Many women faced with the need to use pregnancy tests do not know how to use them. Meanwhile, everything is pretty simple.
So what do you need to know about pregnancy tests?
The essence of the test is that special substances are applied to the test strip, which react with the chorionic gonadotropin contained in the urine of a pregnant woman. From this reaction, the second strip of dough is colored.
Pregnancy tests are instrumental and non-device. Instrumental tests are professional laboratory tests. In turn, non-instrument ones include three types of tests:
– test paper strips. The strip should be immersed in the urine container for a few seconds to the indicated level. Then wait a few minutes and see the result. Such pregnancy tests are affordable, but the accuracy of the result is questioned, as it is influenced by too many factors – gestational age, exposure time, improper use.
– tablet pregnancy tests. The plastic strip has two holes. A few drops of urine are dripped into one hole with a pipette. After a while, you can read the result in the second one. Such tests are considered to be quite reliable.
– inkjet pregnancy tests. This type of test is considered the most modern and accurate. The cost, of course, is high, but the result is almost certain. Inside such a test is a layer of a special substance that detects gonadotropin particles even in small quantities. Another advantage of such a test is its ease of use, since it can be applied anywhere, anywhere – you just need to fill the dough container with urine and wait one minute. Plus the test – even a tiny amount of hCG will cause a reaction indicating pregnancy.
The reliability of the test results ranges from 92% to 99.9%.
Before using the test, you should carefully read the instructions. For analysis, it is better to use the collection of morning urine, since it contains the most hCG.
Rules for assessing the result of a pregnancy test
Two strips of test indicate pregnancy, even if the other is very pale. One bar indicates the absence of pregnancy. If there are no stripes on the test, it is most likely unusable. It may have been improperly stored or misused. If this happens, the test should be repeated.
Pregnancy tests can give false results, for example, if moisture gets into them during storage or the instructions for using the test were not followed.
A false pregnancy test result can be either false positive or false negative.
A false positive test result to determine pregnancy occurs if hCG medications have been taken for some time, for example, to treat infertility. If less than ten days have passed from taking the drugs before the test, then the test result should not be trusted. In addition, a false-positive result can be noted with the development of hormone-dependent tumors or in the case of incomplete removal of the embryonic tissue during a recent abortion.
The result can be false negative, which is more likely than the first option. Such a result can be observed when conducting a pregnancy test earlier than the prescribed period, when the concentration of hCG in the urine has not yet reached a sufficient level; with the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system, which become an obstacle to the secretion of hCG in the urine; if a large volume of liquid is consumed on the eve of the test, since when urine is diluted, the concentration of hCG may not be sufficient for recognition by the test.