So What Are Pregnancy Tests?

The Lowdown On Home Pregnancy Tests

Home pregnancy tests are easily the most common of the possible tests used by women to find out whether they’re pregnant or not. They’re easily accessible from pharmacies and even supermarkets today so it’s far easier to buy one on your way home from work than to arrange an appointment with the doctor. Many women also feel a little hesitant when taking a pregnancy test, whether through excitement or dread, and so don’t want to go to the doctor unless they know a little one is on the way.

So what are home pregnancy tests?

The concept of peeing on a stick may be a little disgusting when you think about it, but that’s basically what modern pregnancy tests are! Instructions vary from brand to brand, but you basically have to urinate onto the tip of a pregnancy test, replace the cap and then check back a couple of minutes later for the result. Some tests are now digital and so will tell you in writing whether you’re “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant”. Others feature the old blue line – if the test has a blue line in only one window then you aren’t pregnant but if you see a blue line in both windows then you can start celebrating.

The digital ones are now considered to be more accurate than the old style blue line sticks because of its ability to test urine for hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). When you become pregnant, the placenta produces hCG so it appears in your urine. Any urine pregnancy test reacts if hCG is in the urine, which is why the second blue line appears. However, the digital test analyses your urine and will react to lower levels than hCG than regular tests do.

This affects how soon you can use one to get the correct result.

If you are using a regular home pregnancy test then you are always advised to wait until at least a day after your period should have arrived. However, if you’re using a digital test then some may work up to three days before your period is due. The accuracy for individual tests at certain points of your menstruation cycle is usually written in black and white on the instruction leaflet, but you should always follow those instructions to the letter anyway if you want the test to work properly.

Home pregnancy tests are accurate around 97% of the time as long as they’re used correctly. You can get false positives if the test malfunctions or false negatives for the same reason or because it was taken too early. Most women take a second test if it does show positive, but false positives are much more rare than false negatives so the likelihood is if it tells you you’re pregnant then it’s right.