Frequent health checkups like drug tests or pregnancy tests are strongly required to ensure women receive on-time treatment.
The latter, thankfully, has always been pretty straightforward with the help of digital test sticks.
Still, like any other method, these sticks are not 100% perfect. “Why is my digital pregnancy test stuck on clock?” has been a common question among first-time users for months.
My insightful guide will delve further into this issue and address all your burning inquiries. Keep scrolling for more.
What Is A Digital Pregnancy Test?
Digital pregnancy tests, like their analog/regular counterparts, also use test strips to assess pregnancy hormones (if there are any) in a woman’s urine stream.
When the hormones exceed a certain benchmark, the test will read “positive” to inform the woman of her pregnancy signals.
To perform such tasks, digital tests include small computers within the system to analyze the strips and present results on a display screen.
That’s right; there is a regular pregnancy test within the digital test! The only major distinction between the two is that digital tests incorporate electronics and batteries to interpret/display the readings, while regular tests do not.
While such a design can be quite advantageous for women with vision issues, remember that the accuracy of the test is not necessarily better – not to mention, you also have to pay extra for the added electronic components and add-ons.
Plus, one should not disregard concerns regarding electronic waste and environmental impacts.
So if you can read the results easily on your own without any modern assistance, opting for a regular test is still highly recommended.
Why Is My Digital Pregnancy Test Stuck on Clock?
When the First Response digital pregnancy test clock won’t go away, it indicates old or defective test sticks, meaning your results might be invalid.
Under normal circumstances, a well-functioning digital test must replace the clock with either a Yes/Positive or No/Negative on the display screen.
Other signals of inaccurate/invalid results are:
The Clock Disappears After You Unwrap The Unit
You should see a clock on the screen when unwrapping the test stick. If it does not show up, the stick unit is either old or broken. Using it for your pregnancy tests would be futile!
The same applies to the First Response pregnancy test blinking clock; if it keeps flashing before any urine is applied to the test tip, chances are the unit has malfunctioned or encountered a severe First Response digital error.
Throw it away as soon as possible; otherwise, all results that show up after that will be 100% invalid.
The Clock Does Not Flash After You Apply Urine
Once the urine has been applied to the test tip, wait for about 30 seconds.
The clock failing to blink after3 30 seconds indicates clear troubles – since it means the urine is not being processed! Any results yielded from that test are not trustable.
The Digital Display Shows No Yes/No
Unless you do not follow the instructions, a definitive Yes or No should pop up clearly on the screen after approximately three minutes.
Nothing appears at all? Then the pregnancy test is invalid.
Long story short: a digital screen showing only the clock and no readings equates to invalid responses.
Both No and Yes Are On The Screen
As mentioned above, the solid clock on First Response test should start flashing after half a minute – before giving you JUST “Yes” or JUST “No” after another three minutes.
If both are shown on the display screen, the test result is unusable.
What To Do When My First Response Digital Pregnancy Test Stuck On Clock
Retake The Test
- Early Result Test
Step one. Hold the test stick at its thumb grip, letting the result windows face away and the absorption tip point downward.
Dip the tip into your urine for about five seconds. I suggest collecting your urine into a dry, clean cup, then immersing the entire tip there.
Step two. Replace the stick’s overcap (its tip is still downward). Lay the test stick flat on the surface with the windows facing up. Wait for three minutes until the screen shows a Yes or No.
- Rapid Result Test
Rapid result tests bring in faster results (less than one minute). However, their accuracy is not always guaranteed compared to Early Results, so brace yourself.
Step one. Hold the stick at its thumb grip (like with the Early Result stick) and dip the tip into your urine for about five seconds. Lay the stick down on a surface with its window facing outwards.
Step two. Wait for about 45 seconds, and the results should be shown on the screen.
Buy Another Test Stick
If the test stick shows symptoms of malfunctions and defects even after a third or fourth try, you should swap it for another one (preferably newly-bought) for a more accurate reading.
What Are Other Ways to Test Pregnancy Other Than Test Sticks?
Suppose you are dying to know the results immediately without any digital or regular test sticks around.
What to do in that case? For me, some of the following alternatives are worth a try:
Salt Test
Every kitchen stores some salt. You only need one pinch of salt or two, urine samples, and one clean glass for subsequent ingredient mixtures.
- Method: Add your urine to the cup, then drop the salt into it. Wait for about three minutes.
- Positive/Pregnant: The white, creamy clumps will formulate due to the chemical reactions.
- Negative/Not Pregnant: No salt and urine reactions occur.
Since the scientific backings of salt tests are not yet stable, I think it would be better to try out other methods, too, just to be sure.
Sugar Test
Like salt, sugar can be found in almost any household, which makes it one of the easiest and most effective methods. Prepare your urine sample, sugar (one tablespoon), and a bowl.
- Method. Place sugar into the bowl. Pour your urine over it.
- Positive/Pregnant. The sugar forms lumps within the urine.
- Negative/ Not Pregnant. The sugar dissolves completely in the urine.
Barley & Wheat Test
Indians have long been familiar with barley and wheat for daily cuisine recipes.
But unbeknownst to some, these seeds can be wonderful testaments to pregnancy status, too, as they grow twice faster in urines than in regular water.
For this test, you need one clean bowl, urine samples, and wheat and barley seeds.
- Method: Pour urine into the bowl, then add some seeds. Leave the bowl for about 2 days to see whether the seeds germinate.
- Positive/Pregnant: The seeds germinate after two days.
- Negative/ Not Pregnant: The seeds have not sprouted yet.
FAQs
Are Digital Pregnancy Tests Accurate?
Yes, 99% of the time. False positives will likely occur if you take your test too early (for example: after only hours of a missed period), so keep an eye out for that.
If you still feel unsure about the readings, take the tests several more times from different test sticks.
Is Digital Test Better Than Regular Test?
No, their accuracy rates are the same.
As previously mentioned, there is always a regular test included in the digital test.
The only difference is that the latter spells out the results for you rather than letting you translate the readings on your own.
Can Test Sticks Assess Pregnancy Pulse On Your Neck?
No, it cannot, but you can do so yourself. Click here for more tips.
Conclusion
Why is my digital pregnancy test stuck on clock symbol? Old or broken test sticks are the most likely culprit;
I strongly suggest swapping them to another stick to avoid inaccurate readings.
Steps to retake the tests are also provided – along with concise answers to some other frequently asked questions.
If you still need more help on First Response pregnancy test stuck on clock, I am all ears.