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More and more women are using home pregnancy tests to discover whether or not they are pregnant. Home pregnancy tests have become as reliable as doctor administered blood tests due to advancing technology and high demand for a dependable home pregnancy test. A pregnancy test works by testing for the presence of a special hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), also called the pregnancy hormone. When a fertilized egg implants the uterus, it releases hCG approximately 6 days after conception with the amount of hCG increasing dramatically every day that a woman is pregnant. Home pregnancy tests, while fairly reliable, are not as foolproof in detecting pregnancy accurately in the first few days of pregnancy as a doctor’s blood test. A home test will show a more accurate result one week after a missed menstruation. There is no difference between the blood test your doctor would give you and a home pregnancy test that tests the urine as both react to the hCG hormone’s presence in the body system. If you use a home pregnancy test and discover that you are pregnant, be certain to call your doctor immediately and schedule a visit. Your doctor will perform a pelvic exam that will confirm your pregnancy. It’s a good idea to establish a good relationship with your doctor early on in your pregnancy to assure your overall health and the health of your baby. The blood test for pregnancy that doctors use can detect hCG 6 to 8 days after ovulation. A beta hCG test (or quantitative blood test) will accurately measure hCG in the bloodstream and can determine the particular amount of the hormone present in the woman’s body. A quantitative blood test for pregnancy gives a much more specific result than a qualitative blood test. A qualitative blood test for pregnancy simply examines for the presence of hCG, providing a woman with a “pregnant” or “not pregnant” answer, much like a home pregnancy test. |
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