How to choose the most reliable pregnancy test

Article on the topic

TEST: Is your menstrual cycle normal?

You’ve stopped hearing the morning alarm clock, you’re panicked in traffic jams, and the smell of your mother’s recently adored cutlets makes your eyes cloudy and makes you want to run away. Either you are tired and need rest, or... pregnant. A test will definitely help you find out.

All modern pregnancy tests are based on one principle: they are impregnated or coated with a reagent that reacts to the presence of the hormone gonadotropin (hCG). It begins to be produced from the first days of pregnancy, and its amount is constantly increasing. But for the reagent it is not immediately noticeable. The higher the sensitivity of the test, the faster it will be able to detect hCG: if you see a reading of 10 mIU/ml on the package, it means that you have a specimen that recognizes gonadotropin in a lower concentration - on the 7-10th day from the moment of conception. A strip with a sensitivity of 20 mIU/ml will be able to find out whether you are pregnant or not only from the first day of your missed period. Gonadotropin is excreted in the urine, so it will become experimental material for home research: you will need to put the test in it and wait a little. Two lines that appear mean that you are pregnant, one line means a negative result. But keep in mind that most tests require you to pee in a jar as soon as you wake up, when neither coffee nor yogurt has changed the indicators and the maximum amount of hCG in the body.

Strip, jet, tablet

The most common, inexpensive and because of this very popular pregnancy test is the strip strip. It's basically an oblong piece of cardboard, similar to the litmus test your chemistry teacher would hand you during labs. The strip has average sensitivity and costs from 30 to 100 rubles.

The next generation of pregnancy detectors is a tablet test. It can be called the “tuned older brother” of the strip strip. The price of a tablet ranges from 100 to 400 rubles, but its sensitivity is the same as an ordinary one. It's just more modern and convenient. The test itself is placed in a plastic case and does not need to be immersed in liquid: it comes with a charming pipette, and there are two windows on the front side. Just drop a drop of urine into the first and you will get the result in the second. This option is relevant if you want to keep the memory test: it looks aesthetically pleasing, and you can show it to your grandchildren.

If complex manipulations with glasses are not for you, choose the jet test. It costs much more than the first two - 200-600 rubles, but to see the same one or two lines appearing, you just need to pee on the device itself and get an immediate result. Moreover, due to the high sensitivity of the test, this can be done not in the morning, but at any time of the day. The inkjet pregnancy detector contains particles that, when the desired hormone is detected, instantly attach to it, thereby making it visible. Of course, this option is indispensable when you want to know the answer immediately, but don’t have a glass at hand.

The second strip may be pale (the result depends on the hCG level), but it should be clear! Only in this case does its appearance mean pregnancy. If there is a blurry spot instead of a recognizable line, the test is invalid.

Test for Trinity and Neo

If, in the continuation of the fantasy trilogy "The Matrix", Trinity wanted to find out whether she was expecting a child with Neo or not, she would probably have used an electronic test. Compared to paper strips, it looks impressive, and it costs accordingly - from 350 to 1500 rubles. But in reality it differs from all its predecessors only in the presence of a display on one end of the litmus test. By performing the same manipulations as with the test strips, you will launch the same mechanism for searching for hCG in the urine. Only now the result will be read by a small electronic mind and displayed on the screen, on which it will be written: “you are pregnant” or “you are not pregnant.” Electronic tests, like any other, are disposable, so after enjoying a modern miracle, you throw it in the trash. Therefore, you should think twice before shelling out money for “future technologies.”

If doubt is your middle name, buy several tests at once. By trying again to determine pregnancy the next day, you can check whether the previous copy “lied” to you.

False alarm

Surely you have heard stories more than once: “I took two tests, both showed that I was not pregnant, and after three months someone moved in my stomach.” Indeed, the stripes can be wrong. The accuracy of the result depends both on the integrity of the manufacturer (quality of the reagent and technology) and on the storage conditions of the test. Therefore, experts advise using well-known brands with a proven reputation. But they can also show incorrect results. For example, if you drink too much liquid the day before, it will dilute your urine and reduce the concentration of the pregnancy hormone in it. You also risk getting a false negative result if your hCG levels are still very low. However, sometimes tests show two stripes in the absence of pregnancy. After all, gonadotropin is also released in the blood during certain diseases: ovarian dysfunction and various tumors. And, of course, you should not hope for a true result if you are taking hormonal drugs or diuretics.

When choosing a pregnancy test, look at the expiration date of the strip. It is important that it expires no earlier than in a month.

Pregnancy test, how does it work?

Regardless of whether they are cheap or expensive, it is based on the fact that during pregnancy the placenta produces a certain hormone - chorionic hormone, which grows with the growth of pregnancy and is responsible for the development of pregnancy. Today, our doctors and specialists have developed several variations of tests, each of which has its own pros and cons. Based on the fact that the effect of the test is associated with a chemical reaction, as a result of which. When a pregnant woman's urine and the test are combined, a reaction occurs. The fact is that the reaction will only occur if there is a pregnancy and this is reflected on the test in the form of a certain reaction: two stripes. Smiley, word pregnant or color change. Sometimes the reaction is not strong, which may be the result of a short-term pregnancy, an ectopic pregnancy, or a frozen pregnancy, which requires a detailed examination from the doctor and, if necessary, treatment.

To determine pregnancy, experts have already developed a huge number of tests that differ from each other in type, pricing policy and method of use. We will talk to you in more detail about each type of test now. But let us immediately remind you that modern pregnancy tests can be wrong, which is rare, you need to remember about their availability, cheapness and ease of use. The main thing that must be followed is the instructions.

The basis of all pregnancy tests is associated with a certain level of human chorionic gonadotropin, which actively begins to be produced from the first days of pregnancy and when a certain level is reached in the urine, it is detected using tests. From the very beginning of pregnancy, its quantity is very low and no test can determine conception, but after a week, its numbers reach such that they are already detected in the urine and some tests record them even before a missed period. These are so-called ultra-sensitive tests. Whatever the pregnancy test, they are all based on a certain level of human chorionic gonadotropin (pregnancy hormone) in the body, and their mechanism of action is based on the fact that when a woman’s urine is combined with a special substance on a test strip or test system, a chemical reaction occurs and the test changes color, which leads to the appearance of two red or blue stripes, to the appearance of a smiley face, plus sign or the word pregnant, which depends on the manufacturer. If there is pregnancy and the level of the hormone in the urine is sufficient, then we will see a positive result according to the instructions, but if the pregnancy is too short and the concentration of the hormone in the urine is low, then the test may not show the presence of pregnancy, so it must be repeated a few days later.

If you look at a standard test strip, then when you connect it with any liquid, there will always be one strip if the test was stored correctly and the instructions were not violated, since it is an indicator. If, after a delay in the expected pregnancy, a test was done in compliance with all the rules and recommendations of the manufacturer, this indicates the absence of pregnancy. But remember that the test is not 100% guaranteed to be positive and can often have false positives and false negatives.

Expert opinion

Mikhail Alyokhin pharmacist:

– Don’t forget that two lines on the test are just a reason to contact a gynecologist for an examination. After all, only in a clinical setting is it possible to reliably determine the presence of pregnancy and its correct development. Although a new generation of tests have already appeared in Europe, the results of which leave no doubt. These devices not only detect the presence of hCG in the urine, but also find an atom in the molecule of this hormone that appears specifically during pregnancy. But the Russian market does not yet even dream of the appearance of such tests in pharmacies. They are too expensive and are unlikely to be in demand among customers.

Probability of test error

Each of them has a possibility of error, which may be due to a number of reasons: non-compliance with the rules of use, violation of the storage conditions of the test, mechanical damage to it, violation of the temperature regime in the room where the study is being carried out. Sometimes an incorrect result can be obtained if a woman, on the eve of the test, drank a large amount of liquid or consumed foods in her diet that also contain a lot of liquid. Among the somatic pathologies that can affect the results of the studies are kidney diseases with an increase in the amount of protein in the urine.

But among this type of pregnancy tests, you cannot be 100% sure that a study conducted at home is the key to a successful result. The most reliable method for diagnosing pregnancy and its development is an ultrasound examination and a blood test for human chorionic gonadotropin. You can make sure that the pregnancy test showed the correct result only with the help of additional studies (which we mentioned above) or repeating the study after a couple of days. Compliance with all research rules increases the likelihood of a correct result.

The following factors may indicate a false result:

• the test is low quality and cheap
• expiration date has expired
• poor packaging seal
• ingress of other substances into the urine
• early pregnancy
• threat of interruption
• hormonal diseases and tumors
• poor packaging seal
• use of certain groups of medications
• large consumption of water and other liquids on the eve of the study.

Reason to buy a test

• Your mammary glands began to hurt and swell.
• Instead of menstruation, pink spotting appeared.
• You feel a nagging pain in your lower abdomen.
• You feel sick or vomit in the morning and throughout the day.
• You begin to get tired quickly and fall asleep as soon as you find yourself in the chair.
• The desire to go to the toilet in a small way began to arise more often than usual.
• You began to experience migraines that were unusual for you.
• You have a pigment stripe from your pubis to your navel or the skin around your nipples has darkened.
• You suddenly started eating foods that you previously couldn’t stand.
• You became nervous and whiny. And in general, your mood ceased to belong to you.

Great-grandmother's methods

Israel - barefoot on the grass. The ancient Israelites forced their young wives to walk on soft grass: if the tracks were deep and the grass was wrinkled, it meant she was pregnant. By the way, this is a very adequate test, because the expectant mother’s center of gravity shifts, and her gait becomes heavier accordingly.

Egypt - a thread around the neck. In the era of the Egyptian pharaohs, a very thin silk thread was tied around the neck of a married girl. If she was torn, this was regarded by her relatives as confirmation of pregnancy. And this happened because in an interesting position the thyroid gland enlarges slightly.

Greece - dust in the eyes . The ancient Greeks had the strangest pregnancy tests. Despite the fact that it was the most advanced power in matters of medicine, with Hippocrates at its head, they... broke some mysterious red stone in front of the girl’s face. If dust from it got into the young lady’s eyes, the Hellenes concluded: she was pregnant.

General recommendations

To avoid erroneous tests, it is necessary to pay attention to the expiration date of the test and the integrity of the packaging. A false negative or, conversely, a false positive result is possible in the following cases:

1. use of the test at a very early stage;
2. individual characteristics of the female body, when fertilization occurs with a delay;
3. drink plenty of fluids before using the test;
4. misinterpreted instructions;
5. taking specific medications;
6. after labor or termination of pregnancy (abortion);
7. ovarian diseases, tumors and other pathological processes.

To successfully perform a pregnancy test, it is better to wait until the first day of your delay. The situation is due to the fact that the sensitivity of the express analysis is quite low and carrying out diagnostics ahead of schedule can lead to a false negative diagnosis.