There have been many historical methods of pregnancy detection; however, with time and invention, today it’s as easy as doing a litmus test in high school science. You can take a pregnancy test at home and get to know the result in minutes.
What Is a Pregnancy Test kit?
A pregnancy test kit detects the level of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) hormone in urine which is usually present after 6 to 12 days of fertilization. This hormone is secreted by the placenta forming cells. The HCG levels are at the peak in the next 60 to 80 days.
Never go by the advertisements that claim to detect pregnancy as soon as you miss a period. The test requires HCG levels to be high to give accurate results. Same technology is used by almost all the pregnancy test kits although brands and price may vary.
The period between deciding to have a baby and conceiving one has to go through various stages emotionally and physically. Click here to know more about the fertile window and when you should have sex to increase your chances of pregnancy.
How to Use a Pregnancy Test Kit
Different brands of home pregnancy kits are available on the market and some of them also come with ovulation test strips. Be sure to check the expiration date on the packet. If you have an old pregnancy kit lying around in the home for several months, it’s better to get a new one with a recent packing date in order to get accurate test results.
Usually all pregnancy kits come with a set of instructions. However since most of them are not explained in detail, many women still face some doubts and questions about when and how to take the test. So, here’s a step-by-step guide on using a pregnancy test kit in the right manner:
Step 1: Buy a pregnancy test kit and read the accompanying instructions.
Step 2: Collect the urine sample, preferably in the morning (in order to get the most concentrated sample), in a plastic cup, or urinate directly on the stick provided. It all depends on the type of test kit you have; some test kits contain sticks that require direct urinating instead of collecting a sample in a container.
Step 3: If you have collected the urine in a cup, get some urine in a dropper, and drop it on the absorbent area or tip without spreading it on the display or reading area. The indications or symbols differ from product to product. There can be plus or minus sign, pregnant or non-pregnant, or T and C signs, where T is test sample and C is control. If the result is positive, you’ll see 2 pink/purple lines, whereas for a negative result, only one pink/purple line will appear towards C. If the test is invalid, you will see only one pink line towards T.
Step 4: Even if the lines are faint, there are chances of being pregnant since it all depends on the HCG level present in the urine.
Step 5: If you get a positive result, immediately call for a doctor’s appointment for further tests to confirm pregnancy though various blood tests.
Step 6: If you get a negative result, wait for a week and again go for the test if there are no periods. Extra care should be taken if the second test too turns out to be negative and there are no periods. You should consult a doctor to check whether there is any problem with menstruation or with pregnancy. Although false negative tests are very rare, you should still rule them out. They can be possible in cases like ectopic pregnancy, where the fetus is implanted in the Fallopian tube or a cervix other than the uterus.
Step 7: Once the test is done, dispose of all the used equipment to maintain proper hygiene.