Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Pregnancy Tests

Ortho Tri-Cyclen is a birth control pill that utilizes hormones to prevent pregnancy. If you think you may be pregnant, you may wonder if those hormones can affect the results a pregnancy test.

Home Pregnancy Tests

Home pregnancy tests measure a hormone in the urine called human chorionic gonadotropin, otherwise known as hCG. HCG is a hormone your body produces early in pregnancy to tell the rest of your body that conception has occurred.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen

An estrogen and progestrin based pill, Ortho Tri-Cyclen is prescribed to patients both to clear up acne and to prevent pregnancy, and it will increase the estrogen and progestrin levels in your body.

Effects of Ortho Tri Cyclen

Taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen will not affect a pregnancy test. Although the amount of estrogen and progestrin in the blood are increased in individuals on Ortho Tri-Cyclen, these hormones do not affect the level of hCG in your urine or your blood.

If You Test Positive

If you're taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen and your pregnancy test comes back positive, see a doctor for confirmation. In rare cases, pregnancy tests have been known to give false positives for other reasons.

If You Test Negative

If you're wondering why your pregnancy test came back negative, when you're experiencing symptoms, look no further than the side effects of Ortho Tri-Cyclen. Many of the side effects from taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen are the same as the signs of early pregnancy.

References

• Ortho Tri-Cyclen
• Mayo Clinic: Birth Control FAQ
• Ortho Tri-Cyclen Side Effects

Resources

• HCG Levels: What They Mean