How likely is it to have 2 false positive pregnancy tests back to back?

[asiaadogma]

I have a friend who is early 30’s f (I’ll call her A) who has partial custody of her niece 15f (I’ll call her N.) A is a very wonderful person, and has had partial custody of her 4 nieces/nephews for a few years now, and involved for their whole lives because they have a complicated home life. N is the type of teen to act out, skip school, has an 18 year old boyfriend who is trouble and A does not approve of, but she reluctantly allows N to spend time with him (they go to the same high school.) A has always told N that when she feels she is ready to start having sex, let her know and she will get her on BC, no judgment. Well A got a phone call from the mom of N’s best friend, saying her daughter had confided in her that N was telling her friends that she had been having sex and her period was late. A was pissed N hadn’t told her, and immediately got her a few pregnancy tests and sent her in the bathroom to take them. Both tests were positive. A was very upset, of course, and made an appointment for N with her doctor to confirm she was pregnant. The appointment was 2 days after she had the positive tests, N still hadn’t started a period, so the doctor did a urine and a blood test to check for pregnancy and both came back negative, N was NOT pregnant. I was just wondering how likely it is to throw 2 false positive pregnancy tests back to back like this. My suspicion is that N somehow faked the tests to get attention. Maybe she bought false pregnancy test solution (available on Amazon) and hid it in the bathroom, or something. All I have said to A is that I know having a false positive test is rare, I have not told her of my suspicions the test was faked. I’m not sure it’s my place to put suspicion in her mind when she is doing her best to raise N.

Edit to clarify: I do not intend to accuse N of anything, or even mention my suspicion to A, at all. A often comes to me to vent her frustration when N acts out, so my view of N is probably skewed more toward that.

As someone who regularly takes pregnancy tests to make sure I am not pregnant, I would be totally freaking out if I had even one let alone two positive pregnancy tests (for medical reasons it would be very dangerous for me if I got pregnant). So I was just wondering how likely it is to happen, when what I’ve heard is that false negatives are common, but false positives are very rare, so two false positives seemed like lottery winning type odds.

 

[kidbrucie]

@asiaadogma Bad batch? Or maybe they were taken incorrectly? Were those tests read in the 3-5min timeframe or much later after taking? If two tests at the doctor's office, including a blood test, showed negative, I would trust them but I guess if they want 2nd opinions it never hurts to get it done again at another office or a Planned Parenthood, or get pink dye tests rather than blue dye and make sure to take them correctly and read them in the recommended timeframe.

 

[asiaadogma]

@kidbrucie Not sure about it being a bad batch, but they were taken correctly, and read in the proper time frame. Is it possible for a bad batch to give false positives? I thought they could only give false negatives if they were bad

 

[kidbrucie]

@asiaadogma Yes, if the tests are incorrectly made, they can show false positives too. An acquaintance of mine ordered a box of pregnancy tests from Amazon (funny enough, the same kind that I used to get too) and she got a bad batch. Long story short, her faucet was pregnant

 

[asiaadogma]

@kidbrucie Wow, I had no idea this was possible! Thanks. This knowledge makes me want to only buy individual pregnancy tests, and never in a multi pack just in case it’s a bad batch.

 

[kidbrucie]

@asiaadogma If you can find them cheap, that's great. Most "individual" or 2-pack tests where I live are almost as much as a 20-pack I can get from Amazon I've never had issues, but bad batches can happen with everything. Both with individual tests and with bulk ones.

 

[ejc420]

@asiaadogma It could have been a chemical pregnancy where you test positive and then have a very early miscarriage, then getting a negative. I think it’s extremely unlikely she’d buy fake positives for attention. Please focus more on the kids needs than saying she’s lying for attention. Even if she is that means she needs attention !!

 

[asiaadogma]

@ejc420 But if she had a miscarriage wouldn’t she have started a period between the two at home positive tests and the two negative tests given by the doctor?

I’m not suspicious of anyone unless they give me reason to be…. She is a good kid and greatly loved by A but she does act out and cause problems often. Again, she has a complex and troubled home life which is why A has partial custody and is trying to get full custody, so N can have a more stable and loving environment. I am not related to either of them, I’m just friends with A, and my mind was blown that N could have 2 false positives because I know that even 1 is rare.

 

[ejc420]

@asiaadogma That is a good point. I’d be pretty astonished by false tests as well. But I do still think it’s unlikely she got them for attention considering she may not have time/money, etc. Regardless I hope your fritters her into therapy to help her cope with what she’s going through with her family situation

Edit to add: may also just be a bad batch/brand that’s notorious for false positives

 

[loveavenue]

@asiaadogma It happened to me just last month. Two false positives and a negative. (Went to the doc and confirmed I was indeed NOT pregnant)

 

[asiaadogma]

@loveavenue Wow, that’s crazy! Good to know they are more common than I thought. Thanks. Did the tests come in a multipack or bought individually?

 

[loveavenue]

@asiaadogma It was a multipack.

 

[cd1]

@loveavenue Wow how’d they confirm it? And how long did u wait to make that apt

 

[loveavenue]

@cd1 I take it back. I was indeed pregnant, but assuming I wasn’t far enough along for the hormones to read properly.

 

[lumberjack_964]

@asiaadogma It's possible to get pregnant but have a very early miscarriage, often called a "chemical pregnancy" because the only way you detect it is the chemical test but no ultrasound or anything else sees anything. Not producing enough hCG can actually be the reason for a miscarriage - it's supposed to double every 2 or 3 days early on in a healthy pregnancy.

The hCG that the test picks up starts at implantation and then drops off when the pregnancy stops developing. So it's possible there was implantation, it caused a little hCG, but the pregnancy already started to fail before she took the tests, so there was enough to detect on the urine test but it was gone by the time she got to the doctor.

 

[asiaadogma]

@lumberjack_964 This makes sense, but wouldn’t she have started a period after any kind of miscarriage, including a chemical one?

 

[lumberjack_964]

@asiaadogma I'm not sure of the exact timeline. Has she still not gotten a period at all? I wouldn't assume the bleeding would line up perfectly with when the hCG goes away.

There are also, technically, some other conditions that can generate hCG, but presumably if the doctor could tell the difference between that and a pregnancy, she would have been filled in on it.

 

[katrina2017]

@asiaadogma She needs to see her doctor. False positives are rare. They do happen, but they're rare. If you get a positive home pregnancy test, then odds on you're pregnant.

The status and viability of the pregnancy need confirming. That can only be done by a doctor. Then N needs to have a long think about what she wants. This isn't a decision for her mother or aunt or next door neighbour. This is a decision for N. It is one she needs to make and live with for the rest of her life. It is not fair or right for anyone else to try and make that decision for her, regardless of what that decision might be. It is as morally reprehensible to force someone to abort a baby they desperately want as it is to force someone to give birth to a baby they desperately do not want.

If (as is likely) she is pregnant, she's going to need a fuck load of support. That's regardless of whether she miscarries, has a termination, chooses to raise the baby or gives it up for adoption. None are easy.

 

[asiaadogma]

@katrina2017 Hi. You must have missed it but in the post I stated that two days after the two false pregnancy tests, N was taken to a doctor. He did a urine test and a blood test and both came back negative, so she is NOT pregnant. I’ve heard that even 1 false positive is rare so I was just wondering what the chances are of having 2 false positive pregnancy tests. Some other commenters suggested that it might have been a bad batch of pregnancy tests, so right now this is what I think is the most likely to have occurred.

 

[shirleyw]

@asiaadogma I think it may depend on when the first tests were done. Pregnancy tests are ineffective until 21 days after the last sexual encounter. There's a hormone in vaginal pee that can sometimes make a test read as a false positive even if it's really negative. It takes 21 days after the last sexual encounter for a test to account for a legitimately fertilized egg.
I've done lots of research on when to tell if a test is accurate, as I've got a lotta anxiety.