Whether you’re actively planning to start a family or are hoping not to become pregnant, the minutes spent waiting for a pregnancy test result can seem like hours. Whatever your personal circumstances or position in life, you need confidence that the result of the test will be accurate, leaving you in no doubt about whether the next nine months of your life are about to change or not.
Many pregnancy tests boast exceptional reliability, but is there anything you can do to enhance their accuracy? In this article, we’ll outline the important steps to take to ensure that the pregnancy test result isn’t ambiguous.
Avoid Drinking Too Much Before Taking A Test
Firstly, it’s crucial to understand the impact of your hydration levels on the outcome of the test. At home DIY pregnancy tests measure the amount of human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine, a hormone that is produced by the placenta, but excessive fluid intake in the hour before taking the test can dilute its concentration. If hCG is diluted, a false-negative result may be produced. To avoid this issue, moderate your fluid intake before conducting the test so that hCG, if present, is at its strongest.
Test First Thing In The Morning
Because the accuracy of a home pregnancy test depends on its ability to accurately detect and measure hCG in your urine, it is advisable to conduct the test as soon as you wake up in the morning. Overnight, as your body rests, the concentration of hCG in your urine intensifies, so the first urine of the day will contain the highest concentration of the hormone and provide the most accurate results.
Read The Test Result Straight Away
The accuracy of pregnancy test strips diminishes with time, so putting off looking at the test stick, for example until a partner arrives home or you have summoned up the courage, can cause you to misread the outcome. As the urine dries on the test strip, faint evaporation lines may form which can be mistaken for a positive result. To prevent confusion, read the results within the time frame specified in the test instructions.
Check The Test Expiry Date
Finally, check the expiry date of the pregnancy test kit as an expired test can compromise the reliability of the results. Just as you would check the expiry date of any medical product, doing the same with a pregnancy test ensures you are using a kit that performs at its best.
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