Pregnant? The scientist in me says no, but my chest says YES

[ilshsm]

I have a lot of experience in biochemistry, and I have performed countless assays in my life, but I can't figure out a pregnancy test to save me. I have been pondering this alone for days, and I need to get out of my head and get some other opinions, so your help is very much appreciated. I have a lot of "evidence", and so I will just list it to try to be concise. Not likely, but I will try.

Not pregnant:

-I have an irregular cycle, and hypothyroidism (being treated and hormone levels are normal)
-I would be about 7-8 weeks (irregular cycle, so not completely sure)
-I had my period (it was lighter and shorter, but definitely a period)
-I have had 2 negative pregnancy tests (first response, pink dye, from the same box. I thought one was positive, but I think I stared at it so long that my brain invented the line)
-No morning sickness (slightly nauseated on occasion, but could be from heartburn)

Pregnant:

-I had three positive pregnancy tests (rite aid, blue dye, looks suspiciously like evap lines, but read within 10 minutes)
-My boobs (especially nipples... tmi) have never been this sore... ever. I am pretty sure they are getting bigger too... which sucks because I have a hard time finding bra's as it is. I mean they are sore all of the time.
-I have heartburn every day (and other symptoms that could be attributed to this or pregnancy... eg. gas, excess saliva... sorry that gross)
-My lower back hurts, which it never does.
-I am pretty chill and logical most of the time, but lately I have been incredibly close to actually going crazy on people for no reason whatsoever.

After writing it all out, I am even more convinced that I am not pregnant. Its more that my body feels off... but I had my period and a negative test at about 8 weeks. I know I should just go to the doctor. Any negative at 8 weeks is pretty telling. Right? Ahhhhh...

 

[ilshsm]

Help? Any opinions... or conversation...

 

[Reidfidleir]

If you've had three positive tests you're probably pregnant. Especially coupled with your symptoms

 

[ilshsm]

Thanks for responding! I can't bring myself to talk about this with anyone in my life now... probably why I haven't gone to the doctors yet... and this is probably because I am not really sure what I am hoping for. Or, I know exactly what I am hoping for, and I don't want to be let down lol. Anyways, thanks again!

 

[SoldierWife]

I would take more tests personally. It seems a little odd that you had so many positive and negative tests. I'd take a couple more and get a doctors appointment to find out for sure.

 

[Firefly Skies]

Definitely make an appointment if you can, the blood test should be more reliable then POAS tests. At the very least, it sounds like these are symptoms your doctor should know about with your hyperthyroidism, and if you're not pregnant, seems like you should check in anyways.

Good luck! I hope you get the news you're hoping for.

 

[Reidfidleir]

The first response tests are pretty reliable.

 

[ilshsm]

I need to stop turning to google because you can always find what you are looking for, but FYI, I just found a scientific paper describing the variant hook effect. This was first discovered in 2009, and a recent (peer reviewed) paper (authored by Ann Gronowski, Ph.D.)came out in August, showing that there is a higher than expected rate of false negatives after 5 weeks of pregnancy due to the test becoming saturated with hCGbcf (hCH beta core fragment). hCGbcf is the predominant form of hCG in the urine after 5 weeks, and is recognized by one antibody in the test strip, but not always both antibodies, which is needed for a positive result. This can be overcome by diluting the urine, after which the test should be positive if you are, indeed, pregnant.


The variant hook effect is possible in several over the counter tests. Anyways, I am sure it is probably pretty well known, but I found it fascinating, and detrimental to my vow that I would stop buying pregnancy tests. All of the blue dye tests are positive, and all the pink dye are negative. I have also found that some people are actually more prone to evap lines... so basically I need to put my computer away.

Oh, and as a disclaimer, it says the variant hook effect is more common, but I do not have any numbers, so I don't know what that means. The hook effect is VERY rare for pregnancy tests, and so more common than VERY rare still sounds pretty rare.