Pregnancy Test Kit

Not long ago, it would often take weeks to get the results of a pregnancy test from your doctor. Today, you can have an accurate answer in mere minutes from a pregnancy test kit .

Home pregnancy test kits work in a similar way as those performed in a professional laboratory. Both test for the presence and level of a hormone called hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in blood or urine. Blood samples are generally considered more reliable.  However are certainly less pleasant, particularly for in home tests. Most home pregnancy kits test the urine.

There are some factors that determine the accuracy of a pregnancy test kit, they are: readability and sensitivity.

Readability is partly a subjective issue, though some tests are definitely easier to interpret or read than other tests. Some home pregnancy tests show you a number, others display a coloured strip.  Some even display the words, 'Pregnant' or 'Not Pregnant' in some form. Which home test you choose depends largely on your personal taste.

The time it used to get a reliable result is no longer a factor. In fact, if you wait too long to read some test results the indicator may become unreliable and unreadable. Most over-the-counter pregnancy test products from any major manufacturer are pretty reliable. However, false negatives and false positives aren't completely absent, but they are less frequent now days and are stated to affect less than 5% of cases.

Certain medications and women who have recently given birth or miscarried  can increase the false readings of the tests.

Keep in mind that no home pregnancy test is 100% accurate as they don’t measures pregnancy directly. The only way to do that is to actually examine the implantation of the fertilized egg into the womb, which is only for medical tests.

Some home pregnancy tests can measure hCG levels as low as 25 mIU/ml (milli International Units per millilitre). The abbreviated unit after the number can be complicated, however just look at the sensitivity rating of the test and compare. In order to lessen false positives, tests can be designed not to give a 'Pregnant' indication until elevated levels are reached. But raising those levels to be less sensitive means introducing two potential problems.

One, if the test detects hCG only at higher levels, you have to be pregnant longer before the body builds up to that level. That reduces the value of a pregnancy test kit, many of which are labelled EPT (EARLY Pregnancy Test) for a reason. The other probable problem is closely related. It can introduce false negatives, you really are pregnant, but the test tells you that you're not.

For the majority of women, these factors are not major issue and a home pregnancy test kit is a great product.

Once you get a positive test it should be followed up with another test from your doctor. Also, many home pregnancy test kits come with multiple strips, so perhaps try again a few days later.

Follow the instructions and you can be confident that the test is accurate in more than 95% of cases. Those are pretty good chances, that you are pregnant.