Often, young women are eager to find out whether conception occurred at the beginning of pregnancy. It happens that girls, without waiting for a delay in menstruation, run to the pharmacy for a pregnancy test. And then they begin to worry about the popular question: when can I do a pregnancy test to get a reliable result?
How does a pregnancy test work?
The method of the pregnancy test is very similar to the method of tests that detect drugs in the body. Urine contains many different substances that respond to special developers. In the body of a pregnant woman, a special hormone (hCG) begins to develop sharply, which all pregnancy tests are aimed at identifying. The presence of hCG in the blood is a reliable sign of pregnancy, therefore, if the test result is positive, the probability that you carry a future baby is 99%.
When can I do a pregnancy test?
The hCG hormone is produced very quickly, but this process begins only after implantation, which occurs on the 6-12th day from the moment of conception. Prior to implantation, the test will give a negative result. As a result, a supersensitive test, which determines hCG from 10 mU / ml, will be able to show a barely distinguishable second strip not earlier than on the 8-10th day of pregnancy. An ordinary cheap test with a sensitivity of 25 mU / ml will detect pregnancy after 10 days from the moment of conception, provided that the implantation occurred very early. But to talk about the reliability of a negative result of such a test is possible only after a couple of weeks from the day of conception. Therefore, thinking about what day to do a pregnancy test, count two weeks from the estimated day of conception.
How to perform a pregnancy test?
Each test is accompanied by instructions, however, some women make mistakes, trying to determine their position. Firstly, you should not touch the special reaction zone on which the developers are located. Do not allow moisture to enter the test before using it. Secondly, all tests, except for the jet (midstream), can not be used in a stream of urine! Find any clean jar, glass or plastic, that will help you with this procedure. Thirdly, pay attention to the test results three to five minutes after use, as indicated in the instructions. You should not wait 10 minutes or more, since during this time moisture evaporates and damages the reaction layer. Often, a negative test shows a second strip 11-15 minutes after use. It would be a mistake to assume that you are pregnant if only one control strip appears after the time specified in the instructions. The most suitable time of day when you can do a pregnancy test with the most accurate result is morning. In the morning, the body of a pregnant woman contains the maximum amount of hCG hormones. It should be noted that the brightness of the second strip does not matter. The weakest second strip indicates your pregnancy if the test is performed correctly and you are not taking special medications containing this hormone.
If you correctly calculated when you can do a pregnancy test, and at the same time the test gave you a negative result, the probability that you are not pregnant is 90%. The remaining 10% is the likelihood of late implantation and a delayed increase in the number of hCG. Therefore, if a week after a negative result, menstruation has not started, do the test again. False negative test results may be affected by impaired renal function.
Knowing how and when you can do a pregnancy test, you are most likely to get a reliable result. To find out whether you will soon become a mother, you can now at home, without making an appointment in the queue to the doctor!