Can you trust pregnancy tests? Positive pregnancy test - reliability of different diagnostic devices Reliability of pregnancy test during delay

You know, those who believe that a guide to an unfamiliar area should be a person who knows it thoroughly are right. No matter what we say, even our own experience is often only a subjective experience.

Here, for example, is how to determine for sure how long it will take for a pregnancy test to show an accurate result.

Reliability of pregnancy tests according to doctors

So, doctors conducted a small online survey and found that in hundreds of cases, when determining pregnancy, women received false results. And most often due to the fact that they ignored advice about the optimal ten-day period from the day of fertilization of the egg. Before this time, according to doctors, it is unrealistic to get a reliable result.

Even with urine tests, doctors cannot accurately confirm pregnancy before 14-16 days after ovulation. Exception from general rule There can only be those women with a shortened cycle, the second phase of which is less than two weeks.

Do pregnancy tests always show the truth?

Frankly, at first my knowledge of the principle of operation of test strips was limited only to the instructions on the product itself. And there, as a rule, it is written on the packaging that with their help you can find out whether you are pregnant already on the first day. I don’t remember exactly, it seems even from several hours.

And, not knowing the other features of the hCG test, I followed exactly these instructions. I admit, I had to use them more than once in my life, and I knew by heart what the strip looked like when pregnancy was out of the question, and how when the suspicions were justified.

I used tests on the second or third day and within a week from the expected moment of conception. And even if, as a result, two stripes were not clearly visible, during pregnancy he behaved differently, and the location of the second stripe became cloudy. And this diagnosis, as a rule, was justified.

But those who say that we are all individual are right. And what works for some may fail for others. When I read reviews from different women, I was convinced of this again.

Therefore, I agree that specialists have a much better understanding of everything related to medical supplies. However, doctors know much more about the principles of operation of tests.

So, they claim that you can tell for sure based on the test results whether you are pregnant or that you are pregnant based on the results of such a test only from 14-15 days after ovulation. This is not written on the packaging for the tests, but doctors insist that this is so.

Perhaps it is worth saying that this method of diagnosing pregnancy is not entirely justified in case of an irregular cycle. And any menstrual cycle disorders increase the likelihood of problems with conception. Then you just need to consult a doctor, and possibly treatment that will bring your hormonal levels back to normal. And again, not the least role is played in this sense by changing your habits - lifestyle, nutrition, motor activity.

It’s good if pregnancy is desired and timely. But if pregnancy is not desirable for some reason, you need to find out about it earlier. And, as doctors note, it is also advisable to have it in time within two weeks.

So why not trust the authors of the instructions for pharmacy tests? At least, for a final and reliable conclusion regarding pregnancy, you need to wait at least ten days. Or go see your gynecologist. Often, already from the first days, the doctor will be able to talk about pregnancy by changes in the color of the uterus and vagina, and softening of the uterus.

When a woman finds out about her interesting situation, a reasonable question arises: can a pregnancy test be wrong? According to statistics, a rapid test done at home can give a false reading in 1-3% of cases. In order to more accurately understand the principle of operation of this procedure, you should first find out the basic subtleties of using the test and its features.

How the pregnancy test works

The test system works due to the increased content of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the urine expectant mother. The level of the hormone increases significantly in the blood only when an egg is conceived. HCG can be detected already 8 days after fertilization thanks to a special reagent applied to the test, which changes its color if pregnancy is diagnosed. If fertilization was successful, then the antibodies that make up the reagent react with the urine, ultimately forming a red stripe. In addition, the test has another red stripe, which is located in the control zone.

Almost all types of modern tests consist of two zones:

C (control) – the band detected in this zone indicates the correct functioning of the test system.
T (test strip) - in this zone, the strip consists of antibodies that react to the increased amount of hCG in the urine. Its presence indicates the probable fertilization of the egg.

Pregnancy is confirmed when we see two stripes. If only one band appears, it means most likely the presence interesting situation not confirmed.

Tip: Don't forget to pay attention to the brightness level of the stripes. If the urine contains insufficient amounts of hCG, the test strip will be almost invisible.

Assortment presented in pharmacies, how to choose

Among the presented assortment, the following types of test systems are distinguished:

A test strip or strip test is the most common type, which is affordable. It was the very first to appear, and its popularity is explained by its ease of use. The test is dipped into a jar with the collected material, and after 10 seconds it is taken out and after a few minutes they look to see if a second line has appeared in the diagnostic zone.
Tablet - the specifics of the action are similar to the previous type. A distinctive feature is that the reactive antibody strip is located in a container that does not need to be placed in a jar of urine. It is enough to place a couple of drops of biological material into a small hole to diagnose a possible pregnancy. If the result is positive, after the specified time a red stripe will appear in the other hole.
The inkjet test is an ultra-precise and most sensitive model. Its advantage over the above systems is its ease of use. There is no need to collect urine in a separate container for analysis. It is necessary to place the test part of the product under the stream to determine the presence of pregnancy. The model consists of three main parts: a test cartridge; holder; cap.
The result of the procedure appears in a special test window.
Electronic pregnancy test - characterized by increased sensitivity and expensive price. Using this system, you can detect conception a few days before the expected appearance of menstruation. The principle of operation is similar to previous models: the test part is placed in a jar of material or placed under a stream. Then the result is assessed in a special digital window. If the “+” sign appears, then the conception of the baby was successful. The "-" sign means no pregnancy. This test model suitable for women who want to know the diagnostic result in the shortest possible time.

At what stage does the test show pregnancy?

As a rule, the possibility of fertilizing an egg increases in the middle of the menstrual cycle - 3-4 days before ovulation and the same amount of time after it. Over the next week, in case of conception, the level of hCG in the body increases. 20 days after sexual intercourse, you can go to the pharmacy and purchase a suitable testing method.

It is much more difficult to plan and detect pregnancy for those women who experience menstrual irregularities. Irregular menstruation is often the main sign of lack of ovulation. In this case, it makes no sense to carry out diagnostics before menstruation.

Experts recommend first waiting until the expected menstruation occurs, and only then doing a test to detect conception. If these nuances are not observed, the likelihood of a pregnancy test error increases significantly.

When is the best time to diagnose?

Regardless of whether the pregnancy is long-awaited or the woman, on the contrary, is afraid of conception, she in any case wants to know the results as soon as possible. We have already determined the specifics of the action of all tests. Diagnosis is possible due to the presence of sensitive antibodies that react to the female hormone.

If hCG has already been produced by the body in sufficient quantities, then the test, if the instructions are followed, will show its presence. Based on this, we can conclude that it does not matter at all what time of day the diagnosis was carried out - hCG will still not go anywhere from the woman’s body.

However, in the initial stages of pregnancy, the quantitative indicator of the hormone may be so small that it will not be enough to accurately determine conception. The hCG level increases noticeably during morning time Therefore, for a more accurate result, it is recommended to test at home early in the morning. If the procedure is performed after a delay, then diagnosis using a high-quality ultra-sensitive test will detect pregnancy both in the morning and in the evening.

How to conduct the test correctly to get a reliable result

Carefully study the manual included with the test before performing the testing process.
Use morning urine as a biological material, if provided by the selected test system.
To maintain a high level of hCG in the urine during the day, stop using diuretics, and also do not abuse large amounts of water and other liquids.
The final test result is observed only 5 minutes after the interaction of the reagent with urine.
If only one control line appears, carry out an additional procedure using a new test.
If the band does not appear in the place where it should appear according to the instructions, this indicates an incorrect diagnosis.

In what cases is the probability of a pregnancy test error high?

A negative indicator instead of a positive one is diagnosed if the amount of hCG in the body does not correspond to the required concentration. It is at an early stage that diagnosis most often gives the wrong result.

Also, the test system may be wrong if:

a miscarriage or termination of pregnancy has recently occurred - the level of the female hormone decreases significantly;
you have hormonal imbalances or are undergoing hormone therapy;
Oncology was detected.

A false negative result can be diagnosed in the following cases:

if there is an ectopic or frozen pregnancy. When the embryo stops developing at the initial stage, the level of the female hormone stops increasing;
due to excessive consumption of water or other drinks before the testing procedure;
for disorders of the circulatory system or kidney diseases.

In addition, an incorrect result can be caused by incorrect operation of the purchased test if, for example, the product’s shelf life has expired, or errors were made during the production process of the system. Also, the hCG hormone can increase in the female body due to the development of tumors or the presence of cysts in the ovaries. Diagnostics in this case may show false positive result.

Finally, I would like to remind you that for the most reliable determination of pregnancy, you should visit a gynecologist as soon as possible. Timely diagnosis will prevent the development of dangerous pathologies that can pose a threat to you and your unborn baby.

Video on the topic

Delayed menstruation is the main, but not the only sign of pregnancy. Symptoms can also serve as a signal: malaise, depression, toxicosis, sleep disturbance and even increased basal temperature. A special rapid test will help you determine more accurately at home. It will show whether conception has occurred. The main thing is to correctly decide what to do after a positive pregnancy test if the strips show a false result.

Reliability of pregnancy test

A home tester determines pregnancy by the level of the hCG hormone in a woman’s urine. To get the result, you need to immerse it in urine and look at the reflected indicators - on the control strip, an indicator of pregnancy. Express tests come in different types according to their functionality: some are highly sensitive and just need to be placed under stream of urine, while others need to be left in it for a while. It is important to follow the included instructions exactly so that the indicator is reliable.

The reliability of the rapid test largely depends on compliance with the operating rules, but the result can also be a false negative/positive in the following cases:

the expiration date of the device has expired;
the rules for storing the device were not followed;
if used incorrectly;
test done too early;
when taking medications containing hormones or diuretics.

The device may not detect the presence of pregnancy in a woman who has kidney disease, urinary tract disease, cardiovascular disease, or abuses alcohol. It is especially worth noting that a home test often falsely indicates an ectopic pregnancy, so if you have any suspicions, it is better to consult a doctor and conduct additional examination.

What is a positive pregnancy test

Indicators of home tests are based on the content of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the urine: if fertilization of the egg has occurred and it has attached to the wall of the uterus, the hormone begins to be produced and its level increases. The device records these actions and shows a positive pregnancy result. After fertilization, the concentration of hCG increases every day: the more time has passed, the greater the likelihood of correctly determining pregnancy. The optimal period is two weeks from the estimated moment of conception.

How many lines are there on a pregnancy test?

If the result is positive, almost all home rapid tests show two bright stripes. Moreover, it is not necessary that they be the same, as in the photo in the instructions. Sometimes it happens that the test showed two stripes, but one of them did not appear completely: it has a dull color, is blurred or is poorly visible, but this result should still be regarded as positive. If the second line does not appear at all, the pregnancy test is negative, it was carried out ahead of time, the device is damaged or was used incorrectly.

What to do if the pregnancy test is positive

Positive results mean that pregnancy has most likely occurred, but to be sure, it is recommended to repeat the diagnosis again in one or two days. If the indicators coincide, then the first thing to do after a positive test is to contact a gynecologist at the antenatal clinic: confirm the accuracy of the test and register a little later. The doctor will conduct an additional examination and prescribe tests.

This must be done, regardless of whether the woman plans to carry the fetus and give birth or plans to have an abortion. Even at an early stage, various abnormalities may occur and treatment or mandatory termination will be required if the embryo is terminally ill. For example, the main thing that a gynecologist will determine is the location of the fertilized egg: if it is located in the uterus, this is normal, but if it is in the fallopian tube, this is a pathological pregnancy, which is extremely dangerous for women’s health.

How to check your home pregnancy test results

Some people don't trust pharmacy tests and prefer more reliable methods, regardless of the results. If in doubt, the tester readings can be double-checked in the following ways:

The first thing you can do is purchase an express test from another manufacturer or do another check in a couple of days. It is worth noting that there is also traditional methods home testing, but resorting to them is not recommended so as not to cause harm to health.
A blood test to determine the level of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin will help show more accurately whether conception has occurred. In a pregnant woman’s blood, the content of the hCG hormone is significantly higher than in the urine, and such an analysis will be more accurate.
The third way is to conduct ultrasound diagnostics: traditional or intravaginal, the latter is considered more accurate. However, unlike a blood test, which determines conception already on the tenth day, ultrasound will be effective no earlier than 4-5 weeks.

There are also external signs by which the gynecologist judges the presence of an embryo. Using palpation, the doctor examines the uterus and evaluates its size and the condition of the appendages. Examines the mammary glands, external genitalia and, based on their condition, determines whether conception has occurred. In pregnant women, the labia swell slightly, acquire a bluish tint and become cool. It is important to remember that such an examination should only be trusted by an experienced, qualified doctor, since exposure to the abdomen and internal genital organs at an early stage can have a detrimental effect on the embryo.

The test is positive, but there is no pregnancy

Many people are interested in: can a test be false positive and why can it be wrong? Yes, sometimes it happens that the test results are positive, but other types of examination indicate the opposite and the reason for the delay in menstruation is different. This indicator is called a false positive pregnancy test. All pharmaceutical devices for home use determine pregnancy by the increased level of the hCG hormone in a woman’s body. But there are other reasons when the level of human chorionic gonadotropin increases.

Reasons for a false positive test

Positive test in the absence of pregnancy, it may be due to the use of a low-quality device or its improper operation. In such cases, you can purchase another analogue and repeat the procedure. Very often, women mistake streaks of dried liquid, which look similar, for the second strip, so the result should be recorded no later than five to seven minutes after testing.

If everything is in order with the device and the results are repeated, then the problem is in the body. The level of hCG in the urine could increase due to the acquisition of characteristic diseases or after taking hormonal drugs, drugs containing human chorionic gonadotropin. An increased level of hCG in a woman’s urine persists for some time after an abortion, miscarriage, or removal of an ectopic pregnancy.

For what diseases is a pregnancy test positive?

In the human body, an increase in the level of hCG in the blood and urine can cause the formation of a cyst or malignant tumor, not only in women, but also in men. The most common female diseases that increase the level of hCG are uterine chorionepithelioma and hydatidiform mole. Elevated levels of the hormone will accompany the course of the disease until complete recovery and gradually decrease after the elimination of the disease.

Video

Often a situation may arise when it is urgently necessary to determine whether conception has taken place or not, but it is not possible to resort to the help of special tests or examinations. It is in such situations that popular advice can come in handy. An iodine pregnancy test is one of the most common among all other testing methods. Is the test reliable and how to conduct it?

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It is impossible to say that a test with iodine gives a 100% result, but judging by the reviews of many women who conducted home tests using this substance, for the majority it showed a true result.

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a small strip of paper;
alcohol tincture of iodine;
urine;
pipette;
container – preferably sterilized.

A few words about how this method works. After conception and implantation of the embryo into the wall of the uterus, its cells begin to secrete the hormone hCG. The active substances contained in iodine, like litmus paper, react to changes in the composition of urine.

There are two ways to check for pregnancy, each of which we will now look at.

Method No. 1

We take a sterilized container and fill it with morning urine. After this, use a pipette to drop a few drops of iodine into the urine, trying not to raise the pipette too high above the liquid, so that the drop does not splash when it comes into contact with the urine, but smoothly enters it. Moreover, the accuracy of the testing procedure depends on compliance with this recommendation.

If a drop of iodine remains on the surface of the urine, then the likelihood that pregnancy has taken place is very high. Pregnancy is also possible when a drop of iodine first sank to the bottom, and then rose again to the surface and did not spread. If the iodine drop dissolved, then conception did not take place.

Method number 2 with paper

For the second test, we need a thin strip of paper - at least 5 mm in width. To determine conception using this method, you need to collect urine and carefully dip the edge of a paper strip into it so that it only gets wet and not soaked. After this, very carefully drop a drop of iodine onto a strip soaked in urine, doing this as close as possible to the surface of the paper.

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Features of iodine testing

Determining the fact of possible conception using iodine and paper is not a 100% reliable method, and in order for it to be as truthful as possible, you must follow several recommendations.

If testing is carried out without a paper strip, then, as mentioned earlier, it is extremely important to drip iodine carefully. What is this for? The fact is that if a drop falls from a great height, it will simply mix with urine and will not react with it, as required by the test.

It is also important to prepare the biomaterial itself. Urine should be in the morning, since at this time of day it is most concentrated, which means that the likelihood that iodine will react with urine that has changed in composition is very high. In addition, before collecting urine, you must wash yourself, but without any detergents, and thoroughly wipe your perineum so that no water remains in them.

Pay attention to the cleanliness of the pipette and container for collecting biomaterial. If the container is poorly washed, and the pipette has already been used for nasal instillation or other needs, then foreign substances may adversely affect the reliability of the testing.

A test to confirm pregnancy is performed on early stages– up to 10 weeks. You can even use it without waiting for a missed period.

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Advantages and disadvantages

Despite the fact that the reliability of the test using iodine and urine causes some mistrust, one cannot fail to notice its advantages:

Possibility of testing at home.
The test requires available tools, which are found in almost every home.
The method does not require large capital investments.
Seen more often on relevant forums positive reviews about the veracity of the procedure rather than negative ones.
There is no need to wait for a missed period.

To be fair, we also note the disadvantages of this method:

the iodine test is still a folk method, so it is not always able to show a 100 percent result;
lack of sterility;
it is necessary to follow the testing rules so that the reliability is maximum - for some this causes a lot of trouble and inconvenience;
the need to purchase a pharmacy express test or visit a gynecologist in order to confirm or refute the accuracy of the result.

Therefore, each woman decides for herself whether to use this technique or not. Some people prefer more traditional methods, while others trust popular advice. To learn how to conduct a test with a regular test strip, watch the video:

Bottom line

To summarize, let's talk about the most important things:

A pregnancy test using iodine, according to reviews, is one of the few reliable folk methods that can show whether conception has occurred or not.
The reliability of testing with urine and iodine is not 100 percent, so it will be extremely difficult to say for sure that the procedure will help determine whether conception has occurred or not.
Simplicity and a minimal set of “inventory” are one of the most important advantages of this technique.
Considering the specifics of testing, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of the procedure in order to obtain the most accurate results.
Also, do not forget that pathological changes in the functioning of the genitourinary system can also affect the result.
There are other popular ways to determine pregnancy. Read about them in our next one.

Do you trust people's advice? Perhaps you know another method of determining pregnancy that can be used at home without resorting to pharmacy rapid tests? Share with us and our readers your opinion and useful tips by leaving comments at the end of the post.

Home pregnancy tests do not require special conditions or medical knowledge, they are easy to use... and, apparently, this is why they cause mistrust among consumers. There is a very common belief that all pregnancy tests “lie”, the results, both positive and negative, can be unreliable, and even that “home tests are clean water sell". And all because, according to doubters, it is impossible to determine pregnancy in just a couple of weeks using a stick soaked in urine. The reason for such a disrespectful attitude towards pregnancy tests is obvious: women do not understand how this method “works”, and misunderstanding always gives rise to mistrust.

In fact, home tests for diagnosing pregnancy give a very high reliability of the result. The method is based on the detection of hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, in the urine of a pregnant woman. This highly specific protein is secreted exclusively by the tissues of the fetus and enters the maternal body through the bloodstream. Outside of pregnancy, the appearance of hCG in a woman’s blood is impossible, so there can be no error as a result. Two weeks after hCG is contained in the urine of the expectant mother in an amount sufficient to carry out the test. Usually this period corresponds to the first days of missed menstruation.

The most commonly used pregnancy test is a strip of thick paper, one end of which is impregnated with a special indicator (a substance that reacts to the presence of hCG). To obtain a result, the indicator must be saturated with urine; Some types of tests are placed under a stream of urine directly during urination, others need to be lowered into a container with urine for a few seconds. It should be noted that home tests are always supplied detailed instructions with explanatory drawings.

Of course, like any other product, a pregnancy test can be defective. A control strip should be visible at one end of the test. The suitability of the test is judged by its presence. Therefore, before use, you need to carefully examine the test and make sure there is a control strip. If the result is positive, a second stripe appears next to the control one or (on some imported tests) the color of the control stripe changes. If the second line (or color change - depending on the manufacturer) does not appear, the result is negative, and there is no hCG in the woman’s body, which indicates pregnancy.

If there are certain characteristics of a woman’s health, the test may give a false negative result, that is, it may not determine whether pregnancy has occurred. This is due to the fact that human chorionic gonadotropin does not always accumulate evenly in the blood of the expectant mother, and therefore there may be insufficient concentration in the urine - if the amount of the hormone is lower than usual, testing will be unsuccessful. As a rule, in this case, a very weak second stripe appears, or it appears only partially (half, a third, or even dotted). Sometimes, with a very low level of hCG, the coveted strip does not appear at all.

The reliability of the test result may be affected by dietary errors (for example, a protein-free diet, which significantly reduces the production of hormones), taking diuretics, and kidney disease accompanied by impaired urine formation. Another reason for a false negative result (there is a pregnancy, but the test “does not see it”) is associated with closer to the end of the menstrual cycle, and not in the middle, during expected ovulation: for a number of reasons, among which the most common are stress, acclimatization, viral diseases and hormonal imbalance, ovulation may shift towards the end or, conversely, the beginning of the cycle. In this case, the actual gestational age at the time of testing may be less than a week, and the level of hCG in the urine will still be too low to be “caught” by a home test.

All of the above test error options are associated with hormonal imbalances or too short a pregnancy. According to statistics, they make up only 0.3% and cannot serve as a reason to “accuse” a home pregnancy test of unreliability. With a normal regular menstrual cycle and the absence of kidney disease and endocrine system For women, the test gives a 100% correct result.

Myth No. 2. The price of a pregnancy test determines its quality.

This is a common consumer misconception, not only in the matter of choosing a pregnancy test, but also in general as a guide when purchasing a product: the price, unfortunately, cannot always judge the quality of the product. As for the choice of test, the price difference between them is usually not very significant. Different prices for essentially identical tests are explained by the usual criteria for marketing: country of origin, brand popularity, transportation costs, taxes, customs duties, packaging format, discounts or changing prices per batch during purchase. The price of the test is also determined by production costs and an emphasis on ease of use: it is clear that a strip of paper should cost less than an electronic “tablet test” (tablet test) - after all, it is much easier, faster and cheaper to produce. It is safe to say that the price of a pregnancy test is related to the factor of comfort and ease of use. However, none of the listed factors in any way affects the quality and reliability of the main factor - the result of the pregnancy test itself. After all, absolutely all tests are expensive and cheap, Russian or imported, paper and tablet, “immersion” (which must be lowered into a container with urine) or “jet” (placed under a stream of urine), those that have a second strip, and those , in which the color of the main stripe changes - all of them diagnose short-term pregnancy using a patented medical indicator that reacts to the presence of hCG in the urine of the expectant mother. And the price has absolutely nothing to do with it!

Myth No. 3. For a pregnancy test to be reliable, you need a long delay in menstruation.

Many women do not believe that if menstruation is delayed by just two or three days, much less without a delay at all, they can get a reliable result. And they prefer to wait a week or two after the expected (and did not come) menstruation before testing - just to be sure, so to speak! This idea is wrong for two reasons. Firstly, human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine of a pregnant woman increases precisely during the first two to three weeks, which corresponds to the expected period of menstruation and the first week of delay, but later its amount can fluctuate significantly, which can lead to unreliable results. However, there is another, more serious reason not to delay testing for long: early “home” diagnosis of pregnancy using a test and, accordingly, early contact with a specialist allows you to timely identify and prevent the development of various complications of pregnancy, for example, pregnancy of an ectopic location or threat of early termination. So you shouldn’t delay testing too much: positive influence This does not indicate the reliability of the method, but it “delays” more serious options for medical examination. To use a pregnancy test, it is quite enough, and especially impatient young ladies can start trying their luck a couple of days before the start of their expected period!

Myth No. 4. To take a pregnancy test, you need to “be patient” until the morning.

The instructions for the pregnancy test indicate that “it is best to conduct the test immediately after sleep: morning urine is more concentrated and the hCG content in it is higher.” Based on this rational advice, some women make too radical conclusions. Conclusion one: only the morning test is reliable; at other times of the day there may be an error. Conclusion two: in order for morning urine to be concentrated, you should not go to the toilet at night - you need to wait until the morning and accumulate “good material” for research. Both conclusions are absolutely absurd, and the option with “accumulation” of urine is also harmful to the health of the expectant mother. Testing in the morning increases the chances of early diagnosis pregnancy for those who are especially impatient - it is really easier to record the very first, slight bursts of hCG, indicating the birth of a new life, in the morning. However, this does not mean that you cannot trust the second stripe that appears at a different time of day.

As for the idea of not urinating the night before testing in order to increase the reliability of the result, this is not only pointless, but also really not healthy. The accumulation of urine overnight will cause discomfort and sleep disturbance, and the pressure of a full bladder on the uterus can lead to an increase in its tone and the threat of miscarriage. In addition, urine contains many harmful substances resulting from metabolic processes and requiring timely removal from the body. Of course, you can urinate if necessary the night before the test - this will not reduce the concentration of the morning urine. During sleep, we do not eat or drink, so the urge to urinate at night is, in principle, much less frequent than during the day - this is what ensures the concentration of the morning portion of urine required for research.

Myth #5: You shouldn't drink before taking a pregnancy test.

Another point in the instructions for the pregnancy test states: on the eve of the test, it is advisable not to drink a lot of liquid. Many women, based on this recommendation, conclude that drinking on the eve of the test is harmful in principle, and decide to completely stop drinking liquids during the evening or even the whole day before testing. The logic is the same as that of the authors of the idea of “bearing it” until the morning: since the concentration of urine affects the diagnosis, it is necessary to increase it as much as possible! And just like in previous case, this logic is incorrect - complete fluid restriction is very harmful to the health of any person, and especially for the health of the expectant mother!

For the normal functioning of the body, it is important not just the supply of fluid, but also its constant presence in a certain amount: insufficient supply of fluid can have a detrimental effect on health. Particularly important water balance during pregnancy, when the growth and development of the fetus depends on the normal exchange of fluid in the body of the expectant mother.

Average daily requirement in fluid before pregnancy is 1.5 liters. While expecting a baby, the body's need for water changes: at the beginning of pregnancy, fluid consumption increases, so you need to consume up to 2 liters per day.

On the eve of the pregnancy test, you can drink - just to increase the reliability of the result, you should not drink too much liquid, especially at night, and also indulge in drinks or foods that have a diuretic effect: this can lead to a decrease in the concentration of urine and make it difficult to diagnose pregnancy early using home remedies test. Diuretic products include watermelons, melons, pineapple, green and black tea, as well as drinks made from sour berries - red and black currants, lingonberries, cranberries, stone fruits, cherries, sweet cherries and rose hips. All of the berries listed are nephroprotectors, that is, they improve the filtration function of the kidneys and help remove excess fluid from the body. Apples, plums, pears, apricots, quince, mulberry, serviceberry and chokeberry have the same qualities.

Myth No. 6. 5 minutes is not enough for real results.

Manufacturers recommend assessing the result 3-5 minutes after using the pregnancy test. However, distrustful “users” often prefer to wait longer in the hope that the coveted strip will still appear. In fact, there is no point in waiting for a long time for the result: 5 minutes is the maximum time required for chemical reaction indicator for the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin in urine. Therefore, waiting beyond this period cannot in any way affect the reliability of the result, confirm it or, on the contrary, refute it. If the coveted strip does not appear after 5 minutes, it will not appear even after several hours, and once it appears, it will not disappear anywhere.

Myth No. 7. It is more reliable to “test” several times a day.

There is another phrase that often becomes a reason for embarrassment for potential expectant mothers. The instructions read: “to confirm the result, it is recommended to repeat the test after 3-4 days.” This means excluding a false negative result (a negative test result in the presence of pregnancy) due to an insufficient amount of hCG in the urine at the time of the first test: if the result is negative, but menstruation does not begin and the suspicion of pregnancy remains, it is worth repeating the test a few days later. During this time, as pregnancy progresses, the amount of hCG in the urine will increase significantly, and the next test will be positive. However, some women misunderstand the purpose of repeated testing and, without delaying the study, conduct testing several times... in one day, believing that this will increase the reliability of the result. There is no particular meaning (as well as harm) in this action. If the coveted line does not appear on the morning test, this may mean two scenarios: either there is no pregnancy, or pregnancy has occurred, but the period is still too short, and the hCG has not been produced enough to be determined using a home test. Since urine is most concentrated in the morning, the researcher has very little chance of recording a positive result during repeated testing throughout the day. And the very increase in the level of chorionic gonadotropin in the body occurs unevenly, “intermittently” with an interval of sometimes up to 1.5–2 days. Most likely, repeating the test multiple times in one day will bring nothing but disappointment and unnecessary grief - it is better to follow the instructions and wait a few days before retesting.