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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Clearblue progression

28 replies

brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 09:03

Hi ladies, I’m feeling very worried. My midwife said I could test every couple of days for reassurance but my line is not getting darker

it was dark enough on my first test on 14dpo. I wasn’t able to test with fmu on 16dpo but didn’t drink much during the night or in the morning and tested around 11.30am and the line was very dark. Tested again today 18dpo and the line is lighter than 16dpo but darker than 14dpo.

what should I do?

I can’t work out how to post pics here but if someone tells me I can show you

I’m terrified it’s not progressing

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LER2023 · 01/09/2025 09:10

Think it was very wrong of your midwife to say keep testing.
They arent there to show HCG progression.
Thats what bloods are for. These tests will not tell you whether you're going to have a miscarriage. Theyre there to show you whether your pregnant or not and thats it.
It causes more anxiety than its worth. If you're worried speak to your GP about getting your HCG blood draw! That will show you better progression than a line on a stick thats only programmed to do so much

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 09:11

@LER2023I she hadn’t told me to do it. My GP won’t do blood tests I don’t think as I haven’t had a miscarriage before

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Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 09:20

Right hand side is 16dpo, not fmu - had urinated a few times but not drank much and had nothing for a few hours. Left hand side is today. The line isn’t consistent which suggests a problem with the dye I think?

Clearblue progression
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Uphighseesky · 01/09/2025 09:31

There's only so much dye a test has.

The best thing now would be to stop testing 👍

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 09:40

@Uphighseeskythey’re not saturated though? I wish I’d never tested again, this has opened a real can of worms

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JuniperandI · 01/09/2025 10:33

Those are both dye stealers. Put the tests down.

JuniperandI · 01/09/2025 10:34

brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 09:11

@LER2023I she hadn’t told me to do it. My GP won’t do blood tests I don’t think as I haven’t had a miscarriage before

You can pay for private HCG blood tests, I'd recommend doing that.

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 10:39

@JuniperandIwhat do you mean by dye stealers? Yes I think I will have to find somewhere that does those, thank you

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JuniperandI · 01/09/2025 11:42

brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 10:39

@JuniperandIwhat do you mean by dye stealers? Yes I think I will have to find somewhere that does those, thank you

A dye stealer is where the test line is darker than the control line, the test basically can't go any darker.

curliegirlie · 01/09/2025 11:50

JuniperandI · 01/09/2025 10:33

Those are both dye stealers. Put the tests down.

This 👆. But if you’re that keen on monitoring progression, work out what your baseline was (take the sensitivity of the first test you got a BFP on), double that HGC level every 2 days to work out when you should expect to get a 2-3 (153miu) or 3+ (2,750miu) on a CB digital. Good luck!

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 12:49

@JuniperandIthank you, does that mean I don’t need to worry? And I should be comparing the line to control line not previous tests?

@curliegirliesorry if I’m being thick but how do you know what your HGC level is?

This is my test from 14dpo for reference - there is progression from then isn’t there? Just unclear how much

Clearblue progression
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JuniperandI · 01/09/2025 13:03

brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 12:49

@JuniperandIthank you, does that mean I don’t need to worry? And I should be comparing the line to control line not previous tests?

@curliegirliesorry if I’m being thick but how do you know what your HGC level is?

This is my test from 14dpo for reference - there is progression from then isn’t there? Just unclear how much

I can't tell you whether to worry or not, but your lines are good. Lines on tests can't tell you if you're going to miscarry. I'd recommend mentioning your anxiety to your midwife though as the worry doesn't go away.

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 13:07

@JuniperandIthank you, called my midwife but she will only get back to me within 24 hours so I have to sit with it for now, and she was the one who told me to test again and caused this stress in the first place! My understanding is that if the line is lighter it could be a chemical pregnancy which is why I’m worried. I really hope it’s just because of different testing conditions from 16dpo to 18dpo…the line 18dpo is still darker than 14dpo

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Readingiscool92 · 01/09/2025 14:04

brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 09:03

Hi ladies, I’m feeling very worried. My midwife said I could test every couple of days for reassurance but my line is not getting darker

it was dark enough on my first test on 14dpo. I wasn’t able to test with fmu on 16dpo but didn’t drink much during the night or in the morning and tested around 11.30am and the line was very dark. Tested again today 18dpo and the line is lighter than 16dpo but darker than 14dpo.

what should I do?

I can’t work out how to post pics here but if someone tells me I can show you

I’m terrified it’s not progressing

Sorry but you need to report that midwife
as many others have said tests aren't there to show HCG progression if your that many days DPO- they say yes or no at that stage
i’d book a private blood test

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 14:24

@Readingiscool92i tried calling her today and she’s not even answering. Im going to move my care to a different trust if my pregnancy continues.

do you think I have reason to be concerned enough to book a private blood test or is it just normal variation/dye stealing/today being patchy? I have been googling and can’t find any private hospitals that seem to offer hcg testing, the epu won’t get back to me til tomorrow

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Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 14:38

Looking again I think the dark part of the tests is similar so maybe that’s as dark as it gets?

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Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 14:38

Looking again I think the dark part of the tests is similar so maybe that’s as dark as it gets?

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Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 14:38

Looking again I think the dark part of the tests is similar so maybe that’s as dark as it gets?

OP posts:
Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 14:38

Looking again I think the dark part of the tests is similar so maybe that’s as dark as it gets?

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Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 14:38

Looking again I think the dark part of the tests is similar so maybe that’s as dark as it gets?

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Wednesdayonline · 01/09/2025 18:15

I think it's probably as dark as it gets. I know it's hard but the tests can't tell you what's going to happen, they can only tell you that you are pregnant. There is such thing as a "hook effect" apparently where after a while the tests will get lighter because the presence of HCG is so high. So if you keep testing you are just going to stress yourself out.

Throw out all your tests, including the ones you've used. Keep one if you really want a record.

Nuffield does HCG blood tests.

If you are extremely stressed, book yourself a private scan for 6 weeks so you have something to work towards, and tell your midwife about your anxiety. If you aren't bleeding, then it is very likely your pregnancy is progressing as normal.

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 18:42

@Wednesdayonlinethanks so much, I have a Nuffield near me so will book some tests.

the fact that I am pregnant seems too good to be true so I am terrified of something going wrong

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Wednesdayonline · 01/09/2025 18:44

@brightandbeautiful89 I felt the same, but honestly it doesn't get loads easier so it's important to try and get the anxiety under control best you can now x

Lostworlds · 01/09/2025 18:49

My midwife was lovely and said a positive test is a positive test, no matter how faint or dark the line is.
My tests with my DD were so incredibly dark but the tests with my ds were so light/ faint that it was actually hard to see, both were positive pregnancies.

you need to stop testing now. Your midwife hasn’t helped your anxiety at all. If you need reassurance then you could book a blood test and then do an early scar around 6-8 weeks but none of them can predict the future. I would remain positive, your tests are positive! Would it help to take a digital test and see the words pregnant in writing?

Original poster
brightandbeautiful89 · 01/09/2025 19:02

@Wednesdayonline@Lostworldsthanks both, definitely time to step away from the tests! I never imagined pregnancy could be so worrying and stressful - after the worry and stress of ttc I should just be enjoying this!

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