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Pregnancy Tests: Know the Types and Accuracy

Pregnancy Tests: Know the Types and Accuracy
April 11, 2024

Pregnancy tests are particularly important in the process of getting pregnant. It is the pregnancy test that will let you know whether you are pregnant or not. Different types and forms of pregnancy tests are carried out to ensure your pregnancy and there are some specific times to carry out pregnancy tests. Before you plan for pregnancy or take pregnancy tests, you should know in vivid detail about everything associated with these tests, such as why do you need them, when you need to take them and how to interpret the results, and so on.

What Is All About Pregnancy Tests?

A pregnancy test will essentially tell whether you are pregnant or not. If you have the general symptoms of early pregnancy, take a pregnancy test to confirm your pregnancy. If you take the test at least two days after missing your periods, you will get positive results in the pregnancy test one day after your first missed period. But all pregnancy tests do not deliver accurate results and in that case, whatever the result comes, you should positively consult with your health care expert to ensure pregnancy

How do Pregnancy Tests Work?

There is a unique chemical substance in the body known as the human chorionic gonadotropic (hCG) hormone. When you take a pregnancy test, the test measures the levels of hCG in your body because this substance develops in your body once you are pregnant.

Types Of Pregnancy Tests:

Several types of pregnancy tests will help you to ensure your pregnancy. Some such methods are as follows:

1. Home pregnancy tests

Home pregnancy test (HPT) is basically carried out by regularly available pregnancy test kits from medical stores. In this case, the first urine in the morning of the first day when you missed your period is collected for the test. Once you get pregnant, your body synthesizes a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone that gets available in your urine. If the home test kit detects the presence of this hormone in your urine, it then declares you as pregnant within almost ten minutes of taking the test. It is often recommended by both doctors and manufacturers to take home tests at least twice if in case the first time you took the test was not proper enough, on which the result largely depends. Though there are chances of getting wrong results in home pregnancy tests because of the possibilities of getting a false negative, if you conduct the test properly, you are likely to get correct results. If in case, you have some doubts regarding the results talk to your concerned doctor.

2. Clinical urine test

Since clinical urine tests are carried out in a doctor’s chamber or in a clinic, the doctor can clear out all the errors that might occur while conducting the test that is likely to affect the result. However, clinical urine tests are not more accurate than the home pregnancy test, but it is definitely costlier than that of HPT.

3. Blood test

Blood tests related to pregnancy detection are the tests that trace the presence of hCG hormone in your blood.

There are two types of pregnancy blood tests:

  • Qualitative hCG blood test: This type of blood test detects the presence of any hCG hormone in the body and clearly says whether you are pregnant or not. These tests can detect the presence of hCG in your blood faster than hoe tests or natural urine tests.
  • Quantitative hCG blood test: This test particularly measures the amount or quantity of hCG hormone in blood. Obstetricians often prescribe further tests such as ultrasound or this test based on the reports of this test that indicates higher or levels of hCG hormone in your body. But these tests are considered as the most accurate tests for predicting pregnancy because these tests can foretell the exact amount of hCG present in your body (even if they are small to smaller in quantities).

If the results are positive:

If your pregnancy was planned and if you find positive results after carrying out a test, it is advisable to go for a second test and consult your health care expert to ensure your pregnancy.

If you get positive result of your pregnancy test, you should definitely talk to your physician who might suggest the following:

  • ending your pregnancy through processes like abortion
  • to carry on with the pregnancy and end it into adoption
  • to seek help from health care clinic and centers that works on reproductive health and childcare

False positive

A false positive is a wrong result of pregnancy test that might occur due to a good number of reasons. Some such reasons are listed below:

  • early menopause
  • irregularity in your reproductive system
  • ectopic pregnancy
  • ovarian cysts (Polycystic Ovary)
  • chemical pregnancy

If there are false positives in your pregnancy tests, positively consult with your health care expert once you suspect the results of the pregnancy test.

If the results are negative

You should carry out your pregnancy tests a couple of times to ensure accuracy. Sometimes it might happen that you are pregnant but the test shows negative results. In that case repeat the test and seek advice from your doctor.

If you are planning for a pregnancy but the test results are showing negative, then it is advisable to consult an expert who will help you to have a proper guide regarding quick and easy pregnancy- including what steps to follow, what foods to have and what to avoid and you will also get to know how to calculate your ovulation period to know at which time you are mostly fertile and can have intercourse accordingly.

If you are getting negative results after trying for a pregnancy after multiple times, take fertility tests to know whether you or your partner or both are infertile or not and can thus choose options accordingly, for instance, artificial insemination.

If you find a negative test report after having unprotected test and if did not plan to get pregnant, try to go for a second test to conform the negativity.

False negative

A false negative can appear as an error in pregnancy test due to several reasons such as:

  • Due to the use of high dose of drug and medications like tranquilizers or anticonvulsants.
  • If the test is not conducted properly
  • If the test is conducted too early after missing the period.

About the result of the test:

If you try to test your pregnancy through a home test and it came up positive, take further tests to confirm the result and positively see a doctor to know whether you are pregnant or not. Do not take a pregnancy test right after missing a period to avoid errors in the pregnancy test results. Missing of period can occur due to some other reasons too. If you are pregnant, you will get other symptoms too other than missing a period and it is recommended to conduct the test after getting these symptoms to get accurate results. ‌

If in any case you find that your period is missing, do not consider it to be pregnancy. There are some other possible reasons too. Some of them are:

  • Stress
  • Breastfeeding
  • Starting of the process of menopause
  • Significant changes in the body weight, characterized by either huge weight loss or obesity
  • Sudden changes in your diet or work- out schedule
  • Certain drugs or medications

Once you notice that there are sudden changes in your menstrual cycles, for example, if you notice irregularity, talk to your concerned health care expert to discuss about the issue. Missing of periods does not always ensure pregnancy. There might be some hidden health issues behind this period irregularity that needs professional support.

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