Can Norethindrone give you a false positive?

[pilgrim89]

I am not trying to get pregnant, but I was wondering whether Norethindrone could cause a false positive on a pregnancy test, since it is a hormone pill? I haven't been taking it that long - about four days so far. My OB/GYN prescribed it to me because my period is really late and she said that I should take it for a week and then within the next week my period should start, and then I'd start a normal birth control.

I really doubt I am pregnant. I haven't had intercourse, just some fingering and I honestly cannot remember a time when I was touched after he ejaculated (if this unlikely situation happened, it would have had to have happened at least six weeks ago, so I'd have to be about six weeks in). Since the weekdays right before Easter, we were having issues and did not see each other very often, and when we did, we didn't do anything. That was about four to five weeks ago, so it would have had to have been before that. I always pulled my pants/underwear up before I touched him because I am weird about these things, so I doubt that I would have been okay if there was even any remote possibility that sperm could have even gotten near my upper thigh, let alone my vagina. I took one pregnancy test before I began Norethindrone and it of course was negative, but I took it around 6PM. Again, I seriously doubt I am pregnant, but taking another test first thing in the morning might ease my mind, but I don't want to take it if this medication is going to give me a false positive. I read in the comments of an article about dollar store pregnancy tests that Norethindrone can and will give you a false positive; the poster said they were speaking from experience. What I may end up doing is waiting until I'm done with the medication and then wait the next week (when my OB/GYN said I'm supposed to start my period) and take it if my period still has not started.

The only 'symptoms' of pregnancy that I have are a TINY bit of upset stomach every once in a while (sometimes so little that I'm not sure if it's my imagination or if I really have a bit of pain) and it feels like I'm bloated, but those are two side effects of Norethindrone (according to the booklet that came with the pills) and I honestly didn't notice these until I was taking that medication. My breasts feel larger, but that's probably my imagination since they aren't tingling or tender and I never really paid that much close attention to their size anyway. I haven't had any weight gain and I haven't had frequent urination. So I really don't think I'm pregnant. All the sources I've read said that even by six weeks you should have full-on symptoms like nausea and swollen breasts, etc. There's been no cramps, no bleeding at all since my last period.

I have never been regular, and I did have a lot of stress since my last period, (relationship issues, adopted a dog, finished and defended a thesis, finals, final projects, graduated college, going to attend a rigorous teaching program this summer) so it's very possible that it's stress-related or perhaps I did not ovulate (because of all the stressors?). I haven't lost or gained a significant amount of weight, nor has my diet really changed since my last period. Since my last period I have been exercising a TINY bit more walking my dog, but not enough to really count.

But I am a big hypochondriac and tend to focus on near impossible possibilities. So even though intellectually I know that the possibility of my being pregnant is about as likely as someone mailing me a bomb, I am still a little too focused on it.

Does anyone have any experience with Norethindrone and how long it takes to strip your uterus? I'm only half-way through my dosage, but there are NO signs of it doing anything so far except bloating a little and giving a little tiny bit of indigestion. I am worried that it won't work, and I'm moving in a week. (So I would have already moved three hours away when the deadline for when she said my period would start would come.)

Thanks for any help!

[Clysta]

Unless it has hCG in it (which to my knowledge it doesn't) you wouldn't get a false positive from it. It sounds very much like you're just over-analyzing it, and coupled with stress and the fact that you're already irregular...it's not surprising that your cycle is so late. I'm unclear how long it takes to work though. It should when you're done taking it. I've never used it, so that's the extent of my knowledge on it.

[pilgrim89]

Anyone?