Taking Pregnancy test at home - Types, effectiveness & Procedure

There are several pregnancy tests including the urine and the blood pregnancy test. These two check for the presence of the pregnancy hormone hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine or the blood. A positive blood or urine pregnancy test means that you are pregnant.  Home pregnancy tests kit test for the hCG hormone in the Urine. 

 

When you can do a pregnancy test

You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.

Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period, from as early as 8 days after conception.

You can do a pregnancy test on a sample of urine collected at any time of the day. It doesn't have to be in the morning.

 

Are you pregnant?

If you think you are pregnant, you may want to test yourself at home with any home pregnancy test. Test kits can be bought at drug stores.

 

How do they work?

Home use kits measure a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. These tests are qualitative, and the results are either positive or negative for pregnancy.

 

Are Home Pregnancy Tests kits Accurate?

Home pregnancy tests are not as accurate as blood tests done by your doctors in hospitals or clinics. They also cannot determine if your pregnancy is developing as expected and the hCG hormone isn’t detected in urine until about 2 weeks after conception.

 

How do I use a home test kit?

With the home test kit, you place a drop of your urine on a prepared chemical strip. It usually takes 1 or 2 minutes for the strip to indicate the result.

If you prefer privacy, convenience, and quick results you can use the home test kits first even though the most sensitive test for pregnancy is best performed in a laboratory using a sample of your blood. These tests not only detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) but also can indicate the amount (quantitative tests) of the hormone, which doubles every 2-3 days during the first several weeks of pregnancy. These more sensitive tests can tell you approximately how long you have been pregnant and even detect specific problems with the pregnancy.

 

What are the types of Pregnancy Home Kit tests I can use?

  • Predict Pregnancy Kit
  • Universal Pregnancy Kit

 

Pregnancy test results

Home pregnancy tests are accurate as long as you follow the instructions correctly.

A positive test result is almost certainly correct. However, a negative test result is less reliable.

The result may not be reliable if you:

  • do not follow the instructions properly
  • take the test too early

Some medicines can also affect the results.

If you get a negative result and still think you're pregnant, wait a few days and try again. Speak to your doctor if you get a negative result after a second test but your period has not arrived.

References

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  1. EmedicineHealth. Home Pregnancy Tests. Accessed on 4th of October 2018.
  2. NHS UK . Doing a pregnancy test . Accessed on 31st of July 2021.
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