didn't bring back my blazing dye stealer. Am I seeing the hook effect here, or do I need to be worried about another miscarriage? The only thing giving me hope is that even the test with 1 part urine and 4 parts water wasn't lighter than the 100% FMU, and maybe looks a tad darker.

Top test = 100% FMU urine
2nd test = 1(urine):1(water)
3rd test = 1:2
4rd test: 1:3
5th test: 1:4

I've definitely learnt my lesson with testing! I just need some advice on this one so I can go off and lick my wounds. :(

All of this is totally and completely unnecessary and bonkers, sorry OP.
I know it's hard not to test after having miscarriages but this is something else.

What are you hoping to achieve? Why are you wanting a hook effect?

Just stop testing. You won't get the answers you're looking for by obsessing over amounts of water and urine. And you won't get the answers on here. Just leave well alone.

I can't imagine pouring water into urine and making solutions one by one just to see a specific type of shade of colour on a pregnancy test. This is all bizarre.

I think it's time to put down the tests. They're fantastic dark positives even when very diluted which shows you have high levels of HCG and are most definitely pregnant. The hook effect can be a thing but pregnancy tests really weren't ever designed to be used in this way or held up against each like paint swatches comparing tiny differences in colour.

And I'm saying this as someone who also tested for far too long. I got a much lighter result one morning at about 6/7 weeks which worried me. I diluted it and it was lighter still which panicked me even more. Tested the next day and it was darker again and I decided then to stop testing as it really wasn't reassuring me at all or giving me any useful information. The pregnancy is still progressing well a few weeks later and I've since seen the heartbeat so that day of panic really was pointless!

As others said, put down the tests. It won't tell you anything at all and will just make you more anxious for absolutely no reason.

Stop testing. You're literally going to drive yourself insane. You're nearly 7 weeks, there's no need to be testing at this point.
Book yourself a viability scan at 7 weeks if you need reassurance.

I never had a dye stealer on those tests didn’t even go as dark as yours are on that photo, I’m now 34 weeks pregnant. Stop testing, you know you’re being silly.

Thank you everyone for your replies - particularly those who said it in a nice way. Let me start by saying I know it is a bad idea to test at this stage (I said in my post that I had learnt my lesson) because of the potential for lighter tests and the resulting stress, when there's not actually a problem. But let me counter that with - both times I miscarried at 6 weeks, a lighter test result was the first sign. So, it helped me brace for impact as I knew what was coming. I would therefore disagree that testing is 'totally unnecessary and bonkers', 'bizarre' and 'something else' - I don't need to be kicked whilst I'm down and made to feel like a lunatic like that. I'm just anxious. And yes, I've made myself more anxious in doing this, so it was a bad idea. But I'm certainly not the first to do it, and I would just ask that you (particularly you, M340) adopt a more careful / gentle tone in future because you never know what somebody's mental state is like, and mine is fragile right now, to say the least.

To everyone else, thank you. I know you're totally right! I had actually stopped testing for several days, but got some cramps that slightly worried me (probably totally normal but I'm super anxious after the last few months) at the same time as reading about the hook effect, and totally got sucked in to thinking that seeing a strong test result or otherwise a hook effect would reassure me. Now I still don't know if it was a hook effect, or just lighter tests than I got a few days ago for some other unknown reason. I've got a viability scan booked for 8 weeks, which seems a lifetime away right now! But I definitely won't be testing anymore! x

@MrsImpatient Have you ever consulted for your recurrent early miscarriages to see if they could find a cause (like low progesterone)? You are on the right track at nearly 7 weeks. We get your anxiety but now, the only thing that can give you any help and peace of mind is the scan at 8 weeks.

Well, I tried, as I did suspect low progesterone, but I was told that blood tests and further investigations were only available once I had had 3 MCs and that 2 was just 'unfortunate'. I hated the idea of waiting for a third MC, so I did my research and ended up putting myself on low dose aspirin for this cycle, and so far it's stuck so who knows whether that made the difference, but I like to think it did. I ran it by my GP before I started and she said it wouldn't do any harm and may or may not help, but I'm inclined to believe it did. When I told my midwife last week, she was supportive of it too. You're totally right, I've just got to sit tight and wait for my scan! I didn't think anything would feel longer than the TWW, but this tops it! I suppose I'm living up to my username, ha x

@MrsImpatient I came to realise that the tww was a piece of cake compared to what came afterwards 😂
Low dose aspirin can't do any harm indeed so good that you tried it. I am on it now from 12 weeks because of my age.
Sadly I don't have any magic remedy to help the anxiety as I have been there and still am to be honest. We have to sit tight and hope for the best.
I really hope you get your baby this time and that everything works out for you 🤞
Let us know how you get on!

Totally, this is so hard! I was so naive back then complaining about the TWW! Sorry you're going through it with the anxiety too, it's such a nerve wracking time isn't it. I'm going to start trying positive affirmations like 'my body knows what it's doing' 'I trust my body' every time I get anxious thoughts. Sounds a bit hippy dippy but my sister (who is an A&E Registrar, so totally not the type!) swears by it and found it to be effective with lots of practice, and I'll try anything! Thanks so much for your advice - I definitely will update on here after my scan! Wishing you well with your pregnancy x

@MrsImpatient I've just found this thread. How are you doing?? I am also mental like you haha! I'm 7 weeks today pregnant with my first after 5 ivf rounds and absolutely terrified I'm going to go next week and they'll have bad news! I've had dye stealers since I found out across all pregnancy tests avaliable and it's still not enough! I too did the diluted test as mine yesterday was slightly lighter and its back to dye stealer xx

Hey @Shirleylou! Thanks so much for your comment. Interestingly, I've since found loads of posts on here of people asking about the hook effect and diluting their urine sample (weirdly the responses were generally friendly and not rude and aggressive, think I just got unlucky on this one at first) so we're definitely not the only ones who've done this! I would say though that now you've seen the hook effect in play, it's time to stop testing because it'll just keep happening now. I haven't tested since my tests in this post, and to be honest it's a huge relief!

Bless you, 5 rounds is tough, you're amazing. 7 weeks is an amazing milestone though! I've got everything crossed for you. I'm sure you will get amazing news.

I'm also 7 weeks now. I initially thought I was a bit further along based on my LMP, but I realised I ovulated on CD 17 so actually I'm a few days behind what I originally thought because the LMP method assumes ovulation on CD 14. I developed some scary sharp left sided cramps last week and ended up going for a scan at 6+3 as I was becoming really concerned about ectopic. By the time we got into the scan room I was completely convinced it was ectopic and braced for bad news, but we saw the little peanut in the right place, measuring 5mm and even saw a lovely heartbeat flickering away. I completely broke down in floods of tears in relief!!

I think the pain was coming from a combination of trapped wind, constipation and a small ruptured cyst. Still seriously struggling from the constipation and trapped wind daily now, it's giving me awful stomach ache every day and making me feel really under the weather, alongside nausea that's worsening by the day too. Oh the joys of pregnancy! Really hoping it all lifts after the first trimester, but even that seems like a lifetime to wait feeling like this!

Good luck with everything, keep me updated xx

@MrsImpatient this was the perfect message to wake up to, stupidly I have already tested and of course the Hooke effect is still happening. The line has been drawn 🙂only 6 sleeps until we get to see our bean, I just wish I had some symptoms (I'm sure ill regret saying that soon) Good Luck to you too xxx

Hi all, I just wanted to update this post for those that commented and anyone else that might see it and wonder what happened. My beautiful little boy was born 10 weeks ago, and I’m still counting my lucky stars every day that I’m his mum! If I’m ever lucky enough to have any more, I certainly won’t be obsessively testing like that again!! Xx

@MrsImpatient I didn't comment on your original post but found it after going a bit crazy and doing another test at 6.5 weeks due to not having really experienced any morning sickness yet....! So happy to see you have provided an update, congratulations!

FWIW and for anyone reading this in future, I think anyone who's had difficulty TTC is going to have moments of crazy. After 2 years, I thought I'd be utterly relieved to get a positive test but for now, my previous anxieties have just been replaced by new ones and I think that is totally normal and understandable.