What To Expect From A Home Pregnancy Test
A home pregnancy test is a quick and efficient way of findingout if youre pregnant. They have a high accuracy rate (about97%) and are available from most drugstores. If you are unsurehow a pregnancy test works, read on!
How does a home test work?
When a woman is pregnant, she starts developing a hormone calledHCG. Basically, these tests measure the amount of this hormonein your urine. Home pregnancy tests vary in sensitivity sodepending on the one you have purchased, some may detectpregnancy earlier on than others. If you are unsure to this,read the instruction or back of packs and they should be able totell you how sensitive that particular home test is.
When to take a pregnancy test
There is no one answer as to when to take a pregnancy test.Again, this is dependent on the particular brand of pregnancytest you purchase. Some tests state they are able to detectpregnancy as early as six days after ovulation but the mostaccurate tests are those that detect pregnancy about 14 daysafter ovulation. For most women, this falls mid-way throughtheir ovulation cycle. Even if your menstrual cycle is veryregular, it is safest to wait at least a week after your periodwas last due before taking a pregnancy test. This ensures themost accuracy.
How accurate are home pregnancy tests?
Research suggests that pregnancy tests are about 97% accurate.Although false positives can occur, this is very rare. As
longas you follow the given instructions, these tests should giveyou a reliable result. Taking a test before your period is dueis not recommended. As aforementioned, for the most reliableresults, it is best to take a test after your last period isdue. Negative tests which later on turn out to be positive aregenerally not due to the product being faulty or unreliable, butrather, the test was probably taken too early. Of course themost accurate way to find out whether youre pregnant is to seea doctor.
Should I take a home pregnancy test?
If your period is late or if you are suffering from possiblemorning sickness and sore breasts, more than likely you arepregnant. Before taking the next big step in seeing a doctor,taking a home test is a great alternative. If your period islate, this means that you are already post-ovulation and this isthe best time to take a test.
Remember that whilst the pregnancy test is very reliable, it iscustomary to go see a doctor to confirm the results and to waitthe 3 month safety period before announcing the news.
About the author:
Article written by Sarah Mitchell of NamesToBe.com(http://www.namestobe.com). Here is another article readers maybe interested in:http://www.namestobe.com/getting-pregnant.html. View all ourarticles here: http://www.namestobe.com/baby-articles.html.Article free for reprint as long as this author bio is presentand all hyperlinks remain active.
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