Electronic Pregnancy Test

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Electronic pregnancy test

The electronic pregnancy test is a modern rapid testing system that allows you to determine if you are pregnant at home. These are innovative devices of a new generation with high sensitivity. Compared to test strips, electronic tests reduce the risk of an erroneous result to almost a minimum.

Content:

• How electronic pregnancy tests work
• General rules
• pros
• Minuses
• Could an electronic pregnancy test be wrong?
• When is the best time to do a test to get a reliable result?
• When to do an irregular cycle test?

How electronic pregnancy tests work

The electronic test reacts to the chorionic hormone hCG, which begins to be produced in the woman's body immediately after the embryo is attached to the wall of the uterus. This hormone is present in significant quantities in the blood, but for its detection it is necessary to conduct an appropriate study in the laboratory.

Scientists have found that hCG is also present in urine. It is she who is used to conduct the testing procedure. This is possible due to the fact that electronic tests are highly sensitive to the hormone and can detect it at a concentration of 25 mUI hCG. Some manufacturers indicate that their tests are capable of detecting chorionic hormone in urine, even if its concentration is 10 mUI hCG.

After urine enters the test, its electronic display is activated. After 3-5 minutes, the result appears on it. Depending on the specific device, it will be indicated by the words or signs "plus" and "minus".

Some test systems are capable of not only detecting hCG, but also independently determining its amount. Due to this, it becomes possible to establish the gestational age with an accuracy of 1-2 weeks. Indeed, already 2 weeks after conception, the hCG level reaches 25 mIU / ml and its concentration gradually increases. However, to obtain the most reliable result, the test must be performed according to certain rules.

General rules

Although the reliability of electronic tests remains high, there is still a risk of error if the procedure is not performed correctly.

It can be minimized if the following conditions are met:

• It is best to purchase tests at pharmacies. The choice must be stopped on the device that is produced by a verified manufacturer.
• The packaging containing the device must not be damaged.
• If the test is indicated as a one-time test, you cannot reuse it.
• The study is best done in the morning, using the first portion of urine.
• It's good if you have the opportunity to wash yourself before testing.
• When the test is carried out by immersing it in a container of urine, you need to take care of the cleanliness of the container in advance.
• Each package with the dough must contain instructions for its use. Before performing the procedure, you must carefully read the proposed text.

Procedure rules

It is easy to use the electronic test and no special skills are required from the woman.

The main steps for operating the device are as follows:

• It is necessary to remove the test from the package, and free its tip from the protective cap.
• The test is placed under a stream of urine, or dipped in a container with just collected urine. The average dwell time of the test is 5 seconds.
• The test is removed from the urine, put a cap on the tip and placed on any flat, horizontal, dry surface. If there is nowhere to put the test, then you need to hold it in your hands, pointing the tip down.
• After the time specified in the instructions (about 3 minutes), you need to evaluate the result. It will be written in words or with the mathematical signs "+" or "-".

If the test involves determining the timing of pregnancy, then they will be indicated on the display in weeks. Although the operating rules of the device are intuitive, it is recommended that you read the instructions provided.

pros

The undoubted advantage of the electronic device is its high sensitivity. The test allows you to determine the level of hCG in the urine even when there is very little of it. Therefore, the diagnosis can be carried out even 4 days before the onset of menstruation. It should be noted that this option is not available for regular test strips. All of them are able to give results only on the first day of the delay in menstruation.

Some electronic tests provide information not only about the presence of pregnancy, but also about its duration. Moreover, if pregnancy has not occurred, the test is able to give out the date that is most favorable for conception in the future.

The result shown on the display is unambiguous: it is clearly spelled out, all characters and letters will be bright. Moreover, the display will remain active for several more hours. This is very important, because often faint, barely distinguishable lines appear on standard test strips, and after 10 minutes the result may change altogether.

Conveniently, you can purchase not only a one-time, but also a reusable electronic test. These devices include several replaceable cartridges. This will make it possible to clarify the result obtained, and, if necessary, to diagnose pregnancy in the next month.

Another significant advantage of the electronic test is that it does not have to be immersed in urine. You can simply put the device under the stream for a few seconds and then wait for the result to appear. This allows testing virtually anywhere and in the fastest possible time.

Electronic tests have an elongated shape, which makes the testing process as hygienic as possible.

There are already such advanced models of electronic tests on the market, which are equipped with a USB output. After testing, the device is connected to a computer, which displays information not only about the gestational age, but also calculates the expected date of birth. In the case of a negative result, the smart device will calculate the optimal day for conceiving a child in the coming month.

Minuses

The most significant disadvantage of an electronic pregnancy test is its high cost. The price for such devices starts from 350 rubles and above.

Some women consider the disadvantage of the electronic test that the result disappears after a day. This prevents the test from being kept as a reminder of the day the expectant mother found out about the pregnancy. Although for many women, this criterion is not significant.

It should also be understood that the earlier before the onset of the expected menstruation, the testing is carried out, the lower the reliability of the result.

As with any electronic device, a pregnancy test may be defective.

Could an electronic pregnancy test be wrong?

Even the most trusted test vendor cannot eliminate the possibility of an error. The device can give both false positive and false negative results.

The main reasons why the test system is wrong:

• The device was stored incorrectly, or the device was damaged during transportation.
• The test has expired.
• The test was not used as directed.

Most often, women are faced with false negative test results, that is, pregnancy has come, and the device shows its absence.

This can happen for a number of reasons:

• The study was done too early. Although the level of chorionic hormone rises in each woman after conception, its levels will be individual. Not always 3-5 days before the onset of menstruation, it reaches a level of 10 mMU / ml in the urine. Therefore, early testing always carries the risk of an error.
• Ovulation came late. It happens that the ovary leaves the ovary not in the middle of the cycle, but in its second half. As a result, conception occurs later and by the expected day of the onset of menstruation, the hCG level does not reach those values that the test can count.
• The urine is not sufficiently concentrated. For the very reason that the maximum concentration of urine is reached in the morning hours, most manufacturers recommend doing the test at this time. During the day, urine liquefies, there are few hormones in it, but more fluid becomes. This can lead to an unreliable result. Especially if the woman drinks a lot of water or takes diuretics.
• The hCG level may not reach the prescribed values if a woman has a frozen or ectopic pregnancy.
• If a woman has pathologies of the urinary system, then this can lead to difficulty in excreting hCG in the urine.

Less often, tests give a false positive result. In this case, the pregnancy was most likely terminated early, which the woman did not even notice. Therefore, the test in this case, in fact, was correct, but it is almost impossible to prove this fact.

Other reasons for a false positive result are:

• A woman has a tumor that produces hormones.
• Hormonal disruption in the body.
• The woman has recently had a miscarriage or abortion.
• The woman is taking drugs containing hCG.

When is the best time to do a test to get a reliable result?

All manufacturers of electronic tests indicate that the test result that was obtained on the first day of missed menstruation can be considered the most reliable. The risk of an error in this case is no more than 1%. In the case of performing the research at an earlier date, the reliability of the result varies from 51-90%.

Moreover, each organism is different. In one woman, hCG can be produced in large volumes, and in another woman in smaller volumes, while both of them will be at the same stage of pregnancy. Therefore, if the test gave a negative result, and menstruation did not come after 3-5 days, then the testing procedure can be repeated.

When to do an irregular cycle test?

Often, a woman's menstrual cycle length can vary. To complete the test at the optimal time, you need to try to remember exactly when unprotected intercourse happened, add 14 days to this number and carry out the research procedure.

Alternatively, you can do a test after signs of pregnancy appear: enlargement and tenderness of the mammary glands, the appearance of implantation bleeding, etc. Alternatively, you can perform the test on the first day of delayed menstruation, focusing on the shortest cycle.

The author of the article: Lapikova Valentina Vladimirovna | Gynecologist, reproductologist

Education: Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology received at the Russian State Medical University of the Federal Agency for Healthcare and Social Development (2010). In 2013 completed postgraduate studies at N. N. N. I. Pirogova.