How to Fake a Pregnancy Test: Can You Create a False Positive Result?

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Plus, learn the potential risks of faking a pregnancy test

Co-authored by Moshe Ratson, MFT, PCC and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: August 28, 2025 Fact Checked

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What Works

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What Doesn't Work

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When to Fake It

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When Not to Fake It

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Risks

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Final Thoughts

It's easy to fake a pregnancy test for a scene in a movie or a television show. While you can't use lemon juice, Coca-Cola, soap, or heat, like some internet sources claim, you can still buy a fake test, fake a positive display result, or use other ethical methods. In this article, we'll explain what works and what doesn't when faking a pregnancy test, plus when it's appropriate to fake a test (and when it's not). We'll also cover the potential risks of faking a pregnancy test, so you know what you're getting into if you're considering playing a prank.

Best Ways to Fake a Pregnancy Test

To fake a pregnancy test for a movie or a TV show, buy a joke pregnancy test and run it under water to get a positive result. You can also disassemble a real pregnancy test and mark 2 "positive" lines on the test strip. Another option is to print the word "Pregnant" on a clear label and stick it to the test display.

Section 1 of 6:

Faking a Pregnancy Test: What Works

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The easiest way to fake a positive pregnancy test result is simply to buy a fake pregnancy test. Also called pranks or gags, these "tests" are designed to look like the real products sold by popular brands like ClearBlue or Clear Response. Even the box they come in looks like the real packaging! Just open up a test, put the dipstick under running water, and you'll get a positive result every time.
Pry apart the plastic cover on a real pregnancy test to expose the test strip inside. Using a fine felt-tip marker in blue or red ink (depending on whether you have a blue or red test), mark 2 straight lines down the test strip so you can see them through the indicator window. Then reassemble the plastic cover. Keep the top of the test hidden until you're ready to show it to the audience.

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Print a "Pregnant" label and stick it on the pregnancy test display. Purchase a label maker and a cartridge of clear, sticky labels (you can also print transparent sticker labels from your computer if you have a printer). Print a label that says, "Pregnant" in small, black font. Cut the sticker to fit the display window on the pregnancy test with scissors, then stick the label on the display.
- This method probably won't fool anyone in real life, but it will look realistic enough for a brief camera shot.
- Do you feel like you've seen this method before? That's because it was used multiple times in Grey's Anatomy!
An ovulation test looks so similar to a pregnancy test that it's hard to tell the difference on camera. The key is to use the test when you think you might be ovulating, so you can get a positive result. Women only ovulate once every menstrual cycle (or every 28 days for most), so this method may not be the best option if you're doing something time-sensitive, like a film shoot.^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source

Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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Ask for a urine sample from a pregnant woman. If all else fails, ask someone you know who's pregnant for a sample of her urine. Pregnancy tests measure the amount of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, in a woman's urine to tell if she's pregnant or not. Pregnant women have high concentrations of hCG in their urine, so if you can get some, the test is almost guaranteed to show up positive.^{[2]
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Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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- Explain to the pregnant woman why you need a sample of her urine and what you plan to do with it. If she agrees, give her a small plastic container with a lid to put it in. When she gives it back, only handle it while wearing gloves.
- To take the test, remove the cap from the pregnancy test, dip the tip of the test strip in the urine sample. Leave it there until the double line appears or the digital "Pregnant" indicator turns on.
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Section 2 of 6:

Faking a Pregnancy Test: What Doesn't Work

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Some people claim that the high acidity levels in lemon juice or Coca-Cola can break down the proteins in the test strip that detect hCG. But this is a myth. When a pregnancy test strip is soaked in urine, the hCG (if present) travels up the stick and binds with the antibodies to produce a positive result.^{[3]
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Research source} If the antibodies have been broken down with an acid, the test definitely won't come back positive.
Other sources on the internet say that if you add a little bit of soap to your urine when you take a sample, it will register as a positive result. But there's no scientific evidence that this method is reliable.
There is some evidence to suggest that extreme heat can make pregnancy tests less reliable. However, if you did manage to expose a pregnancy test to heat and then use it afterward, you still wouldn't get a positive result unless you were actually pregnant. The test might still malfunction, but it would yield a false negative result, not a false positive.^{[4]
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Research source}

Section 3 of 6:

When to Fake a Pregnancy Test

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In a movie or a TV show, showing that a female character is pregnant by filming a positive result on a pregnancy test is a creative way to reveal a dramatic plot twist. This technique has already been used with great effect in shows like Grey's Anatomy and in this clip from the movie Juno (2007).

Section 4 of 6:

When Not to Fake a Pregnancy Test

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Some people like to prank their family members and friends with fake pregnancy tests to get a laugh. After they show them the test result, they wait until they have a dramatic reaction before revealing that the test is a prank. While it may seem funny to the person playing the joke, the victim will probably feel hurt, sad, or even angry after they learn the truth. Pregnancy is also a sensitive topic for many people, so treat it—and your loved ones—respectfully.
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Avoid faking a pregnancy test to get a man to stay with you. If the man you want to stay with you would prefer not to be in a relationship with you, it's unethical to use trickery to get him to stay. It's also pointless because if he did stay with you, it would probably only be for the sake of the baby. If you've reached a point where you're thinking about doing this, it’s probably a better idea to let this man go and focus on working on yourself, instead.
- Lying about something this important is also a poor way to build a healthy relationship. If the only way you can get someone to stay romantically involved with you is to pretend you're pregnant with his child, ask yourself if that's really the kind of partnership you want to cultivate.
When they’re pregnant, women tend to receive money and gifts from friends and family who want to help them prepare for the new baby. All 50 states in the United States also offer free health coverage and pre-natal care to expecting mothers through Medicaid.^{[5]
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Research source} To some people, faking a pregnancy test may seem like a good way to get access to these rewards, but the consequences of getting found out could be dire. You might even get jail time for it, as we discuss under Risks of Faking a Pregnancy Test below.

Section 5 of 6:

Risks of Faking a Pregnancy Test as a Prank

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Even if you manage to successfully fake a pregnancy test for a prank or to deceive someone, it won't end well. The people you tell will find out eventually that you lied to them. You can try faking a baby belly and pregnancy symptoms for a while, but you can't fake delivering a baby or raising a child.
When you reveal that you faked your pregnancy test, think about how the people you told will react. It's unlikely that they'll laugh about it. On the contrary, they'll probably feel hurt, sad, and bewildered. Some, like your partner, may be angry.
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Doctors won't be fooled by a fake pregnancy test. If you fake a pregnancy test, your partner or whoever you're saying is the baby's father may want to go with you to the doctor. Seeing a doctor or an obstetrician is the most common first step toward confirming a pregnancy and starting prenatal care. The physician will soon discover that you're not actually pregnant using 1 of 3 methods:^{[6]
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Trustworthy Source

Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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- Urine test
- Blood test
- Ultrasound
When you prank someone with a fake pregnancy, you never know if it will trigger a past trauma or burden they carry. Sadly, an estimated 10-20% of women in the United States who know they're pregnant miscarry and lose their babies.^{[7]
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Trustworthy Source

March of Dimes
Nonprofit organization devoted to improving the lives of mothers and babies.

Go to source} There's a high likelihood that simply by pulling a fake pregnancy test prank, you'll be causing real harm to someone else.

EXPERT TIP

Moshe Ratson, MFT, PCC
Professional Therapist
Moshe Ratson is the Executive Director of spiral2grow Marriage & Family Therapy, a coaching and therapy clinic in New York City. Moshe is an International Coach Federation accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC). He received his MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Iona College. Moshe is a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Moshe Ratson, MFT, PCC
Professional Therapist

Miscarriage is a tremendous loss. Many people don't understand that because a miscarriage happens before the child is born. But to the parents, it's devastating.
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Faking a pregnancy test could land you in jail. Faking a pregnancy isn't illegal by itself, but it can lead to jail time or fines, depending on what you fake the pregnancy for. If you fake it for a role in a movie or TV show or as a little prank, you're legally in the clear. But if you fake it to defraud or extort (i.e., blackmail) someone or an organization for money, prison is a serious possibility.
- For example, a woman in Waukesha, Wisconsin was charged with identity theft for financial gain and forgery. She faked a pregnancy and claimed she gave birth to a stillborn daughter, for whom she forged a fake death certificate and signed it with an OB/GYN's name. ^{[8]
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- The identity theft accusation was dropped for a lack of probable cause, and the forgery charge was dropped as part of her plea agreement. She did plead guilty to bail jumping and was sentenced to 3 years of probation, 100 hours of community service, and 120 days in jail.

Section 6 of 6:

Final Thoughts

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They should never be part of a prank you play on someone or used as leverage to get a man to stay in a relationship. Myths that lemon juice, Coca-Cola, or soap will yield a positive result are just that—myths. However, you can get the appearance of a positive result by buying a joke test, marking the test strip, printing a "Pregnant" label for the display, or using a pregnant friend's urine (with their permission).