It is unlikely that there will be a woman who will remain indifferent to the delay in menstruation, even for a couple of days. The excitement may be joyful for someone, someone anxious, but it always raises the question: “What should I do? Go to the doctors or wait a bit? ”
A visit to a specialist after a short delay, most likely, will not clarify the situation. It is unlikely that the doctor will be able to diagnose such a short gestation period. The solution will be going to the pharmacy and buying a simple, inexpensive and understandable home test to identify an interesting situation.
The sensitivity of pregnancy tests in their simplest execution is such that they are very likely to determine your condition already on the 2-3 day delay. It is suitable for any woman, regardless of age and physical condition. For its use, additional consultations are not needed, everything will be clear after reading the instructions.
Precautionary measures
The product annotation will describe what should not be done before the study, when it is better to conduct it, what accessories you need to stock up on. The main conditions are usually:
- The presence of a clean container for the test material.
- Taking diuretic drugs before the procedure is undesirable, the result may be distorted.
- The required examination time is morning (for certain types of tests).
It is worth considering the fact that when using birth control pills or, conversely, undergoing a course of therapy for infertility, the test may also be unreliable.
How it works?
In the female body during pregnancy, human chorionic gonadotropin is produced . In a normal state, a healthy person does not have it. Exceptions are women with hormonal tumors. The test diagnoses the presence of hCG in the blood. Produced by the placenta, the hormone can be determined as early as a week.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any other, such products are endowed with both positive and negative qualities.
Advantages:
- complete anonymity;
- elementary procedure;
- the sensitivity of pregnancy tests allows you to determine it for a minimum period, even before the onset of delay of critical days.
Disadvantages:
- does not show uterine or ectopic abnormal pregnancy;
- a false result is possible, usually due to poor-quality, expired tests;
- high cost of some models.
Factors Affecting Cost
A pregnancy test, the price of which nevertheless should not be very low, should have a good shelf life so that there are no doubts about the reliability of the indicator obtained. Its cost is primarily affected by such a factor as sensitivity, and also its type (generation) and the manufacturing company.
What is sensitivity
If a woman wants to determine a possible conception as early as possible, a test with a higher sensitivity should be purchased. What is the difference between ultra-sensitive systems and conventional ones, and how to choose the instance you need?
The amount of hCG that a single test can catch determines an indicator such as the sensitivity of pregnancy tests. Their number increases with each passing day after fertilization. The sooner you want to know about such an important condition for you, the lower mMe / ml should be indicated on the box with the test, respectively, the higher the figure, the lower the sensitivity of the product.
Existing Sensitivity Levels
Tests are with an indicator of: 30 mMe \ ml, 25 mME \ ml, 20 mME \ ml, 15 mME \ ml, 10 mME \ ml.
A pregnancy test (sensitivity 10) will be able to determine the lowest number of human chorionic gonadotropin in the body of the expectant mother.
Types of products and their labeling
Now 3 variants of tests for detecting early pregnancy are being produced. They differ in quality, form of manufacture, price, and, of course, sensitivity.
1. Tests in the form of paper strips that are impregnated with a reacting substance to the presence of hCG. The principle of their action is absolutely simple: lower the strip for ten seconds into a jar of urine, wait about 5 minutes and see if two red lines appear. If so, then most likely you will soon become a mom. The sensitivity of pregnancy tests of this type is most often 20 or 25 mIU / ml.
As a rule, they catch the level of hormones that is reached in the female body several days after the delay of menstruation, so it makes no sense to use them earlier than this period. This is the first generation of tests. It happens that they show distorted results. It is especially unpleasant if the absence of pregnancy was determined, but in fact it was. The strip could not fully absorb the liquid and distort the picture.
Despite this, they are very much in demand. The price of such products ranges from 10 to 100 rubles.
2. II generation - cassette pregnancy test. Sensitivity 15, 20 - the most common marking on it. Such products as a case look where a paper test in the form of a strip is enclosed. There are 2 windows on the case. Urine enters the first using the pipette included in the package, it comes into contact with the reagent there, and the result will be visible in the second after three or four minutes. This type of test costs more (60-150 rubles), but it does not differ much in quality from ordinary paper. A more sensitive product can reveal your interesting condition a few days before the start of critical days.
If you are really looking forward to pregnancy and want to keep the displayed two lines in memory, then with this instance you can do it. In addition, it looks beautiful.
3. Jet test for pregnancy. A sensitivity of 10 or 20 is its standard. This is the most accurate version of the test, the last, third generation, its price is quite high, ranges from 150-300 rubles.
It contains a special layer of blue reagents, which, detecting hCG in female urine, attach to them and show their presence in a minute. For carrying out diagnostics with him, containers and pipettes are not needed, it is simply substituted under the urine, the reliability of the result does not depend on what time the procedure is performed.
This high sensitivity pregnancy test provides a chance to determine an interesting position already 6 days after conception.
An inkjet option is an electronic test. The price for it is the highest - 200-1000 rubles, and the only difference is that instead of the appearance of strips that you need to look closely, it gives out the word "pregnant", that is, "pregnancy".
Reasons for false indicators
Failures in the results can occur for various reasons. The main ones are:
- the procedure has not been sustained;
- stored incorrectly;
- carried out very early;
- a woman has a violation in the work of the ovaries;
- after a month or two after the birth, there may still be hCG in the blood;
- the presence of tumors;
- a large amount of fluid drunk the day before.
If the analysis has drawn the desired lines, it is advisable to contact a medical specialist as soon as possible, who will either confirm the pregnancy or send for examination to determine the cause of the false-positive result.
Choose the best option
When choosing a test, the decisive factor is at what stage you want to find your interesting position. If even before the critical days are delayed, then more sensitive products should be purchased with a marking of 10, 15 mIU / ml. If you already have a delay, then you can buy a more economical paper pregnancy test. Sensitivity 20, 25 and below is highly likely to correctly show your condition.
Numerous studies of the Russian market of consumers of this product indicate that the following tests are in great demand:
- Paper strips with a sensitivity of 20-25: BB (BB), Frautest Express, Evitest No. 1 (reveal pregnancy from 3 days of delay).
- Cassette, sensitivity 20, 15: Evitest Proof, Frautest Expert (will determine an interesting position on 8-14 days after conception).
- Inkjet, sensitivity 10, 20: ClearBlue (electronic), FRAUTEST EXCLUSIVE. They are able to determine the onset of pregnancy from 6 days after the conception.
These models are referred to as those that rarely give false results. Russian-made products “Bee sure” have proven themselves well. It is very popular, largely due to the fact that this is a pregnancy test, the price of which is affordable for almost everyone and amounts to 10-15 rubles, and the results are usually reliable.
Summing up, I want to note: if a highly sensitive test has not shown an interesting position, and you performed it 6-7 days after a possible conception, do not despair. This may mean that it’s just still very early, and the hCG level has not reached the amount that your product sample can catch. Be patient and repeat the study after two to three days. Since the hCG indicator noticeably changes just after 2 days. The same rule applies to a less sensitive (with a specified 25 or 30 mMU / ml indicator) pregnancy test. The period that has passed after conception may not be sufficient for this product, and another manufacturer will not let you down and show the desired 2 strips.