Home pregnancy test
Home pregnancy tests use a sample of a woman's urine to detect the presence of a hormone (called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG) that is produced during pregnancy. If the test is positive for the hormone, it usually means the woman is pregnant.
These tests are available without a prescription, and their accuracy varies. If used correctly, the best tests can detect hCG as early as the first day of a missed menstrual period (about 14 days after conception). A first morning urine sample (which has accumulated in the bladder overnight) provides the most accurate test results.
Why is a home pregnancy test done?
A home pregnancy test is done to detect pregnancy by detecting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine.
How is a home pregnancy test done?
Carefully read the instructions that come with the home kit. Instructions vary from kit to kit. Be sure to read the result at the appropriate time indicated in the instructions for accurate results.
If you have a kit that asks for a morning urine sample, test urine that has been in the bladder for at least 4 hours. Test the urine within 15 minutes of collecting the sample.
If you are using a midstream kit, urinate a small amount first and then hold the dipstick in your urine stream as you finish urinating.
Test the urine sample according to the directions included in the test kit package.
How do you prepare for a home pregnancy test?
Equipment
You can buy home pregnancy test kits at the drugstore or grocery store. You don't need a prescription.
The test kits generally have plastic dipsticks or test strips and instructions that explain how to do the test. Some kits have a urine collection cup and a dipstick that you dip in urine. Midstream kits have a test strip that you hold in your stream of urine for several seconds. All kits tell you to wait a specific amount of time before reading the results.
When to test
Most home pregnancy kits can be used on the first day of a missed menstrual period. But the test results are more accurate if you wait a few days longer. If you do the test as soon as you have missed a period and the results show you are not pregnant (negative results), repeat the test in 1 week if your menstrual period has not started, or have a pregnancy test done at your doctor's office or a clinic.
General instructions
For any home test, you should follow some general guidelines:
- Check the expiration date on the package. Do not use a test kit after its expiration date—the chemicals in the kit may not work correctly after that date.
- Read the instructions that come with your test carefully and thoroughly before doing the test.
- Follow the directions exactly. Do all the steps, in order, without skipping any of them.
- If a step in the test needs to be timed, use a clock. Do not guess at the timing.
What do the results of a home pregnancy test mean?
Home pregnancy tests can find the presence of a pregnancy hormone (called human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG) in a sample of urine. Read and follow the instructions that come with the pregnancy test to see if you are pregnant.
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