Here’s everything you need to know about pregnancy tests

Pregnancy tests can give you false positive results. Read to find out how.

Tania Tarafdar | Updated: July 6, 2017 4:33 pm

Yes, there are plenty of choices for pregnancy tests but trying to figure which one works for you best can be a real challenge. If you are confused about which pregnancy test should you go for and want to know how things work, gynaecologist Dr Seema Gupta, Shrishti Health Care Centre, Delhi, clears your doubts.

Your doctor may recommend a quantitative pregnancy test– Urine tests are qualitative that is they only measure the presence of HCG in urine. However, there are also quantitative urine tests which measure the amount of HCG in the bloodstream. Doctors recommend the quantitative tests in women who are the risk of miscarriage to check if the measure of HCG is increasing in the blood as pregnancy matures.

Your medications and health may affect your test results-– Certain drugs especially the ones you use to boost your fertility have HCG and can raise the amount of the hormone in your urine. This can give you a positive pregnancy result even if you are not pregnant. Some pituitary disorders may also give you a false positive result. Here’s how soon you need to take a home pregnancy test.

Expensive pregnancy tests are not more accurate— If you are confused if you should go for a regular home pregnancy test or splurge on a digital one to check pregnancy, be assured that it is not going to make any difference. You do not have to go for an expensive test for the results to be accurate. Although some tests have a lower threshold, the chances for a false positive are less.

Take the pregnancy test in the morning— Most pregnancy test instructions advise you to get a test done first thing in the morning. This is because the HCG has built up in the urine several hours after sleep and therefore you are likely to get a more accurate result. You need at least 25 IUs of HCG for the test to come positive. While testing in the morning is not mandatory, there are odds that it is going to give you more accurate results. These 12 symptoms can confirm if you are really pregnant.

All pregnancy tests measure the same thing— There are dozens of pregnancy tests but whether you opt for a home pregnancy test or do it at the clinic; all the urine tests measure a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG).

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Published: June 26, 2017 12:47 pm | Updated:July 6, 2017 4:33 pm

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