To test or not to test, and when…
Many of us struggle with home pregnancy testing. For some, early home pregnancy testing allows the opportunity to begin monitoring a pregnancy as early as possible!
Some Tips for Testing:
- Testing should be done with first morning urine (FMU).
- If there are no high-risk circumstances, it is probably best to wait 12-14 dpo (days past ovulation).
- Pregnancy Tests detect Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). hCG is a hormone which is secreted by the developing placenta.
- The appearance and increased levels of hCG provide an excellent indicator of pregnancy.
- The hCG hormone doubles approximately every 2.2 days during the first trimester. Detectable levels start at 5 mlU/mL during the first week of gestation and rise to 100,000 mlU/mL at 2 to 3 months.
- Miscarriage may be associated with a slow rise in hCG levels.
- During the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, hCG levels decline 10% to 15% from peak concentrations.
- All pregnancy tests are not created equal. Some take higher levels of hCG to trigger a positive. Some are known to give “false” positives.
- It is always advisable to wait until 12 dpo (days past ovulation) to test. Although I’ve seen positive results as early as 8 dpo with the dipstick our Early Home Pregnancy Tests.
- One line (normally) is NEGATIVE.
- Two lines POSITIVE result.
- Dipstick (shown above) is the most sensitive and it is best to collect urine in a disposable cup then dip strip.
- If you get a light line that appears beyond 3 minutes, test again the next day. If the line appears faster and darker will confirm your pregnancy is progressing.
- The Midstream allows the freedom of holding the test in the stream vs. collecting in cup.