HCG pregnancy test and other types of home pregnancy tests

The new millennium has brought with itself an amazing development in technology which can provide a solution to almost every problem irrespective of whether it is technical or biological. Today it is a lot easier for women to confirm if they are pregnant or not and take relevant steps. The market features a number of HCG pregnancy test equipments that come in a kit.

A HCG pregnancy test kit includes a strip, device that includes a cassette with pipette, test card and midstream. The kit can be purchased for less than a pound from any medical store. HCG Pregnancy test kits are known to provide accurate results and are widely preferred by those who do not prefer going to the doctor immediately.

The HCG test card is used to derive or obtain a qualitative result through the use of urine specimens. HCG is a kind of hormone that is present in the woman's blood when she is pregnant. It is born when a fertilised egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus and gets surrounded gradually by the placenta. The best time to get a test done is 10-15 days after sexual intercourse. Some amount of HCG gets released from the woman's body when she urinates. This makes it easy to channel the test individually without having to seek anyone's help.

The maximum amount of HCG is present in the urine that is excreted in the morning as it is undiluted with any drink. Most HCG pregnancy kits have the capability to detect 15 to 100 mIU/ml of HCG in the urine or blood. While the most preferred home HCG pregnancy test is that of using the kit, there are other kinds that might take some time before the accurate results are out.

One of them has evolved very recently and involves the mixing of a urine sample with a particular substance that can either be liquid or solid in the form of a special powder, to generate a chemical reaction. This reaction is certain to take place only if there is HCG in the blood. Another step features a urine collection cup and a dipstick with a well in it. Few drops of urine are collected in the cup and the dipstick is dipped for 3-4 minutes into the cup.

The result can be detected through the change in colour. The accuracy of the result depends on the time, menstrual cycle, day of fertilization and the sensitivity of the test. In terms of time, test that is conducted using the first morning urine, will yield 95% of accurate result as opposed to the one conducted later in the day.

A pregnancy calendar helps keep a track on the number of days of pregnancy and thus increases the chances of a healthy and successful conception. The brand of the HCG pregnancy test kit is also important as far as determining the amount of HCG level is concerned. Some HCG pregnancy test kits detect HCG levels as low as 1 mIU/ml while some have detected amount between 20 mIU/ml to 100mIU/ml.