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Pregnancy Test Kits
If you suspect you may be pregnant, the easiest way to confirm this suspicion is with an in-home pregnancy test kit. These pregnancy test kits can be bought at practically any drug store, and are fairly inexpensive and easy to use.
Accuracy
Although false positives and negatives do sometimes occur with in-home pregnancy test kits, they are generally very accurate. Most major pregnancy test brands boast that their products provide an accurate determination of pregnancy 99% of the time if used the day of your first missed period.
Although some pregnancy tests can be used up to six days before you miss your period, readings are more accurate on the first day of your expected cycle, and even more accurate a week or two later. This is because the hormone that these test measure, human chorionic gondotropin, or hCG, builds up rapidly in the first several weeks of pregnancy. That means that with each passing day that the woman is pregnant, hCG becomes more and more prevalent in the body and easier for a test to detect.
Only a little more than 50% of women who are pregnant will receive positive results five days before their period with early pregnancy tests. This percentage drastically increases as the number of days to the start of the woman’s period decreases. Women who take a pregnancy test in the days preceding their period and obtain a negative result are therefore encouraged to retake the test at the start of their cycle.
At-Home Test Kits VS Clinical Tests
At-home pregnancy test kits are as effective at determining pregnancy as a urine test you would take from your medical care provider. The blood tests your doctor can administer, however, are a good deal more detailed and sensitive and can determine pregnancy sooner than a typical urine test.
If you do get a positive result on a home pregnancy test, you should still see your doctor to confirm the result with a more accurate blood test. Your doctor will then also be able to give you information about prenatal care and the steps you must take to insure the healthy development of your baby.
Different Types of Test Kits
There are several different brands that make at home pregnancy test kits, most of which have different wait times and specific procedures for carrying out the test, so make sure that you read the directions for taking the test very carefully. Some will have you hold the test strip under your stream as you urinate, while others will have you urinate in a cup that you then dip the test strip into.
It is important that you also study the directions to understand how to read your test results, as studies have shown that up to 25% of women misread pregnancy tests. Some digital tests that have been released relatively recently actually display the words “pregnant” or “not pregnant” instead of having the typical line indicators in order to eliminate any possible confusion.
Whether the thought of being pregnant brings you joy or panic, you have to be sure of your suspicions before you can take any action preparing for the arrival of your little one, and at home pregnancy test kits are the easiest and most convenient way of obtaining this assurance. If you do receive a positive result on one of these at-home pregnancy tests, you should see your doctor as soon as possible so he or she can advise you on beginning prenatal care to insure your baby is born as healthy as possible.