Can You Get A Positive Pregnancy Test After Miscarriage?
It’s a common and understandable question that many women have asked since discovering the possibility of the tragedy of miscarriage: can you get a positive pregnancy test after a miscarriage?
The answer to this question isn’t a simple one, and it can depend on many external factors. Ultimately, the best and most reliable way for a woman to know for certain whether or not she has experienced a miscarriage is to discuss her symptoms and situation with her doctor.
What is Miscarriage?
Miscarriage, also known as pregnancy loss, is a relatively common medical occurrence in which a woman loses her pregnancy before the fetus has adequately developed to survive outside of the womb.
Unfortunately, miscarriages are all too common— statistics report that roughly 1 in 5 known pregnancies end in miscarriage.
Pregnancy Test Post-Miscarriage
The key to understanding whether or not a pregnancy test can return a positive after a miscarriage is to understand the way pregnancy tests detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
This hormone is initially secreted by the cells of the placenta as soon as the egg is securely implanted in the uterus. After implantation, hCG steadily rises, as does its presence in the bloodstream and/or urine. This, in turn, is what a pregnancy test reads and displays as a positive or negative result.
Can a Pregnancy Test Return a False Positive After a Miscarriage?
Taken at face value, this question calls for a “Yes” or “No” answer.
- Yes: It is possible for a pregnancy test to give a positive results after a miscarriage.
- No: It is very unlikely that a pregnancy test would give false positive results after a miscarriage.
Factors that May Contribute to a Positive Pregnancy Test After a Miscarriage
In some cases, a woman may experience a longer hCGdraw-out after a miscarriage, and her body can take some time to remove the hormone.
- The Woman’s General Health Status: A woman’s overall health can affect the presence of hCG in her body. Weaker immune systems or other health issues may contribute to a longer presence of hCG in the body.
- The Types of Pregnancy Tests Used: Different types of pregnancy tests may react more easily and more accurately to lower levels of hCG.
- The Length of Time After a Miscarriage: It can take different lengths of time for a woman’s body to stop producing hCG after a miscarriage. Depending on the amount of hCG still present in the woman’s body, a pregnancy test may produce a positive result, despite the woman no longer being pregnant or having suffered a miscarriage.
Conclusion
It is possible to get a false positive pregnancy test after a miscarriage, but the chances of it happening are quite slim. Ultimately, the best and most reliable way for a woman to know whether or not she has experienced a miscarriage is to discuss her symptoms and situation with her doctor.
It is also important to remember that each woman’s body is unique, so their individual results may reflect that.
If a pregnancy test does produce a positive result after a miscarriage, it is still important for a woman to get an opinion from her doctor, in order to understand the cause of the positive results and to ensure that she is healthy and taken care of.
Welcome to my fertility blog. This is a space where I will be sharing my experiences as I navigate through the world of fertility treatments, as well as provide information and resources about fertility and pregnancy.
