Glum_Butterfly_9308 t1_iubi9ou wrote on October 30, 2022 at 1:33 AM

Reply to comment by tweakingforjesus in Eli5 why do pregnancy testers not have a yes or no indication on the screen instead of the symbols and then matching them? by googleimages69420

Not everyone has an easy time conceiving. Some people take years, and eventually those tests add up.

Personally it took us 20 cycles before we had a single positive. I had lots of months where I didn’t test at all, some where I tested once, some where I really had a feeling they were it and I tested a couple of times (testing early can give a false negative).

It is common when you do finally conceive to keep testing and watch the lines get darker. Many people have chemical pregnancies. These are very very early miscarriages that we only know about because the tests have gotten so good. Back in the day where you had to wait several days to a week after a missed period to test, you would never even know that you had a chemical. Now, you may get an early positive but have the lines get lighter over the next few days. If you’re having fertility struggles, it’s helpful to know whether you are conceiving and losing pregnancies early or not conceiving at all.

When we did conceive I think I took about 4 tests over the course of a few days but online I often see people do 6-8. Many people will test until they get a “dye-stealer” which means that the test line is darker than the control line. People take this as a positive sign that it is progressing well.

tweakingforjesus t1_iubk05l wrote on October 30, 2022 at 1:47 AM

Wow. We thought we might have trouble but it went pretty smoothly for us. I’m glad we didn’t have to go to such lengths.

[deleted] t1_iubq00n wrote on October 30, 2022 at 2:38 AM

[deleted]

tweakingforjesus t1_iubrdhl wrote on October 30, 2022 at 2:50 AM

I’m very sorry I came off like that. That was not my intention. I was trying the state that I recognize how difficult it can be and I understand how lucky we were. We were preparing for a multi year effort and even began early to try to have a better chance with the challenges we were expecting. My wife used those ovulation dipsticks and we scheduled specific days of the month for quality time. We even had a referral to a fertility specialist ready for when that time came.

I am very sorry for what you had to go through. I honestly wish you well.

Glum_Butterfly_9308 t1_iubs3ye wrote on October 30, 2022 at 2:57 AM

Thank you. I appreciate that.