Am I Pregnant? Pregnancy testing

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This is a favorite question of everyone who is trying to get pregnant and a good question.

There are many signs and symptoms of pregnancy. I’ll try to cover a lot of them here.

Missed Period

This is probably one of the more reliable signs of pregnancy. Although some women will experience implantation bleeding about the time of their period, it is usually lighter and/or shorter than their normal period. This is why you are asked for the first day of your last normal period. There are even a few women who will have period throughout their pregnancy, although this is rare, it does happen.

If you’ve been planning for pregnancy, the day that you expect your period is probably well marked in your mind. It is the official day that you can take a home pregnancy test.

These tests measure the levels of hCG (hormone secreted during pregnancy) in your urine.

The amount of urine each test can detect varies widely. The amount of hormone each woman secret may also vary, but not as widely. The better tests on the market will measure 25-50 mIUs of hCG, which is usually the amount found in urine between the 4th and 5th weeks of pregnancy. The levels of hCG in your urine and blood will be different.

First morning urine will always contain the highest concentration of hCG. However, most tests do not require that you use first morning urine. You can help better your chances of having enough hCG in your urine by waiting four hours after you last urinated to take the test. This will allow hCG to build up in your urine.

These tests rarely give false results. A negative answer that is later revealed to be a pregnancy is usually the result of the test being performed too early. A positive that later turns out the woman is not pregnant is usually a very early miscarriage. Talk to your practitioner if you have questions about your pregnancy tests and consider calling the toll-free number provided by the test manufacturer.

Blood tests are the most accurate and can be performed 7-10 days post-ovulation. 

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