How To Make Sure You
So how do you know you are actually pregnant? There are many ways by which you can have yourself diagnosed.
Home Pregnancy Test
A home pregnancy test works by detecting the hormone hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in your urine. Tests of this type, when done correctly, can be as accurate as the urine tests done in a doctor’s laboratory, with positive results having greater chances at accuracy than the negative ones.
Home pregnancy tests give out results in a matter of minutes. And you can use any-time-of-the-day urine sample. You may run the test at the very first day after you’ve missed your monthly period, or about fourteen days after probable conception. However, you do get more accurate results if you take the test after you have been a few days late with your period.
A home pregnancy test has its advantages. For one, you can run the test in the privacy of your own home. And because it gives immediate results, you can kick off your healthy pregnancy efforts early on.
The disadvantages? Home pregnancy tests can be relatively expensive. And there is a big chance that you would go to a clinic for a retest, to reaffirm the result. This then doubles your expenses. And the biggest disadvantage is that you might actually get a false negative result even when you are positively pregnant. You then forego clinical consultations and go on with your unhealthy non-pregnant lifestyle.
In-Office Urine Test
The in-office urine test is not all that different from the home pregnancy test. It also detects hCG, with an accuracy rate that’s close to 100%. And you can get results 7-14 days after probable conception. But unlike home urine tests, in-office urine tests are done by professionals. This increases the test’s reliability.
Blood Test
You will find more confidence in the 100% accurate blood pregnancy test (disregarding possible lab error), which gives out results as early as a week after probable conception. With just a few drops of your blood, a blood pregnancy test measures the exact amount of hCG present in the blood system. And because hCG values change with the progression of pregnancy, detection of the exact date of your pregnancy is possible.
For a maximized accuracy of diagnosis, you should go for both the urine and blood tests.
Medical Exam
And do make it a point to visit a medical practitioner. A doctor or midwife can check for the more obvious physical signs, like changed texture of your cervix and softened uterus.
One thing you must keep in mind, no medical diagnosis, though sophisticated and scientific, is infallible. If your womanly intuition is strongly telling you that you are pregnant, take the necessary precautions early on. Avoid alcoholic drinks, cut down cigarette smoking, etc etc. More so if you are experiencing the physical symptoms of pregnancy, like missed period, morning sickness, breast fullness, fatigue, frequent urination and so on.
When dealing with pregnancy, it’s always better to err on the side of caution.
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