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Home pregnancy tests measure the presence of a telltale hormone in your urine called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). HCG is a hormone found only in pregnant women. It is produced by cells in the uterus and is responsible for signaling the ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone to help your fetus grow. Many home pregnancy tests claim to be 99 percent accurate on the day you miss your period. It most home pregnancy tests don’t consistently spot pregnancy this early, the tests are considered reliable when used according to package instructions one week after a missed period. The hormone is released in a pregnant woman’s urine.

There are two main types of pregnancy tests. Both are commonly used to detect pregnancy.

Home pregnancy tests are available at your local drugstore or pharmacy and at some large department stores. Blood pregnancy tests are performed by health care professionals in an office or a clinic. Home pregnancy tests are usually about 97% accurate, but this varies from brand to brand. The amount of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your body then increases rapidly over the next few weeks, doubling in amount about every two days. HCG can also be detected in your blood, around 10 days after you conceive, and your GP may advise you to have a blood test.Pregnancy blood tests are performed health clinic. They detect pregnancy by measuring hCG levels in your blood. The most sensitive test of pregnancy is best performed by a laboratory using a sample of your blood.

Blood tests performed at your clinic have a 99% accuracy rate and can detect pregnancy earlier than most urine tests. Blood tests can be performed 7 days after you ovulate and still provide accurate results. Some urine tests can be used on the first day that your period is due, however, it is unlikely that you will achieve that 97% accuracy rate if you test so early. The quantitative blood test detects pregnancy by measuring the exact amount of hCG in your bloodstream. It can also be used to detect how far along you are in your pregnancy. It does not measure your hCG levels, and only provides a yes or no answer as to whether or not you are pregnant. Home pregnancy tests only check hCG levels, not progesterone. They are completely different hormones.

The pregnancy tests available on the market today can range widely in their sensitivity in picking up the pregnancy hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (better known as hCG). This is why it is so important to know which tests are able to detect hCG sooner then others.

The hCG hormone is what the pregnancy test is sensitive to. By using a more sensitive pregnancy test, this allows you to detect earlier if your attempts to conceive were sucessful and to recieve proper medical care through your health care professional.

Unfortunately, there is a down side to extra sensitive pregnancy tests as about 25% of all pregnancies sadly end in miscarriage and many of these being very early pregnancies. If you were to use a very sensitive pregnancy test, which is where you would test the day your period is due, you could catch an early pregnancy but end up going on to have your period anyway due to a very early miscarriage.

The hCG hormone is measured in milli-international units per milliliter ,(mIU). Pregnancy tests that are 25 mIU are generally more sensitive to picking up the pregnancy hormone compared to a test that is 50 mIU. You must use caution in making too much of hCG numbers because sometimes a normal pregnancy will have low hCG levels and result in a perfectly healthy baby. However, a low hCG level can also mean any number of things and should be rechecked within 48-72 hours to see how the level is changing.

hCG levels can be detected about 12-14 days after conception by a urine test. Also please remember that hCG levels can vary dramatically from one pregnancy to another.

If you suspect you maybe pregnant and you do have a positive pregnancy test or you see a second line and are unsure of the results make an appointment with your doctor.

 

When you feel the first symptoms of pregnancy, you naturally head to the drug store to find a good pregnancy test. Have you ever wondered how they work?

Over-the-counter pregnancy tests look for the presence of the “pregnancy hormone” in your urine. The test you receive later in your doctor’s office looks for the same hormone in your blood. The hormone is called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG for short. This hormone begins to build up just a few days after the fertilized egg is implanted in your uterine wall. The hCG will cause your placenta to produce progesterone after the implantation of the embryo, which is necessary to prevent the embryo’s rejection.

Because it takes time for the hormone to build up to detectable levels, most over-the-counter pregnancy tests work best when taken a few days or a week after your missed period. Some brands claim to be accurate sooner, but all women ovulate at different times of their cycles, so this may or may not be true for you.

The most accurate test is done in your doctor’s office. A blood test can detect much lower levels of the pregnancy hormone than urine tests. If you get a negative reading from your drug store pregnancy test, but you still “feel” pregnant, you’ll want to make an appointment with your doctor. Planned Parenthood offices also offer pregnancy tests and exams.

About 25 days after an egg is fertilized the fetus can be seen by transvaginal sonography.

What causes false negative test results?

A false positive result may occur if you take your test too early. The pregnancy hormone hCG does not begin to build up in your system until after the fertilized egg has attached to the uterine wall. This usually occurs within 14 days of fertilization, so a blood test is almost always accurate if it’s done after your next period was supposed to start. Some over-the-counter tests need higher levels of the hormone to be accurate, and so they say you’re not pregnant, even though you are. You can take another test a few days later to be sure.

Can you get a false positive result?

Yes, your test may say you’re pregnant even though you’re not. The most common cause is waiting too long to read the results of the test – the urine will evaporate from the test strip, and the color will change to show a positive result. If you get a positive result but you waited longer than suggested by the test’s instructions, you’ll want to take the test over.

If you’re taking fertility hormones, a home pregnancy test may show a false positive result. Ask your doctor if your injections include the hormone hCG. If so, the hormone will show up on the test, and the reading will be inaccurate.

In very rare instances, a false positive reading is caused by certain unusual forms of cancer.

What about the rabbit?

In your grandmother’s day, there were no over-the-counter pregnancy tests. The doctor would take a urine sample, and inject the urine into a female rabbit. If the rabbit was injected with humane urine that contained the pregnancy hormone, the rabbit’s ovaries would change. It usually took several days for the changes to take place, and the rabbit had to die before the lab technicians could look at her ovaries.

Fortunately, rabbits are no longer necessary for pregnancy tests.

Trying to find out if you are pregnant can be a nerve wracking experience, filled with anticipation and the unknown, doubly so if you’re not even sure you can trust the results of a your home pregnancy kit.

Knowing when and how to use home tests can help you get the best chance of an accurate reading, but of course to be 100% sure you should always speak to a medical professional.

When should I use a home testing kit?

Some pregnancy kits claim to be able to accurately determine if you are pregnant from as early as a single day after a missed period but in truth they are only really accurate several days to a week after a missed period. At the start of a pregnancy many women develop pregnancy hormones at different times, and a negative result shortly after you have missed a period does not necessarily mean that you are not pregnant.

Are there any differences between home kits?

Most home pregnancy testing kits are very similar, some are more sensitive than others but generally they all work on the same principle. You either immerse the tip of the tester in your urine stream, or container of collected urine for a certain amount of time, and then there will be some kind of visible change, either a plus/minus sign, change of color or reveal the words positive/negative etc.

Some kits are easier to use than others, if you are not sure you can always try another brand, many women like to do at least 2 tests from two different kits to be on the safe side. Make sure you follow the instructions that came with your kit carefully.

How do home testing kits detect if I am pregnant?

When a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of your uterus your body will begin to produce a specific hormone called “human chorionic gonadotropin” (HCG), the levels of this hormone increase very quickly during the first two weeks of pregnancy and home testing kits work by detecting HCG in your urine.

Home testing kits can reliably detect this after several days to a week depending on their sensitivity. More accurate blood tests can be performed by your doctor which can detect HCG earlier than one week.

How accurate are the results of home kits?

Most home testing kits claim 99% accuracy or better on the first day of a missed period, research and testing suggests that a lot of kits cannot always detect pregnancy this early, but when used one week after a missed period they are very accurate as long as you follow the instructions properly. If you do need to know sooner then you should arrange an appointment with your doctor.

Are false readings common?

False positives are very rare, they can occur if you have traces of protein or blood in your urine. Some prescription drugs can cause false positives so check with your doctor to be sure if you are taking medicines. Using out of date or damaged kits can also give unreliable results.

It is more common to get a false negative, especially if you take the the test very soon after a missed period, or do not follow the instructions and timings properly. False negatives can also occur if you have very diluted urine, the best time to take a test is first thing in the morning.

What to do if my home testing kit says I am pregnant?

If your home pregnancy test shows a positive result then you should book an appointment with your doctor to confirm the results. The sooner it is confirmed the sooner you can begin preparing and start prenatal care.

 

An early pregnancy test can be conducted in two ways: at home through a home testing kit or at the doctor’s. When you go to the doctor, you may request for a blood or urine test. Both these tests are identical in that they look for traces of the pregnancy hormone. This hormone is unique because it is produced in the body only when the woman becomes pregnant.

Blood tests performed at the healthcare center are of two types. The qualitative hCG test is very much like a urine test, and it can simply give you a confirmation of pregnancy. For greater accuracy, it is important to go for a quantitative blood test which measures the exact amount of hormone in the blood. This test, due to its very nature, can pick up even very small traces of the hormone and is therefore very accurate. Blood tests are performed by taking a tube of blood from the vein, which is sent to the laboratory for examination. The analysis may take anywhere from a few hours to a day max.

Blood tests are generally more accurate than urine tests, and they are also quicker in offering you confirmation of pregnancy because traces of hCG appear about a week earlier in the blood than in the urine. While blood tests can determine pregnancy about a week after ovulation, urine tests take 14-16 days to come out with an accurate result. However, these days there are more sensitive urine tests that can give you a confirmation as early as a week after ovulation.

Now-a-days, many women opt for home pregnancy tests, which also test for the presence of this hormone. In this case, a strip is held to a stream of urine for a prescribed amount of time, after which the strip may develop certain color differences or markings in case the test is positive. It is generally recommended that the first urine of the day be used for the test because this is more concentrated.

Home pregnancy test kits are available in pharmacies and you do not require a doctor’s prescription to buy one. On the positive side, these tests are convenient and they ensure that your privacy is protected. On the negative side, early results may be misleading and you need to wait longer or go for an alternative blood test to be completely sure of the results. Sometimes a false negative test may say that you are not pregnant even though you have conceived. Wrong test results from home pregnancy test kits may have various reasons, including human error. In fact, they leave large room for errors caused by human carelessness. If the strip is not dipped properly or if you have not followed instructions properly, you run the risk of getting a false test result.

So it is advisable to take any negative results from a home pregnancy test with a pinch of salt. To be doubly sure, take the test again after a few days when the amount of hormone in your blood has increased, or better still, opt for a blood test.

Most of the women who think they are pregnant, but are not sure, use home pregnancy tests. But how many of them know how these tests work and if the result is true or not? Well, first of all a woman should know when the test must be taken and which are the best home pregnancy tests.

So, the first think to know is that these tests detect the pregnancy by measuring the presence of a hormone in the urine. The hormone is called chorionic gonadotropin, and is a telltale hormone. But how can this hormone tell you if you are pregnant or not? Well, this hormone is produced by the placenta. When the egg is fertilized and finds it’ s place in the uterus, this hormone is released into the bloodstream.

This usually happens about six days after the egg has been fertilized. From that point the amount of this hormone in the body is doubled every two days. So in about fifteen days after the fertilization took place, the home pregnancy test should be able to indicate if your are pregnant or not. But it all depends on the test. It is said that most of them are not sensitive enough to detect a pregnancy even at that stage. For better and certain results

it is indicated you should take the test a week after your the day that you were expecting your period.

It was believed that home pregnancy test were very accurate, almost 100 percent, even taken the day when a woman misses her period. Later studies have shown that this belief was misleading. The amount of the telltale hormone in the urine can differ from a woman to another very much. It can be different in any given days after the implantation had taken place. Studies have been made on different groups of women, and reaschers discovered that the home pregnancy tests are not sensitive enough to detect a pregnancy

in the first day that the woman missed her period. It worked for almost 15 % of the tested woman. But the the same home pregnancy tests showed to be very precise when taken seven days after the menstrual period was expected.

Of course when reading this, one would wonder why these tests claim to be so accurate, if they are not? Well the fact is that the ninetynine percent accuracy that this tests pretend to be is because the sensibility of the tests can detect a pregnancy, but not in it’s first days or in the first day of the missed period. The home pregnancy tests can determine a pregnancy, but it matters when this test is taken. To find out how to choose a pregnancy test and use it, be sure to read part two.

For more inforamtion about pregnancy calculator please visit pregnancy test or http://www.pregnancy-1st-guide.com/

The first place a woman will go if they suspect they are pregnant is a home pregnancy test to get a confirmation. Before making an appointment with the doctor this is a much more private and convenient way to obtain results. Almost all home pregnancy tests work on the same principle even though they come in a variety of packages and price ranges.

Human chorionic gonadotropin or more commonly known as HCG is the key to the home pregnancy test. At the time that an embryo implants into the uterine wall HCG will make an appearance. Anywhere from six to twelve days after ovulation takes place this process occurs. HCG levels will multiply in a woman’s body at a rapid rate during the first few days and weeks of pregnancy. It is easier for the home pregnancy test to detect the hormone in a woman’s urine when it is at higher levels in a woman’s system Pregnancy Diary.

It is usually recommended that a woman waits to take a home pregnancy test until the time that her menstrual period would normally be due since the time frame involved before HCG becomes easy to read. This is the best way to ensure the most accurate reading of the home pregnancy test.

Some home pregnancy tests can be performed earlier because they are developed to be even more sensitive to detecting HCG. As early as seven days after ovulation some tests will advertise a detection of HCG. The earlier in the pregnancy that the test is performed you should keep in mind that the results are less accurate.

How to Use a Home Pregnancy Test

Manufacturers will recommend following the package instructions very carefully in order to ensure the most effective testing process. Some tests will work best if the stick is held under the urine stream while other advise a woman to get better results by hold the stick in a cup of urine for a few minutes.

Since HCG levels are higher in the morning, many tests advise women to perform the tests first thing in the morning. As quickly as two minutes after the test is done a woman using a home pregnancy test can have results. The user will know the test has been completed properly by a test window on most sticks.

A woman should confirm the results with her doctor once a positive result is read on a home pregnancy test. This no only allows a woman to ensure the accuracy, but a woman is also able to start prenatal care as soon as possible Free Pregnancy Test

If you suspect that you may be pregnant and you are taking a contraceptive pill like Mircette, it is wise to stop taking your pills until you have at least carried out a home pregnancy test – this will ensure that there are no risks to the fetus. You may be wondering though, if a home pregnancy kit works by measuring hormone levels- and you have been taking synthetic hormones in your Mircette contraceptive pill – “Will I get an accurate result from my DIY test?

Pregnancy tests do not measure estrogen and progestin, the two hormones in combined oral contraceptive pills so even if you get pregnant while taking an oral contraceptive, you can rely on the result of the test being accurate. Taking Mircette will NOT interfere with your pregnancy test result.This is true whether you are still taking Mircette or have recently stopped taking it because of your suspicion that you may be pregnant.

Mircette is an extremely effective oral contraceptive pill so it is highly unlikely that you will become pregnant while taking it, unless you have missed several days of taking your pill. If you have stopped taking Mircette or any other brand of oral contraceptive pill, now is the time to decide if you wish to become pregnant now or sometime in the near future. If you do not wish to get pregnant at this point in your life, you should resume taking the pills and use back up contraception for a week.

But don’t estrogen levels rise when you are pregnant and oral contraceptives, like Mircette, contain estrogen?

Yes, when you are pregnant estrogen levels are higher but this is NOT the hormone that is measured by a pregnancy test kit. All pregnancy test kits measure beta HCG (a placental hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin).  A urine or a blood sample can be used to measure beta HCG.   

Most home urine pregnancy tests will turn positive  10 – 16 days after conception occurs. If you were not taking oral contraceptives, this would be around the time of your first missed period. When you are on oral contraceptives, ovulation could have occurred at a more irregular time so that if the pregnancy test is negative, you are either not pregnant OR you are less than 14 days pregnant from the date you ovulated.

If you were to become pregnant while taking oral contraceptives, a normal ‘withdrawal bleed’ would not occur.

Source:  Dr. Rick Jelovsek MD.

Expectant and non-expectant moms get very anxious – usually either caused by too much excitement or paranoia – once they start to experience some of the early pregnancy signs. And so they would rush in taking home pregnancy tests to get a confirmation. But is an early pregnancy test really accurate?

First, let’s talk about the accuracy level of home pregnancy tests (HPTs). HPTs measure the presence of pregnancy hormones also known as hCG in a woman’s urine. HCG is a hormone which is secreted by the placenta after fertilization has occurred. Most  home pregnancy kit manufacturers and doctors recommend that you wait until the first day of your missed period before taking an HPT. However, there are a few pregnancy tests which were especially designed to be more sensitive and can help you detect pregnancy even during its early stage.

The EPT pregnancy test, for instance, is said to be an error-proof kit. They come in two types – the Certainty Digital Home Pregnancy Test and the EPT +/- Home Pregnancy Test Kit. The Certainty EPT pregnancy test is said to offer unmistakable results. It uses a digital readout. It is very simple and easy to use. Unlike other HPTs, the Certainty kit can be taken on any time of the day and is guaranteed to offer 99% accuracy when taken on the first day of your missed period.

To use the EPT pregnancy test, you need to do a four-step easy process. First, remove the cap. Insert your test strip into the holder. Second, place the absorbent tip under your urine stream or in a cup filled with  fresh urine for about five to seven seconds. Wait for three minutes until your digital results are displayed.

The other type of EPT pregnancy kit is the EPT +/- HPT. To conduct a test, all you need to do is remove the cap. Second, place the absorbent tip in a cup of urine for about five to seven seconds then wait for two minutes until the results are displayed. This form of EPT test  is also said to be 99% accurate and should be taken on the first day of your missed period.

If your EPT pregnancy test indicates that you are pregnant, be sure to see your physician as soon as you can. As mentioned, EPTs offer accurate pregnancy test so a “positive” is more likely to remain positive while a negative is more likely to remain negative as well. Most doctors still run another pregnancy test using your blood as specimen, to get a second confirmation. This is because, despite the effectiveness of the pregnancy kits that you use, other factors such as medication and fertility treatments can lead to false HPT results. Seeing your doctor is also important in order to get the proper prenatal care that your body and baby needs. Your doctor can give you advice as to what to do, which vitamins to take, what food to eat, etc.

So if you’re planning on taking a home pregnancy test at home – whether through the use of typical home pregnancy kits or through EPT kits – a visit to your doctor will always be the most accurate pregnancy test. Always check with your doctor to receive the most accurate results.

Pregnancy would give you that bloated feeling, the sore and tender breasts, touch of nausea. Most of all, the absence of monthly periods would speak it up. In this case, pregnancy is the foremost thing coming to one’s mind. Quite many methods would determine if the baby would appear in a few months time. One could always take a pregnancy test online, a home test or take an appointment with a doctor. Despite of various results from home and online tests; if positive, an appointment with your physician would confirm the results to get you started on healthy pregnancy.

Every woman who has children or have a suspicion that they are pregnant, perhaps use the home pregnancy test. Quite many jokes have been made about regarding peeing upon sticks at baby showers. Home tests are done by placing sticks in the urine stream or in containers holding urine. After minutes, results are visible on the test screens. Appearance of the line suggests positive pregnancy result. When there is no line, the possibility of pregnancy is very low. Such tests work by detecting the lack or presence of HCG, which is one common hormone mainly found in pregnancy.

Various websites give and show methods for pregnancy-curious women to find if they are pregnant and the possibilities of being pregnant. Apparently, with no physical proofs to carry on with, no online test for pregnancy would be fool-proof. Every online pregnancy test would start with questions like the last period date, physical changes or appearance of any symptoms. The software would then check the possibility of being pregnant. These tests are designed for instructing the user if they really need to take a home test or contact their doctor. A web search would yield large number of tests online with options to choose from.

An up-to-date and an accurate test is that which is physically performed by a doctor. They would do an examination similar to a home test with an addition to having a pelvis exam done. Few internal signals such as changes in cervix would assist the medical professionals about existence of pregnancy. It also becomes good time to get medical advice related to nutrition and care towards healthy pregnancy. Often, many women are aware of their pregnancy and a doctor’s visit is merely for confirmation.

It would really not make a difference on what pregnancy test you choose. However ensure to take good medical care and gain better knowledge about your pregnant condition so that your bundle of joy comes in safe and sound.