Does Apple Juice Make a Pregnancy Test Positive?

Pregnancy tests are one of the most common tests among women. 

Chances are, the average female will take several pregnancy tests at some point in her lifetime if she wants to have kids. 

Pregnancy tests are quite sensitive, and it is essential to ensure the result comes out as accurately as possible. 

It is common knowledge that a lot of factors can influence pregnancy test results. These factors often influence the test to give false results. 

What we eat and drink is undoubtedly one of the things that affect pregnancy test results. 

So with that in mind, can apple juice influence a pregnancy test to be positive? 

How Does Apple Juice Affect Pregnancy Test Result? 

Several fruit drinks can influence pregnancy test results, and apple juice is one of them. 

However, its ability to influence pregnancy test results is dependent on the type of test and mode of exposure. 

How so?  

Simply drinking pple juice will not influence pregnancy test results. The only way apple juice can affect the pregnancy test is by directly exposing the drink to the pregnancy kit. 

Of course, the false-positive result doesn’t mean that the apple drink is with child. What happens is that the apple juice content will interact with the enzyme in the test kit and produce a positive result. 

Does that mean you should start drinking a large quantity of apple juice to influence pregnancy test results? 

Of course not! 

No amount of apple juice you drink can affect your pregnancy test result to come out positive. The influence only comes from the direct exposure of the test kit to apple juice.  

Other household drinks and beverages that can influence pregnancy test results in a similar manner include;

• Bleach 
• Cola (soda) 
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice 

Like apple juice, ingesting these beverages will not influence pregnancy test results. A false-positive result will only come from the direct exposure of pregnancy test kits to these household drinks. 

We’ll touch upon more liquids you can use and how to generate a fake positive test result later on.

How Does a Pregnancy Test Work? 

A pregnancy test is one of the most straightforward tests to carry out. Several homemade items will help you know if you are pregnant without having to visit a doctor. 

All pregnancy tests use the same technique of detecting a hormone called HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin).

The body will only start to produce the hormone HCG after the point at which the embryo latches on to the uterus walls, which typically takes anywhere between 6-12 days.

As such, the presence of HCG indicates pregnancy, and the body starts to produce it in greater quantities the further along the pregnancy is.

The  majority of home pregnancy tests will detect HCG in the range of 25-50, and require the urine of the female to detect pregnancy.

So what’s HCG, and how does it form? 

HCG is the acronym for human chorionic gonadotropin. It is a hormone that forms in pregnant women. 

Pregnancy itself occurs after the fertilization of the female egg by the male spermatozoon or sperm cell. Once fertilization occurs, it will produce a zygote that moves through the fallopian tube to implant itself in the uterus. 

This process of implantation occurs within 5 to 12 days after fertilization. 

After successfully implanting in the uterus, the body will begin to produce a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). The female body will rapidly produce this hormone within the first few weeks of pregnancy. 

Test kits detect HCG in varying concentrations, usually within 25 to 50 mIU. The concentration at which the pregnancy test kit will figure out HCG varies with brand. 

However, most kits will detect HCG after three weeks of pregnancy because HCG production is usually at its peak then. 

Most standard home pregnancy kits have enzymes that will react with the HCG in pregnant women’s urine. The urine will interact with the exposed part of the test kit, and the enzyme in this area will react to produce a color change. 

Once it can detect HCG, the color will change. 

Most of the time, there are usually no false-positive results, unlike false-negative outcomes. A color change cannot happen if the kit does not detect HCG in urine. 

You might have to visit your doctor at the faintest positive color indicator on the test kit.

Other Factors That Can Influence Pregnancy Test Results 

Certain factors influence pregnancy test results. 

However, as stated earlier, there is a higher chance of obtaining a false-negative outcome than having a false-positive result. Individual factors and conditions influence the possibility of having false results. These factors include; 

• Using a test kit after its expiry date can lead to inaccurate results.
• Testing too soon before the significant HCG hormone concentration in urine (usually in the first and second week of pregnancy).
• Taking too much fluid before the test leads to excessively diluted urine, reducing HCG concentration in the urine. 
• Using the pregnancy test kit can also influence pregnancy test results.
• Interactions of some medications like antihistamines and diuretics can affect test results as well.

Consequently, it is essential to keep these factors in mind while taking pregnancy tests. Taking a pregnancy test more than once will help you to double-check and ascertain the test result. 

Other Liquids that can affect a Pregnancy Test

Just like apple juice has been proven to affect a pregnancy test and indicate a positive result, so can several other liquids.

If you’re feeling particularly daring and you want to pull a prank on a loved one or friend, here are some of the best ways to fake a pregnancy test:

Soda

Believe it or not, one of the most reliable ways to fake a positive pregnancy test result is to use that can of soda you have in the fridge.

Simply pour the soda out into a cup and then extract a few drops of it to drip onto the home test kit.

Within a matter of minutes, you should be looking at a positive test result, much to the shock of your unsuspecting victim!

The reason behind this is simple: soda is alkaline in nature which imitates the hormones associated with pregnancy.

Likewise, you can find the same alkaline properties in your average glass of orange juice.

Vinegar

Vinegar is another common liquid which could potentially yield a positive pregnancy test result.

In fact, vinegar can be used as a substitute for a home pregnancy testing kit.

If you don’t want to go out and buy a test you can try using vinegar instead, though it goes without saying that you should take the result with a generous pinch of salt and plan to do a real test at some point later on.

Simply mixing vinegar with the urine of a woman can give you information you can use to infer whether or not she may be pregnant.

The general consensus seems to be that if the urine transforms in color and becomes slightly orange, then that indicates a positive result.

If instead it turns green, then the likelihood is that the person in question isn’t pregnant.

If you are going to try this method, it’s best to give it a go first thing in the morning, but again, this shouldn’t be a substitute for a real test as the result may not be 100% reliable.

Water

While it may sound surprising, water can indeed affect a pregnancy test result in certain circumstances so you have to be careful when testing yourself.

The truth is, though, that the only conceivable way in which water could affect a test result is if you are reusing a home testing kit.

There’s a reason why pregancy tests are single use, and this is partly why.

Adding water to a pregnancy test that has already been used will tamper with the reading and can lead to a false positive, which is the last thing you want.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pregnancy Test Result

Pregnancy and its tests are broad topics; hence, it is understandable if this article leaves some questions racing through your mind. 

Below are some of the frequently asked questions about pregnancy test results. 

What can make a pregnancy test positive? 

The primary thing that can make your pregnancy test come out positive is if you are pregnant. Having blood or protein in your urine can also be responsible for positive pregnancy test results. 

Other factors include; anticonvulsants, tranquilizers, hypnotics, and certain fertility drugs. 

Can dish soap make a pregnancy test result positive?

No evidence supports the claim that dish soaps react with the enzymes on pregnancy test kits. Likewise, there are no claims that they respond with HCG. 

Does alcohol influence pregnancy test results? 

Alcohol, on its own, does not decrease or increase HCG concentration in urine or the body. Therefore, there is no expectation or evidence that alcohol will affect pregnancy test results. 

A Final Word From Wellness Nova 

Apple juice is one of the most common household beverages, and it can interact with the enzymes in pregnancy test kits to produce positive results. 

However, drinking or ingesting this beverage does not give a similar effect. Only direct exposure can provide a false-positive outcome. 

Nevertheless, other factors can influence pregnancy test results. It would be best to watch out for these factors to ensure that your test results are accurate. 

Taking a pregnancy test twice or thrice is also a great idea to double-check the outcome.