PCOS And False Positive Pregnancy Tests – PCOS Weightloss

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects a woman’s reproductive hormones. Of course, because of its impact on the reproductive system, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often experience symptoms like infertility, ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, bloating, heavy periods, and irregular menstrual cycles. 

These reproductive symptoms can be challenging for any Cyster, but especially those trying to conceive. (Here’s more on how PCOS affects pregnancy.) Imbalances of estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and other hormones can reduce egg quality, stop ovulation, hinder implantation, disrupt sperm transport, increase miscarriage risk, and make it difficult to know when you’re pregnant at all. 

Not only does the irregularity of your periods make it difficult to know when to take a pregnancy test, but many first trimester pregnancy symptoms overlap with daily PCOS symptoms. And, with all the reproductive hormone imbalances, you may be wondering if pregnancy tests are reliable at all! 

So, today I’m going to discuss pregnancy tests! I’ll talk about whether or not pregnancy tests are dependable for us Cysters, when you should take one, how you should take one, and what type works best for PCOS. 

PCOS And False Positive Pregnancy Tests: Causes, Myths, and Solutions

Many women with PCOS experience crazy period irregularity! This is because of imbalances of hormones like testosterone. When you have elevated androgens (male sex hormones), your ovaries don’t get the proper signaling to produce and release eggs. 

Ovulation usually triggers the production of progesterone to thicken the uterine lining, which will eventually be shed during your period. But, with no ovulation, no progesterone is produced, so no period happens at all! As long as hormones remain dysregulated, periods can be super irregular or absent altogether. 

We all know people usually take pregnancy tests a few days after their missed period. It’s often the first sign for women that they may be pregnant! However, a missing period isn’t abnormal to most Cysters, making it difficult to determine a good time to take a pregnancy test. And, after all, without the proper hormone production, should a woman with PCOS even trust a pregnancy test?

Let’s get into it:

How Do Pregnancy Tests Work?

Home pregnancy tests detect pregnancy by measuring a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). It only enters the bloodstream and your urine when your body begins developing a placenta. The pregnancy test uses antibodies that are specifically designed to bind with hCG. That way, when you pee on a test strip (or dip it into urine) it picks up on even small amounts of hCG. 

A pregnancy blood test that you’d receive at the doctor also measures hCG, but it measures exact amounts of hCG. They’re also significantly more sensitive. They can confirm pregnancy at as little as 6 days after ovulation, whereas an at-home pregnancy test won’t detect hCG until closer to 12 days after ovulation. 

Can PCOS Cause A False Positive Pregnancy Test?

Yes! There are rare circumstances where PCOS can cause a false positive pregnancy test. Many women with PCOS have elevated levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), which is a hormone involved with ovulation. LH is structurally similar to hCG, so low-quality tests can, in rare circumstances, struggle to distinguish between the two, offering a false positive pregnancy test. 

There’s one other way PCOS can cause a false positive pregnancy test. Certain types of ovarian cysts can produce small amounts of hCG. Corpus luteum cysts, theca-lutein cysts, and luteinized unruptured follicles (LUFs) can all produce hCG in rare cases. 

Is it Common with PCOS to Get a False Negative Pregnancy Test?

You may be thinking: what about false negatives? These are much more common in women in general! When women test too early (which is easy to do if you’re not sure when you last ovulated), the hCG amounts may be too low to be detected on an at-home pregnancy test. Old tests may also lose their effectiveness over time and fail to detect lower levels of hCG.

Other Reasons for False Positive Pregnancy Tests

Chemical Pregnancy

A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage that occurs 6-12 days after ovulation (or before 5 weeks pregnant). Shortly after implantation, the pregnancy fails to progress due to hormone imbalances, chromosomal abnormalities, uterine issues, poor immune health, low egg quality, stress, or other factors. 

Sometimes when you test, you get a positive pregnancy test from the small amount of hCG that has been released, despite the fact the pregnancy has already ended. Usually, a day or two after the false positive, you’ll get negative tests due to the hCG rapidly dropping. 

Evaporation Lines

All pregnancy tests have a set time when you should read the results—most recommend somewhere between 3 and 10 minutes. If you attempt to read the test after that set reading time, it may show a false positive. This is because the urine has dried up on the test, leaving a faint, colorless streak that can be mistaken for that “second line.” 

Blue dye tests tend to be more prone to evaporation lines, so use pink dye tests and toss them after they’ve read negative by the recommended reading time. 

Fertility Treatments or Medications 

Some Cysters undergo fertility treatments to get pregnant with PCOS. When you participate in IUI or IVF, you’ll probably be given “trigger shots” to induce ovulation. The trigger shots contain hCG, and enough of it that it can show up on a pregnancy test even before fertilization or implantation occurs. 

Medical Conditions

There are a few medical conditions out there like Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD), molar pregnancy, pituitary tumors, and certain types of cancers that can sometimes cause a false positive, because they all trigger the body to produce hCG at the wrong time. 

Expired or Faulty Tests

Old, damaged, or faulty tests may not function like they’re supposed to. They’re way more likely to deliver a false negative result, but in some cases, they can cause a false positive—especially when you consider how evaporation lines could be mistaken for a positive pregnancy test! 

Recent Pregnancy or Miscarriage 

If you’ve recently experienced a pregnancy loss or were pregnant, your hCG levels may still be elevated. This can result in a positive pregnancy test even after the pregnancy has ended. It typically takes a few weeks for hCG to leave your system completely, but the timeline is different for everyone. If you’re navigating this, please know you’re not alone—give yourself grace, and reach out for support if you need it.

When To Take A Pregnancy Test With PCOS

The general rule is to take a pregnancy test a few days after your missed period to get accurate results but with irregular periods, you may have no idea when you’ve ovulated or “missed” your period! This is especially true if you don’t track your menstrual cycles by taking ovulation tests. (Here’s more on how to track ovulation with PCOS!) 

If you don’t know where you are in your cycle, pay attention to your body and identify irregular symptoms. Some PCOS symptoms and first trimester pregnancy symptoms overlap, but here are distinct pregnancy symptoms you can watch out for: 

• Nausea and vomiting 
• Breast tenderness
• Frequent urination
• New food cravings and aversions
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Spotting
• Heightened sense of smell and smell aversions
• Increased basal body temperature 
• Changes in cervical mucus
• Leg cramps 
• Vivid dreams

What Is The Best Pregnancy Test For PCOS?

Most pregnancy tests on the market are going to give you accurate, reliable results despite PCOS! However, I recommend you get something that’s sensitive to lower levels of hCG and uses pink dyes or a digital readout to avoid evaporation lines. Here are some good options:

How To Take a Pregnancy Test With PCOS

Step 1: Determine if it’s time to test. 

Consider your symptoms, when you had sex, and where you may be in your cycle. With that information, determine the best time to test, which is going to be 12-14 days post-ovulation. 

Step 2: Choose the right type of pregnancy test. 

Choose a pregnancy test that uses pink dye or a digital readout. And, for the most accurate results, get an early response test. 

Step 3: Take the test first thing in the morning. 

Your first pee of the morning will have the highest concentration of hCG, so it’s the best time to get a reliable result! 

Step 4: Wait 3-10 minutes to read the results. 

Follow the directions on the box for reading times! Usually they’re between 3-10 minutes. Wait for the full duration to pass before interpreting the results.

Step 5: Read the results and make a plan for next steps. 

Time to read the results! If the result is negative, discard the test before a potential evaporation line appears. You can make plans to test again in a few days or see your doctor for whatever unusual symptoms you’re experiencing. 

If the result is positive, congratulations! It’s probably not a false positive—remember, they’re rare! However, you can continue to test over the next few days. If the lines continue to get darker, your hCG levels are rising, showing you’re definitely pregnant! 

Step 6: If positive, follow-up with your doctor right away. 

Once you get a positive test, follow-up with your doctor right away, even if you have fears it may be a false positive. Either way, something is going on that’s producing hCG, and that needs medical attention. As I said, false positives are rare, so chances are you’re pregnant! 

Prenatal care is always important, but it’s especially important with PCOS, when certain hormonal imbalances could increase the risk of miscarriage. See your doctor as soon as possible to make plans for the healthiest pregnancy possible. 

Here’s my post on how to have a healthy pregnancy with PCOS. 

Step 7: Confirm with a blood test if needed. 

If there are any doubts you’re pregnant, your doctor will order a blood test to measure the exact levels of hCG. They may even run multiple tests over a few weeks to ensure your hCG levels are increasing as expected. 

False positive pregnancy test results are rare, but are possible with PCOS!

When you have PCOS, knowing what’s happening in your body can be really difficult. There’s so much chaos, it can be easy to miss changes that are signalling you’re pregnant. That’s why it’s so important to start naturally healing your PCOS and reversing your symptoms. 

Your body doesn’t have to be in a state of chaos you can bring back harmony using a gluten- and dairy-free anti-inflammatory diet, slow-weighted exercises, better sleep hygiene, the right supplements, and other intentional lifestyle changes. For preconception supplements specific for women with PCOS, be sure to check out Purely Prenatal. You can find out more on the PCOS Weight Loss blog and on The Cysterhood app. It’s time to take back control of your fertility and overall health!