It has been more than a month and no signs of your periods started. The first thing that comes to mind is to rush to your local drugstore. Before you grab the first home pregnancy test, take a moment to consider what your best choices are and how precise they can be.

Home Pregnancy Tests

Home pregnancy tests are the old school way to check if you are pregnant or not. The tests come with the directions are and are very simple to follow.  There are many options to choose from when considering home pregnancy tests.

  • Pee on a stick, pregnancy tests:

The most common and old school way would be to get “pee on a stick”, home pregnancy tests. As self-explanatory, as it sounds to just pee on the stick, make sure to first read and follow the directions on the box accordingly. Usually, the test shows a pink dye or a blue dye along with a symbol that represents the test being positive or negative.

 

  • Pee-in-a-cup, pregnancy tests:

Once you have peed in the cup, place the stick inside the cup and wait for a few minutes. If a section of the stick changes the color, it means the test is positive.

 

  • Digital pregnancy tests:

To make the already simple test result readings less confusing, digital pregnancy tests give the direct reading of pregnant or not.

 

Clinical Pregnancy Tests

Clinical urine test

You need to make an appointment to visit your gynecologist and get a urine test done. This may not differ from your home pregnancy test that you can purchase at the drug store, however, a clinical administrator can insure accuracy in the result.

Blood test

Not only do the blood tests give an accurate and precise result, the test results come in early than the urine tests.

Pregnancy blood tests are of two types:

  • Qualitative hCG blood test: the test shows if the body is producing any hCG which provides the simple answer whether you are or not pregnant.

 

  • Quantitative hCG blood test: the amount of hCG present in the blood is measured.

 

Just how accurate are these test?

If used properly, home pregnancy tests assert a 97% to 99% chance of being accurate. It is usually recommended to use the kit in the morning, since the urine is more concentrated. Clinical urine tests work the same way as home pregnancy tests and offer the same chances of providing accurate results.

There is always a chance that home pregnancy tests and urine tests give false alarms. You should take your test twice as a confirmation. The best way for the most accurate results would be to go to your gynecologist or an approved administrator like Gateway.