I just heard yesterday, Lori hadn't had the pregnancy
confirmed by a doctor. Lori used one of those home
test kits and told one of her friends the results
were positive.
That "friend" was, according to the article I read, Sarah, sister of Mark Hacking. She may have also told somebody else. Who knows?
Did the report you read/heard specifically state that Lori had not seen a doctor for confirmation of her test result?
Home pregnancy tests can vary quite a bit in reliability, depending on which one is used and the characteristics of the user. From what I've heard, the lion's share of error occurs for false negatives, ie. the user is pregnant and the test says she isn't. That would not apply to Lori.