Pregnancy Tests

Pregnancy tests are simply the means for a woman to determine if she is expectant or not. Generally, they are recommended to be taken right after an expectant missed her monthly period or two to three weeks after her ovulation period.

Pregnancy tests, which are widely available in the market, use a method that determines the existence of a certain amount of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is also aptly called as pregnancy hormone. This the tests are able to determine during the above-mentioned most preferred testing schedules since the hormone eventually begin to be apparent right after the implantation of a fertilized egg. Moreover, the hormone can also be reflected in the expectant's urine as well as blood.

However, the "rosette inhibition assay", apart from the widely used pregnancy tests, are also proven to be effective in yielding accurate results. This type, however, detects "early pregnancy factor" (EPF) in the executant’s blood alone. EPF becomes apparent in the blood only during the earliest time of pregnancy, most probably two days following the fertilization. But although the "rosette inhibition assay" can accurately detect the EPF, it is found to be pricey and requires a longer testing period before coming up with a result, which makes it inconvenient for most expectants.

One of the most favorable features of pregnancy tests, especially those that are hCG-in-urine dependent, is the convenience they offer since they can be done at home. This eventually offers privacy and confidentiality on the part of the expectant. In the same manner, these types of pregnancy tests are affordable. On the contrary, hCG-in-blood dependent pregnancy tests must be done under the supervision of a doctor. These types of tests go by two categories -- quantitative and qualitative. Of the two categories the former is known to be more accurate than the hCG-in-urine dependent tests as it yields an accurate result of the hCG amount in the tested blood, which in turn, allows it to actually uncover even minuscule amounts of the special hormone, while the latter merely establishes the existence of the pregnancy hormone.

The most widely-used pregnancy test, the urine based type, however is dependent on various factors to be able to yield accurate results. These include whether or not the directions were followed correctly, the time of the day the test was administered, the stage of the pregnancy, and the existence of certain medications in the mother's system. Thus, an expectant should be careful in interpreting the testing instructions stated in the home pregnancy test kit. Every point in the suggestive directions is very crucial in determining the correct result that a mere flaw in one of the aspects may contribute to a wrong result, which eventually will set the expectants outlook on her condition.

As for the best time to take the urine-based pregnancy tests, as mentioned above, it is usually recommended to be done following an irregularity in the schedule of one's monthly period. This is proven to lessen the probabilities of the tests to yield false negative results. Such a result is apparently the consequence of the failure of a relatively less sensitive pregnancy kit to detect hCG. Since the level of hCG eventually increases as day pass by, an earlier testing schedule will fail to come up with an accurate result. On the other hand, the time of the day that the test was administered also matters. Because the pregnancy hormone levels are highest in the morning, it is best to take the test in the morning to achieve the best results.

Contrary to what most women believe, birth control pills, medicines (prescribed and over-the-counter alike), alcoholic drinks, and illegal drugs usually do not influence the outcome of home pregnancy tests. However, it is proven that there are some medicines that can give a false positive result. A false positive result occurs when pregnancy tests attest that the result is positive even though you aren't pregnant. This happens when the medicine contains the pregnancy hormone.