Home Pregnancy Tests: Are They Accurate?

When it comes to pregnancy, every woman is keen to confirm her pregnancy at the earliest. Thanks to the pharmaceutical companies, for devising home pregnancy kits which can help you know whether you are pregnant or not, within minutes.

So, that means you don’t really have to walk over to your physician to find out about your pregnancy. That of course sounds very convenient; however, most women are a bit reluctant to use these home pregnancy tests, as they’re not sure whether these test kits can deliver accurate results.

To know whether it’s really worth using these home pregnancy tests and whether these tests are actually accurate, we’ll first look at how these home pregnancy tests work.

The home pregnancy test kits are meant to test the hCG that is found both in the blood as well as the urine during pregnancy. All through the pregnancy the hCG is present in the body and is secreted by your body in the urine. To get the hCG levels tested in your blood, you will have to walk over to a medical lab, but if you want to check it in the urine it can be easily done using the home pregnancy tests.

The blood usually has higher levels of hCG, but that doesn’t mean that urine based home pregnancy test cannot deliver accurate results. The accuracy of the home pregnancy test is completely dependent upon how well you follow the instructions given on the pack.

Here are two things that you must ensure at the time of taking home pregnancy test, to get accurate results. One, you should use only the first morning urine for the test and two you should not drink too much of water four to six hours before taking the test, as this will dilute the hCG in your urine.

If the home pregnancy test gives you a positive result, you must fix an appointment with your health care provider at the earliest so that he can advise you on the prenatal care program.