Pregnancy Test: Instructions for use. When does a pregnancy test show the correct results?

From the article you will learn about all types of pregnancy tests, their accuracy, and also learn to use each of them.

Do you have a delay in menstruation? This is an occasion to find out if you were in an “interesting position”. The most affordable, and most importantly, anonymous way to fix conception is to conduct a home test to determine pregnancy.

Or maybe you look forward to a positive result of conception? And here you will help you a simple device that can be purchased at any pharmacy.

How to use a pregnancy test correctly? Determination of pregnancy by test

The incorrect use of the strip can show an erroneous result in both the affirmative and the negative side. Therefore, be sure to carefully read the insert that goes in the box to carry out the procedure according to all the rules.

How does a home pregnancy test work? Any type of stripes shows in the urine of a woman the amount of hCG - chorionic gonadotropin of a person. This substance produces the placenta solely after successful conception. Immediately since the fertilization of the egg, the hCG level grows rapidly, and the approximately 14 days after conception, it reaches the mark according to which it can be detected using a test strip.

Home pregnancy test has several advantages compared to going to the doctor:

• complete confidentiality of the received data
• simplicity of the procedure
• response accuracy within 100%
• determination of conception at the earliest stages

Important: most tests are a strip that must be lowered in the dishes with urine to the desired mark. Keep such a strip in a container for no more than 20 seconds.

Here are some tips on how to conduct a test at home:

• Due to its concentration, it is the first morning urine that contains more the necessary hormone to diagnose pregnancy. Therefore, the implementation of the procedure in the morning increases the accuracy of the test
• If you can’t wait to find out the results by day or evening, use a more concentrated portion for the procedure - urine, which has been in the bladder for more than 3 hours
• Different tests require lowering into a container of urine, rooms for a stream or using the entire droplet.
• Read the instructions for the device that you purchased to correctly apply it
• Some drugs can change the test results. Learn about the action of certain drugs with a doctor. Although such information, as correctly, is spelled out in the instructions for the device
• You do not need a large capacity of urine, 30 ml is enough
• Do not shake the urine before using the dough, and also do not place it in the refrigerator or other cold or warm place
• Carry out a procedure with fresh urine
• Take care of the sterility of the dishes in which there will be urine

Which is better to buy a pregnancy test?

• Pregnancy tests differ in the way of applying urine to the device, but everyone has one principle of action. Any device designed to diagnose conception measures the level of hCG in the urine
• Depending on the type, the cost of tests also differs. We will talk about the pros and cons of each type of device, so that it is easier for you when choosing in a pharmacy
• The most familiar device is test strips, or strip test. They are a strip of paper with a mark to which they must be lowered into dishes with a portion of urine. The paper is saturated with a special reagent, which will show one feature in the absence of pregnancy and 2 features - in case of successful conception

Important: the first feature is a test and reports that the device is working. If after the procedure no dash has appeared, then you have a damaged test in your hands, it will not show the correct result.

This type of instrument and disadvantages have:

• Compared to other tests that need to be substituted under a stream or use a whole drop of urine, a strip test requires the use of dishes, which is not always convenient
• The sensitivity of the device is below others, so only the morning portion of urine is best for him
• The reagent of such a test is applied to paper, while the accuracy of its concentration may suffer, which is why test strips are considered the least reliable

Tablet tests They have a higher responsiveness to the HCG level, which in individual brands reaches 10 mma. This is a test strip that is placed in a special plastic tablet with 2 slots.

It is more convenient to use it than a strip strip, since all the items that are necessary for the procedure are included. A pipette, which is attached to the device, drip urine into one slot.

Literally after 2-3 minutes in another window you will see the result. The reagent with which the strip is saturated in the second window of the tablet will be painted in case of fixation of pregnancy.

The pluses of the tablet device:

• No need to use additional items to check
• Aesthetic appearance
• High sensitivity, which allows you to use a tablet earlier
• A more reliable result in comparison with the test-polish
• Tablets are used by doctors for professional diagnosis

Inkjet test It is called so on the principle of application. To get an answer, it must be placed under a stream of urine.

The jet device is more reliable than a strip or tablet, so it can be used at the very early stage of bearing. Thanks to its sensitivity, you need any portion of urine, not necessarily the very first morning.

Important: the main advantage of the jet dough is the possibility of using it in almost any conditions, including if you are not at home, but visiting.

Such devices are incomparably more expensive than ordinary strips, but they are easy to use, convenient, accurate. The answer to an important question awaits you after 60 seconds after urine gets on the strip.

Electronic tests For pregnancy - the most convenient to use, the most reliable, as well as the most expensive. Outwardly, this is a plastic case with a liquid crystal screen, in which you will see the coveted result.

• The main advantage of such a test is that you will not have a reason to fantasize whether the second feature has manifested or it only seems to you. On the screen of the digital device, sand clock will be clearly indicated, which personify the serviceability of the device. You can immerse the test in a container with urine or place it under the stream
• In the case of an affirmative response, a minute in a minute shows the “plus” sign or the word “Pregnant”, in the case of a negative result, the “Minus” or “Not Pregnant” sign
• No speculations, as in the case of a strip-lane, cannot occur after this data. Its reusability is also added to all the advantages of the device

Important: to get a reliable result, use two and more pregnancy tests.

When to do a pregnancy test after conception?

The sensitivity of the test is measured in international units per ml (MMU/ml). The average responsiveness of the tests is 20-25 mm/ml. The lower this figure, the sooner you can diagnose pregnancy after conception.

So, devices with a mark of 10 mm/ml have the highest responsiveness. With the help of them, you can find out about pregnancy already on the 7th day after conception, if the day of conception, of course, is known to you. At the same stage, a clinical analysis for the diagnosis of fertilization is also handed over.

Important: no home device will show you the gestational age. All tests are aimed only at the definition whether conception occurred or not.

Test strips, the sensitivity of which reaches 20-25 mma/ml, will show the correct result only 10-14 days after conception.

Video: How many weeks after sexual intercourse can a pregnancy test be done?

From what day of delay, you can do a pregnancy test?

Even if you know the exact day of conception, the procedure for home diagnostics is best from the moment of delay.

Strips with a responsiveness of 20-25 mm/ml can be used from the first day of delay. And here are even more responsive with a mark of 10 mm/ml on the package can diagnose pregnancy even before the delay - a week after the alleged conception.

Why is there not a single strip on the test for pregnancy?

• A test strip is a piece of paper saturated with a special substance, which, when contacted by urine, shows one or two pink, sometimes red features
• For any result, you will see the first pink line without fail. She appears, as a rule, half a minute after contact with the urine and means that the test is not defective and suitable for diagnosis
• The second feature appears after about 3 minutes and indicates the successful fertilization of the egg

If you have not seen a single strip, this may mean the following:

• The shelf life of the device has expired. Check on the package, until what date is this particular test valid. If it is really expired, purchase a new copy and repeat the procedure
• The test is defective. This happens infrequently, but still this is possible. To play it safe, buy strips of another company in the pharmacy and repeat the procedure
• You incorrectly carried out a diagnostic session. The test may give a negative answer or not show anything at all if you hold the strip in the container too little or too long

Pregnancy test after alcohol

• A woman can take alcohol, not knowing that the fetus is developing inside her. A logical question arises: how alcohol affects the amount of hormone in the body and whether the test cooles if there was a feast on the eve
• There is an erroneous point of view that ethanol, which is part of alcohol, can lead to a false result of the procedure
• In fact, it does not affect the level of the "hormone of pregnancy." And even if you consumed alcohol on the eve, the test will give a reliable answer if you spent it according to all the rules

Important: despite all of the above, it should be borne in mind that alcohol is strictly prohibited by doctors during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, when the embryo develops.

Can a pregnancy test determine a false pregnancy?

In rare cases, the test can show a false pregnancy, although in fact the conception did not occur.

• A fairly common situation, when the device is mistaken, is its expired shelf life or marriage. If the test is damaged, originally defeated or expired, you may well see a second strip, even if you are not pregnant. That is why doctors recommend that 2 or 3 procedures immediately to make sure as a result
• Often, women are so expected to see a positive result that a weak hint of a second strip is taken for a pregnancy certificate. When properly carried out the procedure, the second strip should manifest itself quite clearly
• It turns out that the level of hCG can increase not only due to the attachment of the embryo to the uterus. It can also increase due to a cyst or tumor in the body. However, the test, which fixes the increase in the level of hCG, does not determine the reason for this and gives out 2 strips on the device. Interestingly, even in men, a test can show a false pregnancy if their hCG level is increased due to a tumor
• Today, hormonal drugs are known, which include hCG. They are taken from infertility. During the period of taking these drugs, the test can also diagnose fertilization, even if it did not actually take place

Are pregnancy tests accurately?

• Gynecologists on average determine the accuracy of pregnancy tests of 97%. The accuracy of a particular device that you acquire depends on its type, as well as on the brand. Depending on the brand and type of dough, the price of the device in the pharmacy varies
• As a rule, for the initial determination of pregnancy, girls and women choose the most affordable option-test strips. However, their accuracy leaves much to be desired. Many consumers complain of false results or the absence of any strips, which indicates the unsuitability of this device for the diagnosis of pregnancy
• The most accurate of available funds are jet pregnancy tests. The most accurate are digital. After all, the electronic device can be used as many times as you like and to be accurate as a result, which it will show

Important: for the most reliable definition of pregnancy, gynecologists invite to their analysis.

What is the expiration date of pregnancy tests?

As for the expiration date of pregnancy tests, it is different for each brand. Carefully read the liner on the use of the device, and also make sure that your specific test is not overdue.

As a rule, manufacturers indicate the date of manufacture, as well as the term and conditions of storage. By the way, the device that was stored incorrectly can show the same false results as the test, whose expiration date has expired.

How to use a pregnancy test: tips and reviews

Before the home diagnosis of fertilization, several points should be taken into account:

• Do not forget that the device for various reasons can show a false result: both false positive and false negative. Stock up at once with several tests to be confident as a result
• Do not exclude the first symptoms of fertilization
• Carry out the procedure in the morning
• Use for the procedure only a fresh portion of urine
• The larger the gestational age, the more accurate the results will be. Even the most responsive test will not show fertilization earlier than the 7th day from the moment of conception
• Do not use overdue or apparently damaged devices
• Make sure that foreign elements do not get into the dishes. The same applies to the strip itself: it should be dry and clean
• Make a home test according to all points of the instructions for it
• Do not touch the fingers of the test strip, which is saturated with the reagent
• Alcohol does not affect the correct result, taking medications (excluding hormonal drugs) and contraceptives, lactation, menopause, poor health

Video: How to use a pregnancy test correctly?