What is pregnancy test

Pregnancy tests are tests designed to tell if your urine or blood contains a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin(hCG). This hormone is produced right after a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of a woman's uterus.

Why Get Tested?

To confirm and monitor pregnancy or to diagnose trophoblastic disease or germ cell tumours

Sample Required?

A urine sample collected first thing in the morning or a blood sample taken from a vein in the arm

Test Preparation Needed?

None needed; however, do not drink large amounts of fluid before collecting a urine sample for a pregnancy test because overly dilute urine may result in a false negative test result.

How accurate are pregnancy tests?

You should know that waiting at least a week after a missed period may give you the most accurate result. Results may also be more accurate if you do the test first thing in the morning, when your urine is more concentrated.

Is it expensive or hard to do a home pregnancy test (HPT)?

You can buy a home pregnancy test in a pharmacy store without a prescription.Its relatively cheap but the cost depends on the brand.

How to carry out the test

You test the urine in one of these ways:

Hold the test's stick in your urine stream.

Collect urine in a cup and then dip the test's stick into it.

you need to wait a few minutes before seeing the results. Results may show up as a line, a color, or a symbol such as a "+" or "-"

What do positive pregnancy test results mean?

If you get a positive result,you are pregnant. This is true no matter how faint the line, color, or sign is,in very rare cases you could get a false positive result due to certain drugs, such as tranquilizers, anti-convulsants.

What do negative pregnancy test results mean?

If you get a negative result,you are likely not pregnant.however you may still be pregnant if

You took the test the wrong way

You tested too soon

Your urine is too dilute,or due to some drugs like anti-diuretics

If you get a negative pregnancy test result, try retesting within about a week to double-check

Is there anything else I should know?

An ultrasound scan is the major confirmatory test that will prove the pregnancy apart from urine and blood tests.

Note:You should not be pregnant let alone carrying out pregnancy test,if you aren't married

Reference:http://www.webmd.com
https://labtestsonline.org

WRITTEN BY AGBELEJOYE SODIQ CEO MED-LAB DIAGNOSTICS ©