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AM I PREGNANT? - Pregnancy tests - December 2008. When the periods are delayed the common question that crosses a woman’s mind is “ Am I pregnant? How early can I get to know if I am pregnant?” For a woman who is planning to have a baby this is the first preoccupation. Thanks for the simple tests this is a question that can be answered soon.
These are only clues but cannot be relied upon to know if you are pregnant. A home pregnancy test is a simple fairly accurate test. It is urine test that checks for the presence of a hormone- HCG in the urine. Some tests can tell you if you are pregnant as early as the first day of your missed period. If you follow the instructions carefully & do the test it is almost as accurate as the other tests done in the laboratory. The card method * is the popular home test. The test is positive when there are two lines on the card. Sometimes the test will be negative but after an hour or so it becomes positive. This is not a positive pregnancy test. All pregnancy test cards have the possibility of displaying an evaporation line. Do not attempt to interpret results after the test reaction time specified by the manufacturer. If the test band is faint compared to the control band the test is weakly positive. It means that it could be an early pregnancy & the level of HCG is low. The level of HCG doubles every two days. So you need to repeat the test after 2-3 days. If the 2nd test is also faintly positive you need to see your Gynecologist. Your doctor will order a blood test to measure the level of HCG. False positive tests are rare though there are instances & conditions where they occur. A positive pregnancy test with no other symptoms or signs of pregnancy is a chemical pregnancy. Research has shown that nearly half of the fertilized eggs do not go ahead to form a baby. The egg is fertilized but is rejected. You will get your periods. The flow will either be normal or heavy with cramps. But it is always better to see your doctor in these instances, as it is not unusual to have a regular period like bleeding in the first few months of pregnancy.
Some tissues in a non-pregnant woman produce HCG, though the levels are usually so low that it cannot be detected by home pregnancy test. The commonest would be ovarian tumors that need further evaluation and management. A percentage of "false positive" pregnancy tests can be attributed to misinterpretation of results due to a failure to follow test instructions with precision. Definitely a positive pregnancy test calls for celebration. But it is also essential to have it confirmed by a physical exam and then get a complete prenatal check up. Positive test calls for celebration.
Be healthy; be well informed.
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Taking a test with a diluted urine sample can give a false negative test. In fact false negative tests are more common than the false positive test. It is recommended to take the test with the first morning urine as it contains the most concentrated presence of HCG. Taking the test too early can also give a false negative result. The developing placenta secretes HCG shortly after fertilization. For a woman with irregular cycles ovulation may not take place on the fourteenth day but much later (a week or more). Accordingly the conception also will be delayed. Therefore the test will be initially negative. If you repeat the test after week it may become positive. If it is still negative and your period still hasn’t started, you need to find out why. It is recommended that you see your doctor.
It is also important to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. In ectopic pregnancy the fertilized egg will implant in the tube and at times in the ovary itself. Since these structures are not designed to support the growing fetus it will sooner or later rupture & cause internal bleeding. This is a medical emergency. 