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Total Health

The Pill & Pregnancy Tests

By:
Kelly Shanahan

Question :

I'm on birth control pills, and I think I might be pregnant. If I take a home pregnancy test, could the pill create a false positive?

A.L.

Answer :

False positives are virtually unknown with pregnancy tests today. These tests detect hCG, the pregnancy hormone. The pill does not produce a false positive. If you are pregnant, and if you are far enough along to be producing high enough levels of the pregnancy hormone, a home test will be positive. However, false negatives may occur if a test is taken too soon. Most home tests detect hCG levels once they exceed 25-50 IU/L; blood tests can detect HCG as low as 5 IU/L.

 

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