THE KNOWN, UNKNOWN AND TO-BE KNOWN ABOUT PREGNANCY TESTS

A woman’s body, right after getting pregnant, or when a fertilized egg gets implanted in the uterus, starts making a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG. While it starts building up by the sixth to tenth day after conception, it increases in number rapidly with every passing day. This hormone can be detected either in the blood or urine of the pregnant mother, and the test done to detect its presence is termed as pregnancy test.

When and how is it done?

While couples who are trying to have a baby, or are under treatment to have one may end up taking the test more often than others, many times they are also taken by sexually active women who miss their period. 

There are two ways to take a pregnancy test: a woman can either give a sample of her blood to a lab that can test it for the presence of HCG, the more common and convenient way of taking this test is to check the presence in urine. There are many different types of Urine pregnancy test kits that are available off the shelf in the market today, which are not only inexpensive and very convenient, they are also 99% effective with little margin of error.

While earlier these kits commonly had paper strips, the new age pregnancy kits available in the market today contain a plastic stick which has two separate spaces for urine and the test result. Some may even have a small dropper to facilitate dropping urine in the slot assigned for it on the stick. Once again depending on the test, a woman can either collect urine in a small container and use the dropper to pour a few drops on the stick or can simply introduce the relevant side of the stick in the stream of urine. 

Is there a correct or safe time to take a pregnancy test?

As mentioned above, some couples, who have been trying to get pregnant may end up taking the test more often than others. The anxiety and restlessness about an impending pregnancy may sometimes lead the couples or women to take it sooner than the time it needs to show up, resulting in false negatives.

Therefore, it is important to know of the right time to take a pregnancy test for reliable results. While the HCG can show up in the sixth to tenth day after conception for a pregnant woman, oftentimes, there could be lack of clarity about the exact day of conception, in which case the calculation of the sixth or the tenth day could be inaccurate. 

Thus, to avoid such false negatives, it is advisable to take the test about a week after a sexually active woman misses her period. Another good practice is to try and test the first urine of the morning and avoid drinking a lot of water before taking the test.

How can I read a pregnancy test

The result of a urine pregnancy test is very easy to read. While some tests will simply show the word “pregnant” on the stick, some others may have a “C” meaning control and “T’ meaning test lines. If both “C” and “T” lines show up on the stick, the result is positive. Sometimes one may see a faint “T” line as opposed to the “C” line. Usually, that also means that the result is positive. However, in case of doubt, the mother can take another test.

Once the urine is dropped, the test normally takes 2-3 minutes to complete and show a reading. If only the “C” line shows up, the result is negative or not pregnant. Again, in case a woman is not sure of the result, she can always take another test.

It is also common for some women to take a blood test after taking the urine pregnancy test at home, to be sure of the results. False negatives, if the test has been taken correctly, are usually uncommon and can simply be confirmed by taking more than one test.

The test is positive!

If you have been trying to get pregnant and you see a positive result- congratulations! Savor the moment. Share with your partner and give yourself a day to sit and enjoy the feeling.

While some couples may like to confirm by taking repeat tests, some may even give a blood sample in addition to a few positive UPTs. Couples who have been trying for a long time, may often be the ones to go down this route and it is understandable. There is no harm in doing so either, hence it need not be discouraged.

One of the first things that one must do after getting a confirmation is to get an appointment with an Ob Gyn who would usually advise to take an ultrasound to confirm the gestation and rule out an ectopic pregnancy(which is when the fertilized egg is implanted outside of the uterus).