If you have missed a period and recently had unprotected sex, you may be pregnant. Pregnancy tests are most reliable from the first day of your missed period. You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex. Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period. You can do a pregnancy test on a sample of urine collected at any time of the day. It doesn't have to be in the morning. You can buy pregnancy testing kits from pharmacists and some supermarkets. They can give a quick result and you can do the
test in private. The following places provide free pregnancy tests: You may also be able to get a pregnancy test free of charge from your GP. All pregnancy tests detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), which starts to be produced around 6 days after fertilisation. Most
pregnancy tests come in a box that contains 1 or 2 long sticks. You pee on the stick and the result appears on the stick after a few minutes. All tests are slightly different, so always check the instructions. Will a pregnancy test work if I'm on the pill?Yes. Some methods of contraception, such as the contraceptive pill, contain hormones, but these hormones will not stop a pregnancy test working. No method of contraception is completely effective, so it's important to take a pregnancy test if you think you might be pregnant. Pregnancy test resultsHome pregnancy tests are accurate as long as you follow the instructions correctly. A positive test result is almost certainly correct. However, a negative test result is less reliable. The result may not be reliable if you:
Some medicines can also affect the results. If you get a negative result and still think you're pregnant, wait a few days and try again. Speak to your GP if you get a negative result after a second test but your period has not arrived. Continuing with the pregnancyIf you're pregnant and want to continue with the pregnancy, contact your GP or a midwife to start your antenatal care. You can use the pregnancy due date calculator to work out when your baby is due. If you're not sure you want to be pregnantIf you're not sure about continuing with the pregnancy, you can discuss this confidentially with a healthcare professional. Your options are:
As well as a GP or a nurse at your GP surgery, you can also get accurate, confidential information – from the age of 13 – from the following:
All these services – including community contraceptive clinics – are confidential. If you're 13 or older, the staff won't tell your parents. They'll encourage you to talk to your parents, but they won't force you. If you're under 25 and would prefer advice specifically for young people, the sexual health charity Brook provides a range of services for young people. The Brook website contains information on pregnancy choices. You can also use the Ask Brook 24/7 service. Video: Is the pregnancy test accurate?In this video, a midwife explains when you can take a pregnancy test and how to do it properly.
Media last reviewed: 5 February 2020 You may suspect that you are pregnant when you have unusual symptoms of pregnancy or if you have missed your period. If you have regular periods and have missed your period by a week, it is likely that you are pregnant. However, if you have irregular menstrual cycles, look out for other symptoms of pregnancy. For a start, confirm your suspicion by buying an over-the-counter urine pregnancy test kit. There are many brands of pregnancy test kits available in the market, which are quite reliable. These are available at our local pharmacies. Alternatively, you could go to your doctor for a test. What is a Pregnancy Test Kit? During
pregnancy, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is produced, which circulates in the blood and is also present in the urine. The pregnancy test kit detects the presence of hCG in your urine. It is a qualitative test. Some pregnancy test kits are more sensitive than the others but most will be able to detect hCG between the fourth to fifth week of your pregnancy. This means that for those with regular cycles, the test should be positive once you have missed your period by a few days. Although almost all over-the counter pregnancy test kits detect pregnancy by measuring hCG in the urine, you have to read the instructions for the test kit because instructions for usage are different for different test kits. An indicator will show if you are pregnant. For example, some kits will show two bold lines if positive (Figure 6.2) and one bold line if negative (Figure 6.3). These indicators are different for various
kits. How Accurate are the Pregnancy Test Kits?Pregnancy tests are rarely wrong. It is more than 99% accurate. Thus, if your test is negative, it means that you are not pregnant; However, if you are very early in your pregnancy and the test is done too early, there could be insufficient amount of hCG in the urine for the test to detect. So, if a test comes back negative but you strongly suspect that you are pregnant, repeat the test in a few days’ time. There are rare examples when the hCG level is raised transiently and then drops to zero. This is known as “biochemical pregnancy” and could be the cause of a false positive result of the test kit. This initial rise of hCG levels would soon drop in “biochemical pregnancy” and result in a negative test result. Vaginal bleeding occurs soon after, which would coincide with “delayed menses”. Also rarely, there could be occasional ovarian tumors which secrete hCG and the false positive result could be wrongly interpreted as a pregnancy. Frequently Asked Questions1. Do I have to test with first morning urine?Although you can test any time of the day, your first morning urine specimen is usually the most concentrated of the day and would have the most pregnancy hormones in it. 2. When should I take the test if I suspect that I am pregnant?You can test your urine as early as six days past ovulation but the first day of your missed period is recommended for greatest accuracy. 3. Do I need a blood test for hCG to confirm my pregnancy?Blood tests for hCG are more accurate in detecting HCG and they can also measure the actual levels of the hormone. These tests may be useful to
differentiate a miscarriage when the blood hCG will drop with time or a healthy pregnancy when the blood hCG level will double every two days. Occasionally, we need to follow-up the hCG levels to help us diagnose an early ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that is outside the womb), which could be potentially life-threatening or confirm a miscarriage. AcknowledgementSource: Dr TAN Thiam Chye, Dr TAN Kim Teng, Dr TAN Heng
Hao, Dr
TEE Chee Seng John, The New Art and Science of Pregnancy and Childbirth, World Scientific 2008. Visit Parent Hub, for more useful tips and guides for a healthy pregnancy. Download the HealthHub app on Google Play or Apple Store to access more health and wellness advice at your fingertips. |
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