Taking a pregnancy test brings a lot of emotions like happiness, nervousness, and anticipation. No one can describe what you feel as you wait for the results to appear; it feels like torture. Then, after waiting several minutes, you find yourself staring at a blank pregnancy test.
What does that mean? How does that happen?
Now, you feel a mix of frustration and disappointment, maybe even anger. You anticipated seeing a “+” or “-” or some tests display “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” Blank isn’t valid.
So, what do you do when your pregnancy test shows nothing? Keep reading to find out what it means and what you should do next.
How Does a Pregnancy Test Work?
A pregnancy test can confirm pregnancy by detecting the hormone in your urine. Pregnancy tests look for the hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin, typically called HCG. When the test detects HCG in your urine, it changes colors and indicates the test’s display results, either with lines or a digital screen.
You can’t receive a positive result unless the test finds HCG in your system. The test could sometimes read negative if there isn’t enough of the hormone present; this could happen in early pregnancy. It takes several days for the hormones to build up enough to become detectable in urine.
What Does It Mean When Your Pregnancy Test is Blank?
Typically, your pregnancy test will show the results by the presence of lines. Two lines indicate a positive result, and one line means the test is negative.
One line will appear no matter what; it’s your control line. It lets you know that your test worked. The other line indicates whether or not you’re pregnant. That means your test should always have one line after you use it.
So, what does it mean if your pregnancy test came out blank?
That means your pregnancy test didn’t work. For some reason, your test either failed or lost its efficiency, and you are unable to interpret your test results.
Seeing no lines on a pregnancy test is frustrating, but there are a few reasons that this could happen. Let’s take a look.
A Bad Test Kit
Like anything else, a pregnancy test can be faulty and made incorrectly. While this doesn’t happen all of the time, you might be unlucky and pick up a bad test from the store. Improper storage or transportation could cause a test to become ruined.
This tends to be a problem with digital tests in particular; digital parts are more delicate. If your Clear Blue pregnancy test shows a blank screen, it might be due to a faulty test or improper handling that rendered your test unusable.
This is often why pregnancy tests come with two tests. Ensure you urinate into a disposable cup, and don’t dump it until the results show. That way, if your test is faulty, you can dip the second test and not have to wait several more hours.
The Test is Expired
Another reason for a blank pregnancy test result is that your test is expired. It’s always a good idea to check the date of manufacture and expiration date before purchasing the test.
If you have extra tests sitting at home, they can go bad. This is especially true for the first response and other line tests. Many mothers have gotten blank pregnancy tests from First Response Early Response because they kept a second test at home and never used it. When they go to use it, it’s expired and gives an incorrect or faulty reading.
You Didn’t Follow the Instructions
Always read the instructions before you take a test. Failure to take the test correctly could cause a blank result. This is true even if you’ve taken a pregnancy test before; designs could cause as well as usage directions. Brands also have different testing time frames.
Could I Have Multiple Blank Pregnancy Tests?
So, you keep testing, and the results aren’t what you hoped.
It’s important to remember that your results are only accurate if you take them when the HCG amount in your system is high enough to be detected. It’s possible to have a negative test and still be pregnant; the hormones haven’t built up in your system enough yet.
Relative: How to know if you’re pregnant without a test.
If you keep getting multiple blank pregnancy tests, you might want to change brands or pick up tests from different stores. It might indicate that you encounter a terrible batch with several boxes or a problem with the store handling or storing the tests improperly.
Can You Reuse a Blank Pregnancy Test?
Unfortunately, you cannot use a blank pregnancy test again. Tests are designed to work only once and are only valid within the time-frame indicated in the directions. Once you dip your test into urine, it triggers a reaction, and that’s the only time you can use it.
You should know that you can only read your test in the indicated time frame. Most tests say that you can only read the tests for 10 minutes. After that, the results are invalid.
Why?
A line can show up after 10 minutes, but that tends to be due to drying rather than accurate results. If you have a blank pregnancy test, then a positive result shows up; it is more than likely because the test started to dry, and you can see the test lines. That is called an “evap” in the pregnancy world, and it can raise your hopes.
Final Thoughts
You anticipated finding out whether or not you were pregnant, but now you’re left without any questions answered. Getting a blank pregnancy test is disappointing and means you need to use another pregnancy test, but it doesn’t mean you are at the end of the road. Take another test and see the results then.
Hey, this is Linda. My biggest accomplishment in life is being a mother of four children. Their current ages range from almost ten years old down to 20 months old.
I’m passionate about writing parenting articles because I understand so well all of the problems and trials you face as a parent. From breastfeeding woes to budgeting problems and behavior problems, along with everything in between, chances are I’ve faced it over the last ten years. Read more about Linda here.
