What can affect the result of a pregnancy test?

Do alcoholic beverages affect pregnancy test results?

The test result will not change whether the woman took alcohol the day before. The answer depends solely on the concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine. HCG does not interact at the physical level and does not undergo chemical transformations with the breakdown products of alcohol. Therefore, an accurate test result will be obtained regardless of whether the woman drank before the study.

There is an exception to this rule – the use of beer or other alcoholic drink with a diuretic effect by a pregnant woman often leads to a false negative test result. This is due to a decrease in the concentration of “pregnancy hormone” in the urine. Therefore, in the case of drinking alcohol with diuretic properties, it is advisable to conduct a study on the next day.

Does pyelonephritis affect the result of a pregnancy test?

In the instructions for use of the test systems, there is an indication that kidney disease can affect the reliability of the test results. Pyelonephritis is an inflammatory process affecting the renal pelvis. The opinion that this pathology can somehow affect the test results is wrong.

Manufacturers of pregnancy tests claim that long-term kidney pathologies that have caused kidney failure have a negative effect on obtaining a reliable answer. Pyelonephritis does not apply to such diseases, so the test result in women suffering from this pathology is usually true.

Can cystitis affect pregnancy test results?

Inflammation of the bladder can be caused by various types of pathogenic bacteria, most often by E. coli. It enters the bladder through the urethra from the rectum. This way of transmission of inflammation is explained by the peculiarities of the female anatomy – the proximity of the anus and the entrance to the vagina to the urethra. That is why women are much more likely than men to suffer from inflammation of the bladder.

The urine of a woman with cystitis contains components such as breakdown products of the bladder epithelium, protein, blood, and pathogenic bacteria. Red blood cells and protein can very well affect the accuracy of pregnancy test results, shifting them towards false positive or false negative values.

Can a pregnancy test give a positive result during menopause?

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Yes, it is possible for a woman to get a false positive pregnancy test result during menopause. This is due to various reasons. A slightly elevated level of hCG (chorionic gonadotropin) in the urine of women during menopause is the norm. This figure can reach 14-15 IU / l, while the norm outside of pregnancy is 5 IU / l. Highly sensitive tests can detect an elevated value as early as 10 IU / L, so it is not surprising that they respond to hCG in the urine of a woman during menopause. In this case, the second strip of the test system will not be bright.

With a pathological cause of a false positive result, the strip will be clearly defined.

This may be the result of the following diseases:

• Renal failure of varying degrees;

• Increased secretion of hCG by the pituitary gland in trauma and brain tumors;

• Oncological diseases of the uterus, ovaries, respiratory, digestive and urinary systems.

When you receive a positive pregnancy test result during menopause, in any case, you need to undergo a thorough examination.

Does lactation affect pregnancy test results?

Some women do not use or use contraceptives during breastfeeding, hoping for the contraceptive effect of lactation. This method of protection can fail and lead to an unplanned pregnancy. Even if menstruation occurs against the background of breastfeeding, a woman does not believe in a positive test result and the unreliability of her method of protection. Lactation does not affect the accuracy of testing. Here, both positive and negative results obtained with test strips are equally true.

If menstruation occurs during pregnancy, will the test show it?

Rarely, pregnant women may have periods during the first trimester. Such bleeding does not affect the test result, since the reagents of the test strips react to the concentration of hCG in the urine. To obtain a more accurate result, it is recommended to wait for the end of bleeding.

What will a pregnancy test show after a miscarriage?

The system can show a positive test result 4-30 days after an unplanned termination of pregnancy. This is due to the fact that an increased concentration of hCG remains in the woman’s blood for some time after a miscarriage. The “master hormone of pregnancy” is produced by the membrane of the fetal egg, and then by the placenta during the entire gestational period. Test strips of any type respond to elevated levels of hCG in the urine.

Even after a spontaneous abortion, chorionic gonadotropin continues to remain in the woman’s blood, reducing its concentration over 30 days to its normal level. The longer the term of the interrupted pregnancy was, the longer this process will take place, since the production of hCG in the body of a pregnant woman is constantly increasing.