If you are wondering whether or not
you might be pregnant, you may be on the verge of heading off to the drug store
to make the purchase of a home pregnancy test. For many women in the 21st
century, the home pregnancy test has become the most important tool through
which they ultimate determine whether or not they are pregnant. If you
are considering the purchase and use of a home pregnancy test, there are some
facts and factors that you will want to keep in mind.
The first thing that you need to
appreciate when it comes to home pregnancy tests is that there are a variety of
different products on the market today. Generally speaking, these home
pregnancy tests rely on the same “system” to ascertain if a woman is
pregnant. However, these tests have varying ways of displaying or
conveying this information to a user of the test product itself.
What home pregnancy tests
technically are doing is working to detect the presence of a certain type of
hormone in your system, human chorionic gondotropin or hCG for short. hCG is a
hormone created by the placenta and it can be detected in the urine or blood
and is present when a woman is pregnant. If this hormone is detected by a
home pregnancy test, the test will indicate that a woman is pregnant.
In this day and age home pregnancy
tests have become extremely accurate. Indeed, the typical home pregnancy
test proves to provide accurate results virtually 99% of the time. (Some
tests do prove more accurate than others; however, the vast majority of home
pregnancy tests are not far off this mark.)
There generally are two ways in
which a home pregnancy test can be used. First, there are tests in which
you dip the test stick or strip into your urine. Second, there are tests
in which you urinate directly on the test stick itself.
You need to carefully read all
instructions accompanying the test, Normally, a home pregnancy test takes about
three minutes after it was exposed to urine until your results will be
available. You really will want to “walk away” from the test stick or
strip during this time period or it will seem like the longest three minutes of
your life.
Home pregnancy tests have different
mechanisms through which test results are provided. Some use symbols such
as a + and – sign. Still other tests actually spell out the words
“pregnant” and “not pregnant.” Other tests utilize a color scheme.
Home pregnancy tests that are
available today are relatively inexpensive. There can be some price
differences but they are not normally that significant. Again, typical
home pregnancy tests have about the same accuracy rate as one another.
If you get a positive result from a
home pregnancy test, you will want to make an appointment with your doctor as
soon as possible. Your doctor will confirm your test results. At
that juncture, your doctor will begin planning with your course or prenatal
care and related matters. Prenatal care is a crucial element to ensuring
that you have a smooth pregnancy, that you remain healthy and that you give
birth to a healthy baby when all is said and done.
