Pregnancy Test

Pregnancy Test

What is commonly referred to as a pregnancy test is a kit-based test which can be done at the comfort of your home and does not require the help of a medical professional. If the test instructions are rightly followed, you can dependably derive at whether you are pregnant or not.

Though your pregnancy begins soon after ovulation and intercourse, it can take a few days to a few weeks until the pregnancy hormones begin to show up in your system. Ideally, 7 to 10 days after your missed period is a reasonable timeline to take your first pregnancy test. Remember that unless the pregnant mother is producing detectable levels of hCG, the test cannot pick up a positive result. That is why it is important to allow sufficient time before trying on a home pregnancy test.

The home pregnancy test kit usually includes a test strip or a test card and each kit carries with it clear instructions of the test procedure. On placing a drop of your urine sample on the indicated space on the test strip, the test urine runs across the strip, over pre-coated lines of control and test.

Our articles on pregnancy test provide you more information on how a home pregnancy test works, how to interpret the test results, when is the best time to take pregnancy test, how to understand false positives and false negative results and accuracy of pregnancy tests.

Following a positive pregnancy test, it is recommended that you consult your doctor. A pregnancy blood test will be done at a medical laboratory to further confirm your pregnancy and also to know how long you have been pregnant. Your doctor might prescribe pre-natal vitamins and other blood parameters to be analyzed in order to access your health conditions.