Can you Blindly Trust a Home Pregnancy Test

The first thing that nearly all women do when they suspect that they might be pregnant is to immediately take a home pregnancy test.

Most pregnancy test kits taken at home assure a very high percentage of accuracy. Some even claim to be up to 99.99 % accurate. Although, a home pregnancy test might be accurate and a solid indicator of a confirmed pregnancy, it is always better to consult a professional to know for sure. The following aspects of a home pregnancy test will help you to

Time

The accuracy of a home pregnancy test greatly depends on the fact that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the tee. For example, all home pregnancy tests indicate the maximum time for which the urine has to be kept in the sample area for an accurate result. In case that time is exceeded or the test examined too early, then the results will in all probability not be accurate.

Urine Sample

It is very important that you use the correct urine sample for the home pregnancy test to be accurate. Use the first morning urine as a sample for home pregnancy test. In case that is not possible, one should make sure that only that urine is used as a sample that has stayed in the bladder for at least a few hours. In case you have taken too many fluids in order to produce urine, the accuracy of the home pregnancy test will be hit as too much fluid will dilute the urine and detection of human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG will become even more difficult.

Time of Taking the Test

Although most home pregnancy tests claim that they can accurately detect pregnancy even on the first day that you have missed your period, it is wiser to wait for at least 10 days before you take the test. This is because in its initial phase the body produces very low levels of hCG which might go undetected. hCG is only secreted by the body once implantation has happened. And on the first day of your missed period the body might produce a low quantity of hCG.

Quality of Home Pregnancy Test Kit

The accuracy of a pregnancy test taken at home greatly depends on the quality of the pregnancy test kit that you use. The accuracy of pregnancy test kits obtained from a reputed brand will always be higher. Although most pregnancy test kits are available in the same price range, it is always advisable to go for a well-established brand.

Whether a pregnancy test kit is accurate or not is inexplicable, especially if you do not know how to use it and care less about the instructions given on the manual. For accurate results, start by training yourself well on how to use a pregnancy test kit.

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