Types of pregnancy tests: what to know?
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Tests are now commercially available to determine early pregnancy. A reliable result can be obtained already a week after the conception occurred, since the devices are highly sensitive to the hCG hormone. Tests for the diagnosis of early pregnancy allow you to determine it even … |
Modern pregnancy tests allow you to determine it even in the early stages. However, this does not mean that the test can get a positive or negative result immediately after intercourse. To determine on what day after conception the test will be able to give a reliable result, you need to know the device … |
Sometimes there are such circumstances that it is not possible to buy a pregnancy test, and an immediate visit to a doctor is not available for a woman. In this case, you can try to determine the pregnancy yourself, focusing on the signals that your own body gives. |
Knowing the exact timing of ovulation allows women to control the fertilization process or protect themselves from it, if they do not want to have a child. Approximately in the middle of the menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs - the release of a mature egg into the fallopian tube, where during the day it has the opportunity to fertilize with a sperm. |
What is a pregnancy test?
A pregnancy test is a device that allows you to diagnose in the early stages whether a woman has conceived or not. It reacts to human chorionic gonadotropin in human urine. HCG is a special hormone that, after conception, begins to produce chorionic cells. Chorion is the shell of the embryo. The hormone is present not only in a woman's blood, but also in her urine. The test recognizes it and gives a positive result. If the level of hCG in the urine is low, then the result will be negative.
Modern tests are able to detect pregnancy already in the early stages, since they are highly sensitive to human chorionic gonadotropin. Such tests can be performed as early as a few days after the probable conception. The minimum test sensitivity is 10 mIU / ml.
Regardless of what type of test is chosen for the study, all devices are equipped with a reagent - antibodies to hCG. It is thanks to these antibodies that it is possible to conduct research and obtain one or another result.
How to take a pregnancy test correctly?
To correctly make a pregnancy test, you need to decide on the type of device that will be used for this purpose. All of them have certain operating features.
- Test strips must be dipped in urine, which must be collected in a container. It is necessary to withstand the test in urine for 20 seconds. Then the strip is laid out on a flat surface and after 2 minutes the result is evaluated. It manifests itself in lines. One line - there is no pregnancy, two lines - there is a pregnancy.
- A test tablet is a test strip that is in a small plastic box. For the study, urine is collected in a separate container, and then, using a pipette, a few drops of liquid are introduced into the window on the test. After a couple of minutes, evaluate the result. It appears in the adjacent window and, as in the case of strip tests, is expressed in lines.
- Another type of dough is inkjet devices. They can be equipped with an electronic scoreboard. These devices are very easy to use. For the study, it is enough to act on the test tip with a stream of urine for a few seconds. After two minutes, you can evaluate the result.
Getting a pregnancy test done is not difficult at all. Often the principles of using the devices are intuitive. In addition, each device is equipped with detailed instructions for use, which are included in the packaging with the product.
An important condition for obtaining a reliable result is the use of the morning portion of urine for the study. It is in it that the concentration of hCG reaches its maximum. This rule is especially true for testing in early pregnancy (a few days after possible conception).
Pros and cons of different pregnancy tests
The simplest pregnancy test that has been on the market for a long time is the test strip. To conduct it, you will need a container for collecting urine, where the test will be lowered. After the time specified in the instructions, you can evaluate the result. The only drawback of such a device is its low sensitivity to hCG, which is 25 mIU / ml. Therefore, with the help of such a device, pregnancy can be determined only from the second week of pregnancy.
Another type of pregnancy test is tablet tests. The test will also require a small container to collect urine. After the liquid is collected, it is brought into a special window, which is located on the test, using a small pipette. After a few minutes, you can evaluate the result. This test is more sensitive and detects hCG in urine starting from a mark of 10 mIU / ml. You can use such a test from the 7th day after conception, its results will be reliable already within these periods. Perhaps this is one of the main advantages of this testing system in comparison with test strips.
The third type of pregnancy test is the latest generation of devices, namely, inkjet tests or pen tests. No urine collection container is required to conduct the test. It is enough just to put the test under the stream and after the time specified in the instructions determine the result. The sensitivity of this test is very high, so they can be used as early as a day after the probable conception. Such devices are convenient to use in almost any conditions and thanks to them you will not have to guess for a long time whether a pregnancy has come or not.
Are there multiple pregnancy tests?
Multiple pregnancy tests exist. They are produced by the Clearblue company. It is the only company that supplies the Russian market with instruments that allow conducting research multiple times.
All reusable tests are equipped with a digital display on which the result is displayed. In its shape, the device resembles a flash card. These tests have a USB port that allows you to connect it to a computer. The port is on one side of the device and there is a small hole on the opposite end. It is into it that replaceable cartridges are inserted. Each of them can be used once. When the test gives a result, the cartridge must be removed and disposed of. To retest, you will need to use a new cartridge.
The test computer acts as a power source. If you purchase such a test, then 20 replaceable cartridges and one main device represented by an oblong-shaped cassette will be included with it. You won't be able to buy cartridges for the test separately, they are simply not on sale. That is, after all of them are used, you need to purchase a new device entirely.
In general, it is very convenient to use such a device, because to conduct a number of studies, you will not need to go to the pharmacy every time.
As for the interpretation of the results, they are understandable to any person even without studying the instructions. If a woman is pregnant, then a "+" or "yes" appears on the test. When there is no pregnancy, the “-” sign or “no” is displayed on the screen. In addition, if a negative result is obtained, the electronic display will show the date that is most favorable for the next attempt at conception. Its determination becomes possible due to the fact that the test reads and independently estimates the amount of hormones contained in female urine.
