When you think you might be pregnant, there are only about a million questions running through your head at any given point. Whether you have been trying forever, want to be pregnant, don’t want to be pregnant, or don’t really know whether or not you want to be pregnant, the questions are still the same! Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
The act of taking a pregnancy test at home can be confusing, overwhelming and either an exciting or scary process, depending on how you look at it. Today, we are going to cover some basics about home pregnancy tests with you so you will be a little more prepared.
You can’t take a pregnancy test right after sex. You can’t even take a pregnancy test a few hours or a few days after sex. I mean, you technically CAN, but you won’t get an accurate result. Even if you think you are pregnant instantly after having sex, you still have to wait.
Here’s why. When the egg is fertilized and it implants in the uterine wall, you are technically pregnant. But, until the placenta begins to grow, you won’t be able to tell from a home pregnancy test. That is because the cells that form the placenta are the cells that release hCG, the pregnancy hormone.
The amount of hCG in the body is at first very little, but will continue to double every couple of days once you are pregnant. You have to wait until that level of hCG in your body becomes high enough for it to be detected by an at home urine test.
Each pregnancy test is different. Whether you choose an expensive at home test, or one offof the 2 for $1 rack, they will act in the same way. The difference is the sensitivity of the test. Some sensitive tests may be able to pick up hCG levels earlier than other tests. Some, less sensitive tests, won’t pick up the hCG until later on.
Popular opinion is that First Response and Clear Blue both have some of the most sensitive over the counter tests available. For the best results, you should wait until the first day of your missed period, even though it is hard to wait that long, for the best results on a pregnancy test.
One of the most important things to remember about pregnancy tests is that you need to follow the instructions exactly. If the test says use the first morning urine, do it. If the test says use midstream urine, do it. If your test tells you to wait exactly five minutes before looking at the results, do what it says.
Most tests will also have a time period in which the results are considered valid. If you look at a pregnancy test an hour or two after you take it, you might see what appears to be a positive result, when really the test is considered invalid since so much time has passed. The main point of making sure home pregnancy tests are accurate is to follow the instructions closely.
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