How accurate are home pregnancy test kits?

Is it a false negative? Are you really pregnant? Don't wonder, find out how reliable these tests are...

By: Dr Anitha Anchan | | Updated: September 28, 2015 11:38 am

Whether it s planned or unplanned, you would wish to confirm as early as possible whether you are pregnant or not. A home pregnancy test is the most common, easiest and safest way to confirm your pregnancy. Various home pregnancy test kits that vary from company to company are available at your pharmacy nearby. But how accurate are they? Also Read - 3 popular DIY pregnancy tests: Are they really accurate?

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A home pregnancy test detects the levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. This hormone is produced when the fertilized egg gets attached to the wall of the uterus. The kit may have test strip or dipstick. The test strip needs to be held in the urine stream and the dipstick needs to be dipped into a sample of urine. If you are pregnant, an area on the end of the test strip or dipstick changes colour. Some kits may have a test device with wells. You will need to collect urine in a cup and place few drops of urine with a dropper into the well mentioned in the instructions. Colour changes in the other wells indicate that you are pregnant. The kits may vary from company to company and hence, the symbols used to indicate result may differ. The results may show a line, a colour, a plus or minus sign or words like pregnant and not pregnant on a digital display. Here is how to use a home pregnancy test kit.

Accuracy

The hCG hormone usually takes a week s time to appear in the blood and urine. Hence, it is recommended to take the test around a week after you miss your regular period. The test is about 97% accurate. A home-pregnancy test is more accurate when done in the morning when the urine is more concentrated. Also, after you are done with loading urine sample wait for around 1 3 minutes for the results to appear.

If the result is positive, you are most certainly pregnant. You may get a false positive test result if you:

Take the test wrong
Read the test after the suggested 3 5 minute reaction time
Use test kits past their expiration date
Have been given an hCG injection during infertility treatment.

A false positive pregnancy test result may also be seen in some cancers and other medical conditions that may produce elevated hCG levels.

Negative test results are less reliable. A negative result may indicate that you may not be pregnant. You may get a negative result if you are not pregnant. Sometimes, there may be cases when you actually might be pregnant but the test is negative. This can happen if you took the test too soon or you did not take the test correctly. The hormone hCG cannot be detected until after implantation which can occur anywhere from 6 to 12 days after ovulation. Pregnancy test kits vary in their sensitivity. Less sensitive urine tests may take another three or four days after implantation to detect hCG.

If you get a negative test result, wait for a week and perform the test once again. If still the results are negative, visit a doctor to know the cause of your missed period.

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Published : September 25, 2015 6:33 pm | Updated:September 28, 2015 11:38 am

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