How soon can I do a pregnancy test ?
Great news, there are now lots of home pregnancy tests that can be used before your period is due.
Most home pregnancy tests are designed to give a positive result in most women by the day that your period is due. Now we also have lots of home pregnancy test kits available that can be used before your period is due.
Home pregnancy tests work by measuring the concentration of a pregnancy hormone Human Chorionic Gonadatrophin (hcg for short) in a urine sample.
The lower the amount of this hormone that the pregnancy test can detect , the earlier the pregnancy test can be used.
Home pregnancy tests vary in their sensitivity. Many pregnancy tests detect 25mIU of hcg in urine. In recent years manufacturers have been producing pregnancy test kits that detect even lower levels of hcg in urine.
The 10mIU pregnancy test kit is one of the most sensitive pregnancy tests available as it can detect just 10mIU of hcg in a urine sample, which means it can detect pregnancy earlier than a standard 25mIU test.
Pregnancy tests come in a range of sensitivities, as a general rule, the lower the sensitivity, the earlier the test will give a positive result. The most sensitive home pregnancy tests available is the ultra 10 mIU test.
We know lots of people wish to test early, and for some, with irregular or erratic cycles, knowing when to test can be challenging.
In this situation, the earliest time at which hCG is possibly detectable is 8 -10 days after conception. This is dependent on early implantation and placental development to a level able to cause urinary concentrations of hCG in excess of the sensitivity of the pregnancy tests used.
If you do decide to test early, always use your first morning sample, use an ultra sensitive pregnancy test, and be prepared to re-test at 48 hr intervals, and if you do get very early positive results, always confirm these a few days later (as sadly some very early implantations do not continue )
Click here to see ultra early home pregnancy tests
|
My pregnancy test shows a faint line-what does this mean ?This is a common question
Here are some possible explanations:
You did the pregnancy test and it was negative.
You then left the test in the toilet and next time you went to the toilet you noticed a very faint line had developed. What does this mean?
First thing to say is that in my experience it is best not to read anything into this if it was outside the time period during which you can read the pregnancy test. It will tell you the time in the instructions of the test. It varies slightly from test to test but most tests should not be read after 10 minutes, even less for some.
If you get a positive result within the set time that is fine-it will stay positive.
However a faint line apperaing after the test time should be ignored, and the pregnancy test repeated after 48 hours with a first morning urine sample.
You did not do the test on a first morning urine sample or the urine is very dilute
A faint positive test result within the allocated time set out in the pregnancy tests instructions may mean that the concentration of pregnancy hormone in the urine sample is fairly low (hence the faint line) Retest in 48 hours using your first morning urine sample as this is much more concentrated generally.
The pregnancy hormone doubles about every 48 hours in a early pregnancy so will be present in a higher concentration after a further 48 hours, and so should give a stronger line on your pregnancy test.
This is not an exact science as everyones urine concentration varies and the rate at which the hcg (pregnancy hormone) is produced can vary from person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy depending on lots of factors. You could also try using a more sensitive pregnancy test as they detect lower levels of hcg and hence may give a darker line.
It is very early in the pregnancy and the hcg levels are still very low
It may simply be that you are testing very early. We all like to see a strong dark line on the pregnancy test. It is somehow more comforting than a faint line.
If you are testing early as many of us now do then the line may be faint initially as the hormone levels are lower than if you are testing from the 1st day of the missed period
Main points I find useful to remember when doing a pregnancy test
•read the instructions that come with the pregnancy test you are using. They do vary from brand to brand and the time that you read the result can be different for different brands.
•have everything you need ready in the bathroom-some pregnancy tests require you to do a urine sample into a cup. The number of times I have got up in the morning all groggy, gone to bathroom, had a wee and then thought-OMG I was supposed to do my pregnancy test today ! Get everything ready the night before (including a timer if you have one) so its the first thing you see when you go in the bathroom-you could even put a ‘post it’ on the toilet-lol
•wait the allocated time-I find it helpful to use a timer (you are allowed to peep-it is so exciting it is hard to resist)
•I find it best not to go back to a negative test & read it again after the allocated time. I usually throw the negative test in the bin with all the rubbish, so I will resist looking at it again
•use a first morning urine sample if you can-the most concentrated of the day. This is particularly inportant if you are testing before your missed period
Hope you find these tips helpful
Babydust to everyone
Click here to see all pregnancy tests |
Can home pregnancy tests be wrong ?We were recently asked this very question below
I did a pregnancy test recently and it was positive, then 2 days after I did another one just to verify and it said negative ! What does this mean ? Can the pregnancy test be wrong ?
Possible explanations for getting a positive home pregnancy test followed by a negative
1) You may have made a mistake interpreting the test
This is more common than you may think. Pregnancy tests should not be left for too long before reading the result. Make sure you read the instructions and use a timer if possible. we all have busy lives & it is so easy to get side tracked (for example by the phone, the postman or the computer or just life in general) while waiting for the pregnancy test result and then read it too late.
You can not interpret a positive home pregnancy tests result that appears outside of the test time. If this happens the pregnancy test should be discarded and another test performed (ideally on a first morning urine sample-hcg usually more concentrated)
On some home pregnancy tests if the test is left too long a faint line can appear due to the dried urine on the test. This is known by many as an ‘evaporation line’ & can cause confusion .
If you have concerns about interpreting the results of the home pregnancy test then go for a brand with a digital readout such as the Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test
Click her for more information on Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test or to buy
2) False positive pregnancy test.
Possible causes of a false positive on a home pregnancy tests are:
•recent miscarriage
•some hormone treatments used for infertility treatments eg hcg injections. If you are having fertility treatments check with your clinic as to whether these can cause a false positive on a pregnancy test
•recent pregnancy (ie postnatally)
3) You have had a very early pregnancy that was picked up on the pregnancy test but has sadly failed. This is known as a ‘chemical pregnancy’
Home pregnancy tests now detect very low levels of hcg so these very early failed pregnancies are now picked up more often. This is quite common. Often the pregnancy test is positive before we have even missed a period. In our mothers day they would not even have known they were pregnant. This can be one of the down side to testing before you have missed your period.
|
