What is a pregnancy test?

What is a pregnancy test?
A pregnancy test measures the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in your urine. This hormone is produced by the placenta from the cells that form the placenta, excreted in the moment in which the fertilized egg implants in the uterus (about six days after fertilization). In the first days after implantation increases these hormones in your body. Pregnancy tests should be able from the first day of a missed period HCG in urine. The HCG levels are between 60 and 90 Day of pregnancy is highest.

Do you have the first test fails, then it may be because the HCG level has not yet reached the value that can be detected in a urine test. Wait a few days and repeat the test.

Not all pregnancy tests are the same. Some measure more accurately - and are also more expensive - because they can prove a pregnancy even at a very low HCG level. The HCG concentration is measured in milli-international units (mIU) or amounts of 1/1000th in IU per milliliter. A test with an accuracy of 20 IU / l is more reliable than one with 50 IU / l. This information should be available on any pregnancy test box.

How to use a pregnancy test?
You can take the test on the first day of the missed period at any time of day. Avoid excessive fluid intake before the test, as this may dilute the pregnancy hormone in urine. Non-prescription drugs such as for example Paracetamol should not affect the result, but fertility drugs containing hCG, sure.

First read the accompanying instructions carefully, because the handling is different for different tests. For some it is necessary to collect urine in a vessel and then give using a pipette, a small amount in the test vessel. In others, you urinate directly onto a test strip. In principle, however all the tests work the same way - they measure the amount of HCG in your body. The difference is the presentation of the results (positive or negative): On some lines appear in pink or blue on the test strip, while others view it in a window, a red plus or minus sign or change the color of the urine sample.

How long does it take until you can see results?
The result can be read after about five minutes - that can be the longest five minutes you have ever experienced! If you take the test in the bathroom, then wait in another room and find a job.

Are pregnancy tests accurate?
If you follow the instructions and urine pregnancy tests on the basis of 97 per cent accurate. But mistakes happen after all and that is why children are born, their mothers had two negative pregnancy tests. There are several reasons why a pregnancy test can be negative, you are not pregnant or your body secretes too little HCG. If you take the test too early (before the first day of the missed period), then you get a false negative result because it has not yet made enough HCG. The test result is negative but you still suspect to be pregnant, wait a few days, read the manual carefully and try again. False positive results - the test shows that you are pregnant, but you are not - are very rare.

If you have an irregular menstrual cycle, then it is of course difficult to predict the next period. Wait as long as the longest cycle lasted in recent months. If you have recently discontinued the pill, then your natural cycle may have not yet set and test either too early or too late. If the test is negative in one of these situations, then try again after three days.

A tip: Run the test with the morning urine, because that is very concentrated.

Where to buy a pregnancy test?
Pregnancy test, you get without a prescription at any pharmacy.

How do the-counter pregnancy tests which the doctor?
Many hospitals use the-counter pregnancy tests. Occasionally, blood tests are carried out, but they do not differ materially from those feasible at home pregnancy tests. Both measure the HCG levels in your body. A blood test is more accurate than a urine test, ie they can show only six to eight days after ovulation a pregnancy.

A positive pregnancy test, even if it is made very early, is unfortunately not the same as a healthy pregnancy! Therefore, you should go after the test result to the gynecologist. Only he / she can tell you if a healthy embryo - or more! - Was developed.