Sensitivity of pregnancy tests. Which pregnancy test to choose

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

It is unlikely that there will be a woman who will remain indifferent to a delay in menstruation even for a couple of days. Excitement can be joyful for someone, anxious for someone, but it always raises the question: “What to do? Should I go to the doctors or wait a bit?”

A visit to a specialist after a short delay will most likely not bring clarity to the situation. It is unlikely that the doctor will be able to diagnose such a short gestational age. The way out is to go to the pharmacy and buy a simple, inexpensive and understandable home test to identify an interesting position.

The sensitivity of pregnancy tests in their simplest execution is such that they are likely to determine your condition already 2-3 days late. It is suitable for any woman, regardless of age and physical condition. To use it, no additional consultations are needed, everything will be clear after reading the instructions.

Precautions

The product summary will describe what not to doto do before the study, when it is better to conduct it, what accessories you need to stock up. The main conditions are usually:

1. Having a clean container for the test material.
2. It is undesirable to take diuretic drugs before the procedure, the result may be distorted.
3. Required examination time is morning (for certain types of tests).

It is worth considering the fact that when using birth control pills or, conversely, undergoing fertility therapy, the test may also be unreliable.

How does it work?

In the female body during pregnancy, human chorionic gonadotropin is produced. In a normal state, a he althy person does not have it. Exceptions are women with hormonal tumors. The test detects the presence of hCG in the blood. Produced by the placenta, the hormone can be detected as early as one week.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any other, such products are endowed with both positive and negative qualities.

Dignity:

• complete anonymity;
• elementary procedure;
• sensitivity of pregnancy tests allows you to determine it at a minimum period, even before the delay of critical days.

Flaws:

• does not indicate uterine or ectopic abnormal pregnancy;
• possible false result, usually due to poor quality, overdue tests;
• high cost of some models.

Factors affecting cost

Pregnancy test, the price of which still should not be very low, should have a good expiration date so that there is no doubt about the reliability of the obtained indicator. Its cost is primarily influenced by such a factor as sensitivity, as well as its type (generation) and the manufacturing company.

What is sensitivity

If a woman wants to determine the possible onset of conception as early as possible, a test with a higher sensitivity should be purchased. What is the difference between ultra-sensitive systems and conventional ones, and how to choose the one you need?

The amount of hCG that a single test can catch determines such an indicator as the sensitivity of pregnancy tests. Their number increases with each passing day after fertilization. The earlier you want to know about such an important condition for you, the lower the mIU / ml indicator should be indicated on the test box, respectively, the higher the number, the lower the sensitivity of the product.

Existing sensitivity levels

Tests come with: 30 mIU/ml, 25 mIU/ml, 20 mIU/ml, 15 mIU/ml, 10 mIU/ml.

A pregnancy test (sensitivity 10) will be able to determine the lowest number of human chorionic gonadotropin in the body of an expectant mother.

Types of products and their labeling

Now they produce 3 versions of tests to detect early pregnancy. They differ inquality, workmanship, price, and of course, sensitivity.

1. Tests in the form of paper strips that are impregnated with a substance that reacts to the presence of hCG. The principle of their action is absolutely simple: dip the strip for ten seconds in a jar of urine, wait about 5 minutes and see if two red lines appear. If so, then most likely you will soon become a mother. The sensitivity of pregnancy tests of this type is most often 20 or 25 mIU / ml.

As a rule, they capture the level of hormones that is achieved in the female body a few days after the delay of menstruation, so there is no point in using them earlier than this period. This is the first generation of tests. It happens that they show distorted results. It is especially unpleasant if the absence of pregnancy was determined, but in fact it was. The strip could not completely absorb the liquid and distort the picture.

Despite this, they are in great demand. The price of such products ranges from 10 to 100 rubles.

2. II generation - cassette pregnancy test. Sensitivity 15, 20 is the most common marking on it. Such products look like a case, which contains a paper test in the form of a strip. There are 2 windows on the body. Urine enters the first with the help of the pipette included in the package, it comes into contact with the reagent present there, and the result will be visible in the second in three or four minutes. This type of test is more expensive (60-150 rubles), but its quality is not very different from the usualpaper. A more sensitive product will be able to detect your interesting state a few days before the start of critical days.

If you are really looking forward to the onset of pregnancy and want to keep the displayed two dashes as a keepsake, then with such an instance you will be able to do it. Plus, it looks good.

3. Inkjet pregnancy test. A sensitivity of 10 or 20 is its standard. This is the most accurate version of the test, the last, third generation, the price for it is quite high, ranging from 150-300 rubles.

It contains a special layer of blue reagents that, when detecting hCG in women's urine, attach to them and show their presence in a minute. To carry out diagnostics with it, containers and pipettes are not needed, it is simply substituted under the urine, the reliability of the result does not depend on the time of the procedure.

This high sensitivity pregnancy test gives you a chance to determine an interesting position as early as 6 days after conception.

An inkjet variant is an electronic test. The price for it is the highest - 200-1000 rubles, and the only difference is that instead of the appearance of stripes that you need to look closely at, it gives out the word "pregnant", that is, "pregnancy".

Reasons for false indicators

Failures in the results can occur for various reasons. The main ones are:

• the procedure was not followed;
• was stored incorrectly;
• was held very early;
• a woman has ovarian dysfunction;
• after a month or two after birth, there may still be hCG in the blood;
• presence of tumors;
• a large amount of liquid drunk the day before.

If the analysis has drawn the desired lines, it is advisable to contact a medical specialist as soon as possible, who will either confirm the pregnancy or send it for examination to determine the cause of the false positive result.

Choose the best option

When choosing a test, the decisive factor is at what stage you want to discover your interesting position. If even before the delay of critical days, then more sensitive products labeled 10, 15 mIU / ml should be purchased. If you are already late, then you can buy a more economical paper pregnancy test. Sensitivity of 20, 25 and below is highly likely to correctly show your condition.

Multiple studies of the Russian market of consumers of this product indicate that the following tests are in great demand:

1. Paper strips with a sensitivity of 20-25: BB (BB), Frautest Express, Evitest No. 1 (will detect pregnancy from 3 days late).
2. Cassette, sensitivity 20, 15: Evitest Proof, Frautest Expert (determine an interesting position on the 8-14th day after conception).
3. Inkjet, sensitivity 10, 20: ClearBlue (electronic), FRAUTEST EXCLUSIVE. Able to determine the onset of pregnancy from the 6th day after the conception occurred.

These models are said to rarely give false results. Russian-made products “Be sure” have proven themselves well. It is very popular, largely due to the fact that it is a pregnancy test, the price of which is affordable for almost everyone and is 10-15 rubles, and the results are usually reliable.

Summing up, I would like to note: if a highly sensitive test did not show an interesting situation, and you did it 6-7 days after a possible conception, do not despair. This may simply mean that it is still very early and the hCG level has not reached the level that your product sample can capture. Be patient and repeat the study after two or three days. Since the hCG indicator changes noticeably just after 2 days. The same rule applies to a less sensitive (with a specified 25 or 30 mIU / ml indicator) pregnancy test. The period that has passed after conception may not be enough for this particular product, and another manufacturer will not let you down and show the desired 2 strips.