Early home pregnancy Test

There are numerous early home pregnancy test kits on the market. For the consumer, the great number of pregnancy kits and varied prices does become very confusing. Does it mean that if a pregnancy kit is cheap that it will not work, and likewise, is an expensive pregnancy kit more reliable?

First the facts- all available pregnancy tests work in the same way. They all measure human chorionic gondaotropic hormone (HCG) in the urine. HCG is hormone which is produced by the body when a pregnancy results. The level of this hormone double every few days. The majority of kits are very sensitive at detecting HCG in the urine at around 5-7 days after a pregnancy has occurred. The only difference is that some kits can identify the HCG in the urine a few days early. Most available kits are not very sensitive in identifying HCG in urine at day 1 or 2 and those that are sensitive are also expensive.

The early home pregnancy test kits, which measure HCG within 1-2 days after a pregnancy has occurred, work in exactly the same way as all other kits. You only pay extra for the convenience of knowing if you are pregnant a few days earlier. If you are in no hurry to know if you are pregnant and can wait a few more days, then you have lot more options and can save a lot of money. In the last few years, many generic early pregnancy test kits have become available and are a lot cheaper than brand name products.

In terms of prenatal care, there is absolutely no difference if a pregnancy is detected on the first or the seventh day. The only reason women buy the expensive kits is to get rid of the anxiety of knowing if they are pregnant or not, right after sexual intercourse. Irrespective of the kit you buy to check for pregnancy at home, this test must be confirmed at a doctor’s office by measuring HCG levels in blood. This is by far more sensitive than any urine test. 

Sometimes the home pregnancy tests can also give you a “false negative” reading- meaning that the result is negative when in fact you are pregnant. The most common reasons for this are 1) use of dilute urine, 2) checking for pregnancy very early after intercourse or 3) using the kit inappropriately. The instructions on all pregnancy kits are easy to understand and must be read before using the strips. The strips will either  denote a “positive” or “negative” sign, others say “pregnant” or “not pregnant” and some change colors.

If it makes no difference in knowing whether you are pregnant on day 1 or 7, then consumers should go buy generic pregnancy home test kits that cost significantly less than the brand names. The cost of pregnancy kits range in price from $3-$25.