The pregnancy tests you can find on the market nowadays have an excellent accuracy of 99 percent that applies to almost every manufacturer. What you need to know for sure is when to take a pregnancy test and how to do that in order to maintain its accuracy. There are simple steps you should follow such as calculating the right timing and handling the test correctly in order to obtain the precise result you are looking for. Let us find out together when a pregnancy test should be taken as well as other useful particularities such as types of tests, how to manage one and how to interpret the result!
How does a pregnancy test work?
Regardless of which type of pregnancy test you resort to, the way they work is similar. What a pregnancy test does is to detect a certain hormone from your blood or urine. This hormone is produced by a woman’s body only after she gets pregnant. By getting pregnant we are referring to a complete conception process, when the newly conceived organism is already in the woman’s uterus because only then the synthesis of this hormone begins. Commonly called “the pregnancy hormone”, you might find itshortened as hCG which stands for human chorionic gonadotropin.
Types of pregnancy tests
The Urine Test:
The urine test is usually a woman’s first choice because it is advantageous, it can be found in any pharmacy, it is easy to use, it is inexpensive and it can be done at home, without the need of medical assistance. This type of pregnancy test can be done 2 to 3 weeks after the last time you had unprotected sex. It is important to wait long enough before taking this test because you might be pregnant but the level of the pregnancy hormone might not be high enough to be detected in your urine yet. It is recommended to wait until you are supposed to get your period and if it is delayed to proceed taking the urine test. Preferably, take this test in the morning because your urine is more concentrated at that time of the day, therefore it has a greater amount of hCG in it.
The Blood Test:
The blood test is able to detect a pregnancy earlier than a urine test can. Only after 7 to 10 days since the last unprotected sexual contact it can detect a pregnancy if that is the case. Its accuracy is of 100 percent but it must be done in a specialized medical unit and it is usually followed by a gynecological examination. The blood test is also based on detecting the presence of the pregnancyhormone, but this time not from the urine, but from where it spreads first: the blood.
How to use a pregnancy test
There are different types of urine tests on the market: for some of them you will need to pee in a container like a plastic glass and then insert the end of a stick inside it, others require you to pour a few drops of urine on the stick’s surface. After doing so, you must wait for the test’s result. Generally the waiting time varies from 5 to 10 minutes but you can find exact instructions in the test’s box. Depending on the test, the presence of 2 lines signifies that you are pregnant or the presence of the plus sign, respectively, just one line or the minus sign in case of non-gravidity. The results are valid after the standard waiting time. If, for example, after a few hours you see another line appeared, although the tests’ result was negative, you must disregard that, as it does not reflect the truth anymore.
Extra cautions
When you buy a pregnancy test make sure that its packaging is intact, the product is not expired and then read the instructions carefully. It is up to you how accurate the result will be. However, for best results, it is recommended to take another test after a couple of days. If both turn out to be negative, there is 99 percent chance for that to be true.
Credit : Articlealley
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