Earliest Test to Confirm Pregnancy
Posted by Blood Tests | Posted in Biometric Testing, Blood Tests | Posted on 01-09-2010
Tags: Blood Test, Blood Tests
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Most women are eager to test for pregnancy the moment they suspect they are pregnant. Testing for pregnancy can get expensive. Your best bet is to wait until you miss your period or the day of your period.
There are however many ultra sensitive tests on the market today that detect the pregnancy hormone in the earliest stages of pregnancy. Some women have detected a pregnancy as early as 3 or 4 days before they miss their period. Some tests are able to detect HCG levels of 10 or greater. Most over the counter tests however detect levels of HCG (that’s the pregnancy hormone) once they reach 50 or 100.
HCG levels tend to double every couple of days, so if at first you test and get a negative result you may try testing again in a couple of days to see if things change.
Pregnancy tests work simply by detecting (HCG) human chorionic gonadotropin in the body. Typically you will dip a sample stick in your urine stream and wait between 2 to 5 minutes to see if a positive result shows. Most pregnancy tests you buy over the counter are just as accurate as those you would take at your doctor’s office. There are some cases however where false negatives have resulted. False negatives are far more common than false positives.
It is important however that you don’t read your pregnancy test after the time designated on the package. Some pregnancy tests develop what are called evaporation lines after sitting out too long, which may suggest a false positive.
If you do find you are pregnant, congratulations! Your next step is consulting with your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
If you have undergone fertility treatments, it’s likely you healthcare provider will see you immediately after pregnancy. Do not let the wait concern you however, if you have to schedule an appointment and find your healthcare provider will not see you until you are a bit further along. It is often quite difficult to detect much activity if any in the earliest weeks of pregnancy, and most women sail through these weeks anyway on a cloud of elation.
I am a gynaecologist by profession, married and have a cute little daughter. Currently not practicing, but to satisfy the passion of service I love to help my preggy friends.