Pregnancy Tests

A pregnancy test is done to determine if a woman is pregnant with a baby. When a woman gets pregnant, pregnancy hormone called the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is released in the blood and the urine. Pregnancy test detects the hormone hCG and confirms the pregnancy. The amount of the hormone is directly proportional to the length of your pregnancy and thus, pregnancy test also determines how far the pregnancy has reached by detecting the level of the hormone present in the blood or urine.


Time to go for a pregnancy test:


The best time recommended to carry out a home pregnancy test  is at least a week after you have a missed period to get a more accurate pregnancy result. Trying to detect it at a very early stage may not provide accurate result as the level of pregnancy hormone in the blood and urine may not be sufficient.


Types of pregnancy tests:


There are widely three  types of pregnancy tests:
 First is the Urine pregnancy test also known as the home pregnancy test (HPT),
 second and third are the clinical pregnancy tests named the pregnancy blood test and the Pelvic examination.Once the home pregnancy test result is positive, a woman needs to go for the other two clinical tests as well in order to confirm the pregnancy and to determine the actual pregnancy length.




Urine pregnancy test /Home pregnancy test (HPT):


As the name suggests, urine pregnancy test is performed at home and that’s why it’s called the HPT.


There are different kinds of HPT kits available in the market. Each kit performs differently. Some may involve holding the pregnancy test strip in the urine stream, while other may involve collecting the urine and placing it drop wise on the strip.


HPT works by detecting  the quantity of pregnancy hormone called the hCG released in the urine. The hormone shows up in the urine at least after 12-15 days of conception.






Types of Blood pregnancy tests:


There are two types of blood pregnancy tests. One is the quantitative test and the other is the qualitative test.


Quantitative blood test: Also called as the beta hCG. This type of test is considered the best as it not only confirms the pregnancy but also tells the actual length of the pregnancy. It works by detecting and reading the actual count of hCG hormone released in the blood. This helps measure pregnancy length. Quantitative blood test also helps in detecting any abnormality or pregnancy problems at a very early stage.


Qualitative blood test: This type of blood test only confirms the pregnancy by providing a simple ‘yes’ or  ‘no’ answer.




Pelvic examination:


A pelvic examination is also done at a doctor’s clinic. Pelvic examination is done around 6-7 weeks later of missed period. The gynecologist performs the examination by inserting two fingers inside the vagina to check cervix. This helps the doctor to judge the size of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus that usually enlarges in case of pregnancy.