There are many women who may have carried out more than a single pregnancy test. This is to be sure of their being pregnant or not. They may perhaps purchase 3 pack test, simply because, they may not be satisfied by using just one. Is it that such women are either crazy or simply do not rely upon the home based pregnancy test results.
There are thousands of ads which tend to claim that tests on pregnancy taken at the home, using the special devices are about 99% accurate. However, studies have found that the actual precision tend to vary between 54% – 97% accuracy on first day of the missed period. The initial response brand is said to have scored the highest.
Pregnancy Test False Negative
False positives are considered to be pretty rare, however there is frequent occurrence of false negatives. With some tips and suggestions, the woman is likely to feel all the more confident that a true result can be trusted upon.
False negative test causes (for those who are really pregnant)
- A common reason cited for the test to be conducted much earlier and little hCG (Human chorionic gonadotrophin) has been found in the urine. This is undetectable, until fertilized eggs get attached to uterus, which is generally 6 – 12 days after the ovulation period. In case, pregnancy test gets conducted immediately after conception, then rise in hCG detection can become much early. It will be useful to wait for a week and then go for the retest. 14 days waiting period from the sexual activity date may have prompted to be accurate when compared to taking home pregnancy test from the missed out period. It is true if irregular menstrual cycle is experienced or not sure exactly as to when the last menstrual cycle was present.
- ‘Hook’ effect: It is complicated. Excess hCG is found in the urine. Test is carried out to identify hCG levels between 27-233 thousand parts/million. Tests will not identify, if excess hCG is present. It is uncommon and noticed generally if gestational trophoblastic disease exists. In case, the test is found to be negative and the person experiences pregnancy symptoms or simply is not aware why the period has been missed, then it becomes important to get in touch with the health care provider.
False Positive Pregnancy Test causes (if the person is not really pregnant)
In case, the test appears positive, then the person is probably pregnant. The cases of false positive tests are quite rare. However, they could be caused due to the following:
- Test not conducted properly or test used is past the expiration date.
- ‘Phantom hCG’ – hCG detected by test from various other sources like:
- hCG which has been left over by the early miscarriages
- hCG from various body sources like tumor, pituitary gland or molar pregnancy
- hCG from infertility treatment
medications are not known to cause any type of false positive test, unless the person is being treated using a drug containing antibodies or hormones such as infertility treatments, weight loss regimens, androgen products generally used by athletes, etc.