How Accurate Are Pregnancy Tests?
Many expectant mothers ask this question and it is usually for two reasons. The test shows they are not pregnant when they wish to be, or it is positive when they really don’t want to be for whatever reason. The answers in this article should hopefully help to point you in the right direction. Home pregnancy tests are highly accurate, generally between 95% and 99.5%, if done at the correct stage of you period and at the proper time after the sexual intercourse which led to it. The earliest you can usually do a successful pregnancy test is up to two days before your period is due or 12 days after the sexual intercourse that led to the pregnancy, as a rule. Doing a test prior to that is really just wasting you money because you would have to do one again to make absolutely sure you are pregnant. It is sometimes possible to get false results and necessitate another test as follows: The causes leading to False Positives: a. Using an unclean collection cup may contaminate the sample with detergent for example. b. Using an old or damaged kit could give a false reading especially if the expiration date of the kit has elapsed. c. Having an impure urine sample that contains blood or urine from an infection can cause a wrong result. d. Taking certain prescription drugs like anticonvulsants, anti-Parkinson, diuretics, promethazine or tranquiliser drugs may affect the result. The causes leading to False Negatives: a. Taking the test too early outside of the times mentioned above will not help and it is advisable to wait between 1 and 10 days after a missed period to be sure. b. The timing of the test is crucial and urine samples should not be over 15 minutes old. Also you must give the test time to work. c. Don’t use diluted urine from having excessive drinks prior to the test. It is best to take your sample first thing in the morning when the urine is most concentrated. Whatever the result from your home pregnancy test you must always get a final confirmation from your doctor.