How accurate are home pregnancy tests?
The home pregnancy test showed positive but you still are in doubt whether to rely on it or not. Well, the good news is that most of the times, this test is accurate. Home pregnancy tests measure the presence of hCG in your urine. hCG or hormone human chorionic gonadotropin is secreted when the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterus by your blood cells. This then goes to form the placenta in the later stages of pregnancy.
During the initial days of pregnancy, the hormonal levels keep soaring after the implantation process. Hence the level of hCG is also high around 60 to 90 days of pregnancy which the home pregnancy tests generally pick. In case you miss your period and you do this test immediately, the result will show negative as the hCG levels must not have reached the desired level. So it is better to wait for some days after you miss your period and do this test in order to get accurate result.
However, not all pregnancy tests are like this. Some are very sensitive and show positive the moment they detect a little high level of hCG. You can test your urine at any point of the day. However, accuracy is best when you test the first urine of the day which is early morning urine.
Avoid drinking too much of fluid before doing this test as your blood and urine will dilute, which will interfere with the levels of hCG and you may not get accurate results. It doesn’t really matter if you are consuming over-the-counter medicines for any kind of minor health issue. They do not interfere with the test in any way.
Before using the home pregnancy test, make sure you read the instructions and directions to use given behind the box. Usually the results are shown within a few minutes after you drop the urine sample on the strip. After dropping the urine sample on the strip, let it stay there untouched for few minutes. You can come back and see the result in a matter of few minutes. Do not try to rush the process in your haste to see the result.
If you follow the instructions correctly, home pregnancy tests are 97 per cent accurate. Most of the mistakes are due to human error. This is why most of the home pregnancy test kits come with two tests. However, please note that it may be difficult to calculate and test if your periods are irregular. Hence, it is important to make sure that you have a normal and regular menstrual cycle before planning for a baby so that testing is also easy for you.
Submitted by P T on May 4, 2010 at 12:25
