11 things to know before taking pregnancy tests

Juno pregnancy test

There are some things to know earlier taking a pregnancy test.
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Taking a pregnancy test tin can be a nerve-wracking and exciting experience. When so much is riding on the outcome, it pays to know everything you lot can to ensure you lot're getting accurate results.

Here are a few central facts nearly pregnancy tests and how to use them to get the nigh authentic result possible.

Offset, here'due south how pregnancy tests actually work.

Pregnancy tests check for elevated levels of hCG.
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According to the Mayo Clinic , home pregnancy tests work by looking for the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG for short. This hormone is rapidly produced in early pregnancy.

A dwelling house pregnancy test can detect elevated levels of hCG 12 to xiv days afterwards conception.

The longer y'all await to take a exam, the more accurate your outcome will be.

Wait until after the first twenty-four hour period of your missed menses.
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Information technology can feel well-nigh incommunicable to wait to take a pregnancy test. But y'all're more likely to get an accurate consequence if you lot're patient.

The Mayo Clinic advises that you "expect until afterward the first day of your missed flow or, better nevertheless, 1 week after your missed period."

If yous are pregnant, the level of hCG in your urine doubles every two to 3 days . Waiting means that you waste fewer pregnancy tests and avert getting an inaccurate reading the first fourth dimension around.

You lot should exam beginning thing in the forenoon.

Accept the test right after you wake upwardly.
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Using a pregnancy examination first thing in the morn volition aid you get an accurate answer.

"By using urine from the first thing in the morning you actually have more than of the hormone (hCG) that the test is looking for congenital upwards in your urine. This makes information technology more than probable to go an accurate test reading," Dr. Robin Elise Weiss told Verywell Family unit.

And avert drinking a ton of water beforehand.

Drinking water will dilute your urine.
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For the same reason that you lot should test first affair in the morning time, you should also avoid chugging water before taking a pregnancy test.

"Drinking h2o—or whatsoever fluids—can, in fact, affect the results of this kind of at-home pregnancy test when very early in the pregnancy. If your urine becomes diluted and takes on a pale yellowish or clear color, its level of hCG becomes lower," Verywell Family explained in an commodity reviewed by Meredith Shur, MD.

You should read the instructions.

Brand sure you've taken the exam correctly before jumping to conclusions.
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Fifty-fifty if you think yous know how home pregnancy testing works, it's definitely worth making sure you know what yous're doing.

"Before you lot fifty-fifty enter the bath, pull out the instructions and read them thoroughly. Be certain you know what y'all're doing, don't assume you call up from previous tests," Dr. Robin Elise Weiss told Verywell Family unit.

You might want to employ a cup.

Use a loving cup if you're nervous yous'll drop the exam.
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Some tests do tell you lot to hold the test under your urine stream, merely in most cases, immersing it in a cup of urine will get the job washed.

"Simply agree the absorbent end of the pregnancy test into the urine in the cup for the amount of time you were supposed to concord information technology in your urine stream," Dr. Robin Elise Weiss told Verywell Family.

This is a good tip if you don't have great aim or are agape of dropping the test into the toilet.

Some pregnancy tests are more than sensitive than others.

Different tests can detect pregnancy at unlike times.
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Non all pregnancy tests are made equal, as some can actually detect your pregnancy sooner.

The more sensitive the exam, the better it is at detecting hCG in your urine, according to Baby Middle . To find out how sensitive your test is, merely check the instructions for the concentrations of hCG the exam is capable of picking upwards.

The lower the number, the more sensitive the exam. For case , a exam with a sensitivity of 10mIU/ml will detect a pregnancy earlier than a test with a sensitivity of 40mIU/ml.

More expensive tests aren't necessarily better.

Check for hCG sensitivity levels.
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Paying more than for your pregnancy test doesn't hateful you will become a more accurate result.

The cheaper tests tend to stick to the classic "line" organization, while more than expensive digital tests might provide you with a articulate symbol (e.g. a smiley confront) or the words "pregnant" if you are expecting.

The only thing that determines how presently the test can tell you if you're pregnant is the hCG sensitivity indicated on the packaging.

There'due south a time limit on reading your test.

Don't let the test sit down for too long.
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Though it may be tempting to fish that negative pregnancy exam strip out of the trash "just to make sure," there's actually a fourth dimension limit involved in reading a domicile pregnancy test.

"Oftentimes people will come across evaporation lines as urine starts to evaporate off the exam ," Jamil Abdur-Rahman, Grand.D., board-certified OB-GYN, told SELF.

This ways that if you let the test sit likewise long, information technology may announced equally if the examination is showing 2 lines instead of ane. Avert this by following your test'south directions to the letter.

Or you can get a faux positive, but this is much rarer.

Yous might also go a simulated positive if you are experiencing a chemical pregnancy.
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A false positive result means that y'all aren't pregnant, merely the test says that you are.

This type of upshot isn't impossible, but information technology's very rare. According to Healthline, false positive results can occur if you are taking fertility drugs, had a recent miscarriage or ballgame, or have certain medical conditions like a urinary tract infection or ovarian cysts.

You might besides get a false positive if you are experiencing a chemical pregnancy (when an egg is fertilized by is unable to implant) or an ectopic pregnancy (when an egg implants outside of the main cavity of the uterus).

According to the NHS, ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency that can cause serious internal impairment or expiry. Symptoms include sharp waves of pain in your abdomen, vaginal haemorrhage, dizziness, or pressure on your rectum. You should seek immediate medical help if you suspect an ectopic pregnancy.

Pregnancy tests can elapse.

Check the expiration date.
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Only similar most things in your medicine cabinet, pregnancy tests have an expiration date.

If you don't use the examination by the indicated date , the chemical in the test may no longer accurately detect the presence of elevated hCG in your system, reported Women's Health.

It's worth shelling out for a new test when it comes something every bit of import equally a potential pregnancy.

When in uncertainty, become tested by your doctor.

For a definitive reply, go to your md.
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Whether y'all need to observe pregnancy as early every bit possible due to a medical status or just tin can't stand to wait, getting a claret test washed at your doctor's office is the mode to go.

According to the American Pregnancy Center, a blood test can detect a pregnancy as soon every bit vii days after conception and can measure the amount of hCG in your organization in order to approximate when you lot became meaning.

However, claret tests are more expensive than urine tests and take longer to get results.


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