What Does The Test Measure
A pregnancy test measures a hormone in the body called human chorionic gonadotropin . hCG is created at higher levels during pregnancy. There are two different ways hCG results are reported:
- Qualitative: Qualitative hCG tests give a positive or negative result depending on the presence or absence of hCG in the sample. Qualitative tests can be done using either a blood or urine sample. This type of testing is done most often to confirm a pregnancy.
- Quantitative: Quantitative hCG testing measures the amount of hCG present in the blood. These tests frequently use a blood sample, but some urine tests can provide a degree of quantitative measurement. Along with confirming a pregnancy, quantitative hCG tests can also be used as part of the diagnostic process for abnormal pregnancies and other health conditions not related to pregnancy that can raise hCG levels.
Cant Get Rid Of Bv During Pregnancy
BV is not a serious infection, but it can cause some unpleasant symptoms, such as a strong fish-like odor, vaginal itching, and burning. It can also increase the risk of preterm labor and other pregnancy complications.
BV is usually treated with antibiotics, but it can be difficult to get rid of BV during pregnancy. Some women may need to take antibiotics for several weeks to clear the infection.
If you are pregnant and have BV, it is important to get it treated. Untreated BV can increase the risk of preterm labor and other pregnancy complications. Talk to your doctor about the best way to treat BV during pregnancy.
Used The Pregnancy Test Too Early
Your hCG wont be high enough to detect until six days after conception.
If you took the test too early, then the test will read negative even if you are pregnant. The test is fine-tuned to detect low amounts of hCG, but there arent enough hormones to be detected on the test until about a week after conception.
Its a good idea to wait until the first day of your missed period to take a pregnancy test. Once your hCG levels are high enough, your period should stop. That means its been at least six days since conception, and the test should read positive if youre pregnant.
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Pregnancy Blood Tests Cost
If you choose to go public for pregnancy and birth care, the blood test is free in most countries. In Australia, the cost is paid by Medicare.
If you decide to have your pregnancy and birth care through the private health care system, there might be a cost associated with the pathology lab fee.
If you have private health insurance, you could be reimbursed some of your out-of-pocket costs for a blood pregnancy test otherwise, you will be charged a full fee.
Commercial genetic blood testing involves a fee, as it is usually done in a private capacity.
These links below will give you more information around public vs private care:
How Does A Pregnancy Test Work
An at-home pregnancy test is designed to find hCG in pee2. If the hormone is present, it triggers a chemical reaction and the test signals that you’re pregnant. If hCG is not present, the test will say you aren’t pregnant. Many tests use two lines to mean youre pregnant and one line to mean youre notbut it depends on the test brand. Some tests use plus and minus signs. Some digital pregnancy tests have a screen that plainly reads “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” Which can save you some Is that one line or two?! squinting, at least.
Seems simple, right? As Ina Garten would say, “How easy is that?” Typically, pretty easy. Most at-home pregnancy tests claim to be about 99% accurate3. Ultrasounds typically can’t detect a pregnancy until a little later in your pregnancy and that’s why at-home tests are so useful. But, sometimes, other elements can mess with a pregnancy test’s results and tell you youre pregnant when youre really not.
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Can I Lie Down For A Pregnancy Blood Sample Test
Of course! Not all of us are great with a hCG blood test, and some of us have a needle phobia.
If you usually feel light-headed or are super anxious about needles or having blood drawn, let your doctor or health professional know. They can do their best to make sure youre comfortable and prepared for the test.
You’ve Left The Test Sitting Too Long Before Looking
“You’ve urinated on the stick, and are now eagerly awaiting. You might want to take your mind off the nervous wait, but don’t wander off and forget leaving the test ‘cooking’ for too long can give a false positive result. The reason for this is due to the urine evaporating if left for too long it can leave a faint line which can be mistaken as a positive test. It is recommended to not read a pregnancy test after the recommended time frame as most brands have a possibility of evaporation lines.”
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First What Is A Pregnancy Test
Let’s start with the absolute basics just to make sure we’re all on the same page. A pregnancy test tells you if youre pregnant or not. That’s simple enough to understand. But it’s understandable if you’re a little fuzzy on the details of what these devices actually look for to identify a pregnancy.
At-home pregnancy tests check for the hormone hCG. HCG is short for human chorionic gonadotropin, which the body creates during pregnancy. Right after a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining, the placenta then forms and starts producing hCG1. A blood test can detect hCG about nine days after conception, and a urine test can detect it 12 to 14 days after conception, according to the Cleveland Clinic, although it variessome especially sensitive urine tests can detect a pregnancy even earlier. A persons hCG level typically doubles every 72 hours through 8 to 11 weeks of pregnancy. Then it remains consistent and starts to go down after delivery.Back to top.
Can Clear Blue Easy Be Negative
If the Clear Blue Easy digital test reports a negative result but after a few days, the menstrual cycle has still not begun, retest. If the test is still negative and your menstrual cycle doesnt begin soon, your doctor can do further testing to determine if you have a hormonal disorder interfering with your menstrual cycle.
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False Positive And Negative Results
When a test result is inaccurate, its either a false negative or a false positive . Several factors can cause false negative results:
- Having too dilute urine after drinking a lot of water or testing later in the day.
- Testing too soon when there has not been enough time for a fertilized egg to implant and start hCG production.
- Using a pregnancy test that doesnt detect lower levels of hCG. You can check the package insert for more information about the level at which the test will be positive.
Sometimes an egg will implant briefly but will not be sustained. This is also called a chemical pregnancy hCG is produced, but the pregnancy doesnt continue. A test performed several days before an expected period can show a positive result, but the woman still gets her period soon or on time. Rarely, certain tumors can produce hCG, causing a pregnancy test to be positive even when a woman is not pregnant.
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How To Get Tested
Laboratory tests such as blood draws and urine samples generally need to be ordered by a health care professional. Either of these tests can take place in the doctors office, hospital, or another laboratory. Urine tests can also be taken at home. If you suspect you are pregnant, talk with your health care professional about how to get a pregnancy test.
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When To Take A Home Pregnancy Test
The length of time from the first day of a period to ovulation can vary by several days from month to month. Sexual activity around ovulation leads to the possibility of fertilization of an released egg by sperm. But even then, the time frame for a fertilized egg to implant can vary. And hCG isnt produced until after implantation has occurred.
For the most accurate results, we recommend testing in the morning on the day you expect your period to start. This allows for variability in the timing of ovulation, fertilization, and implantation. Testing in the morning provides a more concentrated urine sample.
Follow the directions carefully to get the best results. Before you take the test, make sure you understand what the readout for pregnant and not pregnant will be. Some tests still use two lines to indicate you are pregnant and one to indicate that you arent. However, many tests have switched to words such as yes and no, or pregnant and not pregnant for additional clarity.
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When To Take First Response Pregnancy Test
The first response pregnancy test is a reliable way to determine if you are pregnant. The test can be taken as early as six days after conception. The test measures the levels of the hormone hCG in the urine. hCG is produced when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus. If the test is positive, it is recommended that you see a doctor for confirmation.
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Can I Eat Before The Pregnancy Blood Sample Test
For most tests, its recommended you have something to eat beforehand. This is mainly because you might feel a little nauseous or light-headed if your blood sugar is low.
For a few tests, its recommended you dont eat your health care provider should let you know when giving you the referral.
The GTT for GDM is a fasting test. You need to take nil by mouth overnight for this one.
Pregnancy Test Error Due To Not Following The Instructions
If you are wondering how often are pregnancy tests wrong, the Office on Women’s Health writes pregnancy tests are at least 99 percent accurate if the test is done correctly. However, an analysis of studies on the accuracy of home pregnancy test kits published in 1998 in the Archives of Family Medicine found user error was a significant cause of inaccurate results.
If you don’t follow the instructions precisely when using your urine HPT kit, you increase the chance of getting a false negative result. To improve the accuracy of your HPT results:
- Read all the test instructions before you start your testing and carefully follow the steps.
- It is best to test your first morning urine as suggested by most HPT brands. Your first urine of the day is the most concentrated so HCG will be highest then and more easily detected.
- Don’t read the test too early, or you might think your result is negative. Wait long enough for the results to develop after the urine is on the test stick. If you read the test too late, you might mistake an evaporation line for a positive test.
- Don’t drink a lot of water before you do your test. This can dilute the HCG in your urine and make it harder to detect and cause a false negative result.
- Make sure you are not using the urine test after the expiration date on package.
Repeat your test if you think you did not follow the instructions and recommendations.
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What Can Cause A False Positive Pregnancy Test
Here are the most likely reasons you may end up with a false positive pregnancy test:
If you take a standard pregnancy test with line indicators, it’s important to check the results according to the specific instruction of the test. If you let it sit too long before reading the results, urine on the test can evaporate and make it look like you have two lines instead of just one. “Oftentimes people will see evaporation lines as urine starts to evaporate off the test,”Jamil Abdur-Rahman, M.D., board-certified ob-gyn, tells SELF. That might cause the test to look like it has a faint second linemaking it positivebut it really only has one.
The best way to avoid this: Read the pregnancy test’s directions and follow them exactly. The popular pregnancy test brand First Response, for example, instructs users to wait three minutes after taking the test, then read it as soon as possible4.
The second most common reason Dr. Abdur-Rahman’s patients get false positives is because the test is expired, he says. When a test is past its expiration date, the chemical that detects hCG doesn’t always work as it should, and youre more likely to get a misread. “The test can expire and the chance of having a false positive increases,” Dr. Abdur-Rahman says.
If you take a pregnancy test too soon after taking a fertility drug that contains hCGlike some injections that are often part of in vitro fertilizationyou could get a false positive.
False Pregnancy Test Results
In some cases, tests offer a false result. But, in other cases, they detect the presence of an embryo, even if the pregnancy is not viable. For the first five points below, weâll cover false results where the test detects elevated hCG and indicates a pregnancy that does not exist. The final two points, weâll cover instances when the test accurately detects hCGs in a pregnancy that is not viable.
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Blood Tests Are More Sensitive Than Urine Tests But Errors Can Still Occur
Meredith Shur, MD, FACOG, is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as a certified medical examiner.
Verywell / Photo illustration by Michela Buttignol / Getty Images
People who are trying to conceive may wonder if a blood pregnancy test can be wrong. These tests, which are done at a doctor’s office or in a lab, are over 99% accurate. Blood tests confirm pregnancy by checking for the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin , which increases exponentially after conception.
Another common question is whether you can have a negative hCG blood test but still be pregnant. This situation is quite rare, but it is possible to have a false-negative result, particularly if the test is done too early or if the test is faulty.
While at-home urine tests are also extremely accurate, blood pregnancy tests are more sensitive and can detect a pregnancy earlier. Blood pregnancy tests yield a positive result if they detect 1 to 2 mIU/mL of hCG, while urine tests require hCG levels to reach 20 to 50 mIU/mLs.
Too Much Hcg In The Urine
Conversely, if your hCG levels are too high, your pregnancy test can also return a false-negative. This is called a hook effect. Its very rare, but it does happen.
Pregnancy tests are designed to track a specific range of hCG in the body. If you have too little, , it wont be detected. If you have too much, , the test strip may not be able to bond to any of the molecules, possibly showing a negative result.
If youve gotten a negative pregnancy test but havent had your period, is something else causing your period to be late?
There are a handful of reasons why you might miss a period, such as:
- Hormonal disorders
- Too high or too low body weight
- Some chronic diseases
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Estimated Cost Of Hcg Test
Generally, a blood pregnancy test costs more than at-home pregnancy tests. The cost can also increase if the test has to be repeated several times. If you have insurance, it can cover the blood test otherwise, you will have to pay from your pocket.
The average cost of qualitative hCG blood tests starts anywhere from $34 and can exceed $150 depending on the lab and extra tests included. On the other hand, a quantitative test has an average starting cost of $35 and can go as high as $400, depending on the additional tests to be conducted.
Pregnancy Test Accuracy: How To Get Results You Can Trust
Luckily, false positives are rare. And there are steps you can take to make sure your home pregnancy test gives you results you can trust.
- Time it right. Dont take a test too early. Its more likely that youll get a false negative or that the test will detect a chemical pregnancy that isnt able to progress. Dr. Emery recommends waiting until the day of your missed period, or a few days later, to take the test. Timing is important. The test is most accurate if you wait at least until the day of your expected period, he says.
- Follow the directions. Make sure your test isnt expired. Read the directions before you start. And follow the steps exactly to avoid a stressful false result.
- Repeat it. If you got a positive home pregnancy test, you might be eager to get a blood test to confirm the result. Blood tests are more accurate, so thats certainly an option. But it isnt always necessary, Dr. Emery says. If you get a positive result from a urine test, then repeat the test in three to five days. If its still positive, you can trust the result, he says.
Home pregnancy tests are inexpensive, private and quite reliable, Dr. Emery adds. People often dont believe what theyre seeing. But if youve used the test correctly and done it at the right time, its probably true.
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