How common is it that a pregnancy test is a dud?

[american_mama]

DH and I both had a bit of a stomach bug last week, but just in case my nausea was something else, I took a pregnancy test today. It was Answer brand, cheapest I could find, and it was a total dud. No lines of any color, size, shape, or position appeared at all. When I pregnant with DD2, I also had a dud of a test, don't remember the brand. So how common are duds, when even the control line fails to appear?

[dogmom]

I actually had a package of three once, some generic brand, that had no lines show. My naturaly curiousity got the best of me and I notice that the paper in the window didn't look right. I pried the thing apart and found out that they had put the paper in upside down and you couldn't see it because the back was to the little plastic window! I had to break apart the next one when I repeated the test to find out it was negative.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve
EDC 6/18/06

[MommyAllison]

I had a dud - I was using a name brand test, can't remember the brand though. It was the one time I tried a different brand of test, of course. No control line, nothing. Very frustrating!

Allison
http://b1.lilypie.com/XvRAm8/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[Tondi G]

call them... they should refund your money or send you a coupon for a freebie!

~Tondi

[jesseandgrace]

I agree, I think it is not all that common, but the test line should at least appear.

[betsydenny]

I had a dud and it was a hospital test that a doc friend had me take. It was supposed to show up even if only 24 hours pregnant (or maybe 3 days- I can;t remember) Anyway it definitely showed nothing and yet less than 8 months later I had an 8lb boy!

Now my doc friend is more cautious in telling folks they are not preggo after taking that test!

Try in another week!
Betsy

[american_mama]

Well, Jeanne, I too broke apart the test to figure out what was going on. What, did the laws of physics suddenly change and capillary action ceased to exist for this test? But before I could investigate anything more than, oh hey, this is pretty easy to pull the plastic apart, half of the aborsbent part fell off and went down my drain, which is a yawning black hole due to me removing the drain cap. thing a while back. But I like the person who suggested a refund. Those tests, even the cheapies, are too darn expensive to, uh, literally go down the drain.

[Jo..]

Do you know, if you have a Dollar Tree near you they sell both ovulation predictor kits and pregnancy tests for...
(you guessed it), a dollar. DH and I used these exclusively when trying to conceive, and they work great.
The ovulation predictor was accurate and we conceived that month, the pregnancy test showed positive 5 days
before MP was due, just like the pricey brands claim to do. This sure saved us some money (as well as time wasted trying trying trying)!
Plus you can test every day and not feel too guilty about wasting money. (I never had a dud).

[newnana]

I had a dud with DD. It was EPT. I called the number on the box and they were great. They sent me a check for the cost of the test but would have sent a replacement if I had wanted (I had already gone and purchased another). In addition to the check, they sent an excellent coupon book for other toilettries.

Michelle

[hautemama15]

I have had that happen before, usually with an expired test.

[jerseygirl07067]

Funny you should mention that. I just took one by Answer tonight, and it seemed to take a lot longer than usual time for any lines to appear. One did appear, but after a long time.

I think next time I'm sticking to the Publix brand or Walgreens brands, which is what I used before. I actually bought the Answer one since I thought it would be better since it was a brand name, yet still cheap. Silly me.

Marcy