Pregnancy is a turning point in any woman’s life. Thanks to advancement in technology, there are different ways in which you can conclude whether you are pregnant or not. The lab tests using your blood gives you a more sensitive and accurate result about your pregnancy. But mMany women prefer to receive this happy news in their homes, in a private environment before they head out to visit a gynaecologist to confirm the news. For them, home pregnancy kits are a boon which are easily available in pharmacy these days.
However, what you have to remember is that, these kits may show false results, on some rare occasions. This happens when:
- You are testing too early and your urine doesn’t contain enough hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone to show up in the kit
- You are not testing at the right time (some kits specifically ask you test early in the mornings for best results)
- You have consumed too many fluids just before the test, as a result of which your urine is diluted and not showing the right results
So, to get the best possible results from your home pregnancy kit, have a thorough look on the instructions mentioned and follow them strictly.
Try taking the test 1 or 2 weeks after you have missed your period. For more accuracy, using your first morning urine for the home test might be advisable.
Different types of home kits are available today out of which, the ones with the test strip, dipstick or the urine cups are the most common. The test strips require you to hold it in your urine stream while you are urinating. With urine cups, you can urinate into the cup and then dip the test strip into it. A colour change is observed in one section of the strip if hCG is detected. This means that you are pregnant. There are also kits available which make you mix your urine samples with liquids or powders. The chemical reaction caused brings a change in colour and they provide you charts to interpret the result.
These kits might give you false results too. So, in your best interest, it is advisable to contact a doctor in case of any doubts and before you take further actions.
