All You Wanted To Know About False Pregnancy Test Results

False pregnancy test results are extremely disconcerting, after all pregnancy isn’t something which you can be doubtful about. In this article we shall attempt to understand how pregnancy tests work. We shall explore various aspects like the best time to test for pregnancy and are pregnancy tests always accurate.

How Pregnancy Tests Work

False pregnancy test results can be avoided if we understand how the pregnancy tests work. The pregnancy test kits which you buy from the neighborhood pharmacy look out for a specific hormone secreted by your body when it is pregnant. Doctors call this hormone "Human chorionic gonadotropin", we shall call it HCG. Different tests are sensitive to different levels of HCG, which is why in the very early stages of pregnancy there is a possibility that different tests give different results.

Best Time To Test For Pregnancy

To avoid false pregnancy test results, it is important to understand that HCG is secreted by your body only after the embryo or the fertilized egg attaches itself to your uterus. The time taken for a detectable concentration of HCG to build up varies from person to person. However a week after your missed period is generally a good time to take the urine based pregnancy test.

Are Pregnancy Tests Always Accurate?

The modern day urine based pregnancy tests are pretty accurate if all instructions are followed. However under some circumstances it is possible to get a false pregnancy test result showing negative. Using the tests too early after your missed period gives you a “false negative”. Some tests require that the strip be completely soaked in urine, if the instructions are not followed, a “false negative” result is obtained.

False pregnancy positive results are also possible. Waiting too long to read the strip is the most common cause of the "false positive". The urine evaporates causing the strip to change color to show a positive result. If you are undergoing fertility treatment and your injections include HCG, there is a good chance that the tests will show a "false positive". Certain very rare forms of cancer also will cause "false positive".

A blood test can detect far lower levels of HCG as compared to the urine based test. That is why your doctor's test is far less likely to produce a false pregnancy test result. If you are over two weeks overdue for your period and the urine based tests are still negative, it's time to see a doctor.