One of the first signs of pregnancy is a missed period. There are other symptoms of pregnancy as well. Some of these include a feeling of nausea, vomiting and tenderness of the breasts. But these symptoms usually come later on in a pregnancy. When you miss a period, it is better to check out for pregnancy. Though it is best to visit a doctor or your gynecologist for confirmation, there are some simple tests available which you can do at home, all by yourself. Here is how you can do a home pregnancy test.
The logic and modes for the pregnancy test
All the home pregnancy tests are based to test for the presence of the hormone that is known as the human chorionic gonadotropin. When a woman gets pregnant, this hormone shows up in the urine within 12-14 days. There are different ways in which the presence of the hormone in urine is detected.
1. There are test strips or dipsticks that change color when dipped in a urine sample. The color change is brought about by the reaction of the strip content with the human chorionic gonadotropin.
2. There are also several test devices available. Placing a few drops of urine on a part of the device brings about a similar color change which indicates possible pregnancy.
3. There are also powders available which change color on being mixed with urine containing the hormone.
The home pregnancy test kit
Home pregnancy test kits are available in all the major chain retailers and pharmacies. The best place to get them would be at Target® or Wal-Mart®. These kits are also available for purchase online. Once you get the kits, you have to ensure a few things before you take the test. The most important would be to ensure that you have not been taking fertility medications which contain the testing hormone. Know that anti allergenic medicines, antibiotics and birth control pills do not affect the test.
The test kit usually arrives with a tester rod which has to be dipped at its tip in the collected urine sample. In case of pregnancy, two lines show up in the indicator as in the test and the control lines are shown. If there is only one line in the rod then it indicates no pregnancy. There are variants of the indicator with some showing ‘+’ for positive and ‘ – ‘ for negative. The instructions that come in the pregnancy test kit will be pretty simple. Just follow them.
Things to keep in mind
For accurate test results, always use the first urine sample in the morning. This is very important determinant of accuracy due to the following reasons:
1. The woman’s ovulation cycle can undergo changes from month to month.
2. The exact time when the fertilized egg is imported is not known.
3. The test kits differ in their sensitivity to the human chorionic gonadotropin. The morning sample stands the best chance of detection in case of low test sensitivity.
Know that any home test is not 100 percent conclusive. These are only indicative at best. For complete confirmation, you must visit a clinic and get yourself tested.
