Home pregnancy tests are widely used as they are a quicker way to know if a woman may be pregnant or not, as many of them promise to work from the first moment of conception, without having to wait for the day of menstrual delay, as happens. . pharmacy tests.
However, this type of evidence has no scientific evidence and therefore should not be considered as a reliable means of confirming or excluding a possible pregnancy.
- Of all the pregnancy tests that can be done at home.
- The most reliable is the pregnancy test you buy from a pharmacy because it identifies the presence of the beta hormone HCG in a woman’s urine.
- A type of hormone that occurs only during pregnancy.
- Pregnancy.
- However.
- If you need a faster result.
- You may also choose to perform an HCG blood test.
- Which can be done 8 to 11 days after unprotected sex.
Here are the most commonly used home pregnancy tests, which are the theory behind all and why they don’t work:
Online testing is becoming more common, but should only be seen as a means to understand the risk of becoming pregnant and should not be used as a definitive test or replace the pharmacy or laboratory test.
Online testing is based on generic pregnancy symptoms as well as risky activities that do not allow individual evaluation of each woman, or to measure more specific factors, such as the presence of pregnancy hormones in the urine or blood.
Here’s an example of an online test we’ve designed to assess a woman’s chances of getting pregnant, indicating when there’s an increased need for a pregnancy test, such as a pharmacy or blood test:
According to popular theories, this test works because bleach is able to react with the beta hormone HCG, just like in the pharmacy test, leading to foaming. Therefore, if there is no foam, the test is considered negative.
However, no study confirms this effect and, according to some reports, the reaction of urine with bleach can cause foaming even in men.
The boiled urine test appears to be based on the theory that boiling proteins, as in the case of milk, cause foaming. Thus, and because beta hormone HCG is a type of protein, if the woman is pregnant, the increase of this protein in the urine could cause foaming, resulting in a positive result.
However, according to the same theory, there are other conditions that can also increase the presence of proteins in the urine, such as a urinary tract infection or kidney disease. In such cases, the test could also have a positive result, even if the woman was not pregnant.
In addition, if there are traces of cleaning products in the pot where the pis would be boiled, there could also be foaming by chemical reactions with the product, obtaining a false positive.
This test was created around the concept that the pH of the pregnant woman’s urine is generally more basic than that of another non-pregnant woman. Thus, the idea is that when vinegar, which is more acidic, comes into contact with urine, it causes a reaction that leads to a change in color, indicating a positive result for pregnancy.
However, vinegar does not always change color upon contact with a more basic substance, and it is also common that, although more basic, the pH of a woman’s urine is kept acidic, which would prevent the reaction.
In this home test, it is necessary to place a needle in a urine sample for a few hours, and then observe if there has been a change in the color of the needle. If the needle has changed color, it means the woman is pregnant.
In addition, the oxidation rate can vary considerably depending on factors other than simple contact with urine, such as ambient temperature, needle use or sun exposure, for example, that are not counted in this home test. pregnancy.
The swab test is a dangerous method in which a woman should rub the tip of a swab in the vaginal canal near the cervix to determine if there is blood. This test should be performed a few days before the expected rule drop date and is used to identify earlier whether the rules are declining. So, if the swab gets dirty, it can indicate that the woman is not pregnant because the period is approaching.
While this may seem like a reliable method, it is not a recommended method. First, because rubbing the swab on the vaginal walls can cause injuries that eventually bleed and ruin the result. And then, because applying a cotton swab into the vaginal canal, and near the cervix, can lead to bacteria that eventually cause an infection.
Of all the pregnancy tests that can be done at home, the most reliable is the pregnancy test you buy from pharmacies, as it measures the presence of beta hormone HCG in a woman’s urine, a hormone that occurs only during pregnancy. .
But while this is a reliable test, the pharmacy test may not detect pregnancy when it’s done too early or when it’s not done correctly. The ideal time to take the pregnancy test at the pharmacy is when your period is delayed by 7 days or more. However, it can already test positive from the first day of menstrual delay. Find out how to perform this type of test and get a good result.
Women who want to know if they are pregnant before a menstrual delay should undergo a blood test that identifies the amount of HCG hormone and can be done 8 to 11 days after intercourse. To better understand how this blood test works and when to do it.