Can positive pregnancy results be negative at all? Ask Whitney Way Thore, a reality TV star on TLC's "My Big Fat Fabulous Life," and she will tell you it is possible. After all, she had three tests with positive results and even went to her doctor for a urine pregnancy test with the same result. It turned out, however, she wasn't pregnant.
Thore would not have believed it possible because she was suffering from a female endocrine disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). As a result, her ovaries are filled with small cysts. Since PCOS usually results to infertility, she thought she would never get pregnant.
Her doctors have proven her fears right as her ultrasound test showed she was not pregnant at all, according to SELF. Thore's pregnancy tests showed false-positive results, giving her false hope. It may be rare, but false-positives can happen.
Pregnancy test kits have a 97 percent rate of accuracy as the result shows the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone associated with pregnancy, as per Parents. There are various cases, however, when these tests show false-positive results. One reason is that the woman was really pregnant when the test was done, but she later on suffered an early miscarriage.
"Some women can get a positive pregnancy test and then three days after their period is due, they have a really heavy period," Fort Lauderdale OB-GYN Dr. Lanalee Araba said. "Really what they've had is an early miscarriage called a chemical pregnancy, and a lot of people call that a false positive," she added.
Women who want to get pregnant immediately take a home pregnancy test even before they are supposed to have their menstruation, according to Baby Hopes. This has often resulted to false-positives, a situation that can be frustrating for those who badly want to be pregnant. For best results, women are adviced to wait until their period has been delayed before taking a home pregnancy test.
