Miscarriage Pregnancy Test – Why Is It Positive?

If you have had a miscarriage, it means that the pregnancy was not viable, and the endometrium has been shed, along with the new fetus, in a similar way to your normal monthly period. Some women do a miscarriage pregnancy test, to make sure they are not still pregnant, and this might show as positive. How can this be so?

The home pregnancy test kits detect the pregnancy hormone, known as hCG, in urine. This hormone is only present in the blood and urine after a fertilized egg has traveled down the fallopian tube and implanted in the wall of the uterus; hCG is not produced by the body until this happens. Not all implanted eggs will continue into a viable pregnancy; as many as 25% dislodge after a few days, but the pregnancy hormone is still produced in those few days.

If the test kit detects hCG in your urine, it is usually a conclusive result that you are pregnant, because conception is the only mechanism that can prompt the production of the hCG hormone. Very sensitive home pregnancy tests can detect low levels of hCG a few days after conception, but in the early days after the egg has implanted, there is no guarantee it is a viable pregnancy at this early stage.

If a miscarriage occurs, for whatever reason, the hormone does not immediately vanish from the body. While no more is being produced, because there is no longer a pregnancy to prompt its production, it could be days or even weeks before it works its way out of the body. How long this takes mainly depends on how far the pregnancy had advanced when the miscarriage occurred.

The amount of hCG produced by the body varies between women; those with higher levels will find it takes longer to leave the body. The average time taken for the hormone to be removed by the body is actually 19 days, but it can be as soon as a few days or as late as a month. Obviously, if you take a home pregnancy test during this time, it will still give a positive result, even though you miscarried and are no longer pregnant. Some women will continue to feel pregnancy symptoms, because these are caused by the hCG.

If two or more weeks have passed since your miscarriage and you have done a miscarriage pregnancy test which is still showing positive, it is a good idea to consult your doctor. The most probable action taken at this time will be to monitor your hCG levels through a series of blood tests.

There are several reasons why the test was positive, including there being some residual pregnancy tissue in the uterus which may need to be removed during a D & C. Another reason for the positive test is that you may have fallen pregnant again, since your miscarriage, if you have been sexually active.

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