Important Points to Know About Pregnancy Tests

When you are thinking of conceiving, pregnancy tests are the best tools to find out if you are actually pregnant. You can perform the pregnancy tests right at your home with the help of easily available pregnancy tests. Although, these pregnancy tests are preliminary, these have various advantages, such as ease of use, simplicity and good accuracy of results. However, in some cases it has also been found that these tests have reported false positive tests. This is why it is always advisable to consult a doctor and get a confirmed result. Working of the Pregnancy Tests

After the conception, the egg is implanted in the uterine cavity, secretion of a particular hormone HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) begins from the placenta. The HCG hormone then gets mixed with the urine. What home pregnancy tests do is to check the level of HCG hormone in the urine sample to decide whether the person is pregnant or not. The first morning urine contains the maximum quantity of HCG hormone and it is important if the first morning urine sample is used for performing the pregnancy tests. This is important because of the better possibility of the accurate results of the tests.

Performing the Home Pregnancy Tests

There are various pregnancy tests kits available in the market. In a typical pregnancy test kit, there are a couple of sections, the control section and the test section. The control section determines whether the test kit is properly working or not. In a correctly working kit, color bands or lines appear in the control section after few minutes of urine testing. The second section displays the result of the test itself. You will notice a color band or faint line or a plus sign in the test section if the test result is positive. You need to perform the test again within the forty eight hours if the faint line is too faint in appearance.

What is the right time to use the test?

This is a very important question since the time of performing the test carries immense importance. Ideally, the pregnancy tests should be performed about five days before the next menstrual cycle is to begin, or about seven to ten days after ovulation. Of course, there are no strict rules for when you should carry out the times; rather these are the rough estimated times as per the medical observations. To ensure that the tests give you the accurate results, they should be repeated a number of times.

You should also be careful in checking the validity or expiry of the pregnancy test kit to ensure the most suitable home pregnancy test kit. Also, all the written instructions need to be read and followed carefully to ensure the accurate results.

It also needs to be kept in mind that you are not on medication with the drugs containing HCG. There are no side effects of the home pregnancy tests and they are completely safe. However, it is generally advised that you should consult a doctor after the tests have given you the positive result.