The confirmation of pregnancy for women can arouse mixed responses in them as it is the most awaited news for some and a threatening one for others. Both categories of women anxiously wait before the result appears on the pregnancy test kit. Mayo clinic states that results from the home pregnancy kits are 99% accurate. However, the lower percentile of the results is inaccurate and can disappoint or overwhelm the anxious women with happiness with their incorrect results. What makes these kits go wrong when they are claimed to be extremely accurate in ruling out pregnancy?

Early Miscarriage

You may have tested with a positive pregnancy result. However, you get your period following the test. This may be an early miscarriage. According to health experts, the majority of 70% of the conceptions are miscarriages. Most of the women do not even realize that they are pregnant and the period they got is nothing but the debris of a miscarriage. However, for those who await pregnancy, this can be devastating.

Fertility Medications Can Be Blamed

To understand this, one may need to understand the simple concept behind the test kit. The placenta releases a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) once the egg is implanted in the uterus. The amount of this hormone released multiplies within days and results are more accurate once the HCG is found in the urine.

If you are too enthusiastic about taking a pregnancy test quickly after taking the fertility pills containing the pregnancy hormone HCG, it may lead to an incorrect positive. Those who are on fertility drugs are often suggested by medical professionals to wait for a while before checking it on a strip.

Residual HCG Post a Miscarriage or a Delivery

Four to six weeks is normally the threshold before which the HCG still exists in the body after delivery or a miscarriage. Seldom, it happens that a placenta is left in the body to produce the HCG. Till the placenta cells grow in the uterus, the test can lead to a positive result.

Test Sits Too Long

If you follow the instructions of a standard pregnancy test, it will seek your attention in the stipulated time frame. If you make the test sit for a long time before going through the results, the urine on the strip evaporates to appear as two lines instead of one. But it is actually one and the result is negative. In such cases, go for another test immediately and look out for the result in the stipulated time frame.

Expired Kit

There is a possibility that the kit you are using to check pregnancy may be past its expiry date. The chemical that reads the HCG may fade away with time leading to an incorrect result. Check the expiry date of the kit before you purchase it to increase the accuracy level.

It is always suggested by the healthcare experts to visit a doctor as soon as you get a positive result on the home pregnancy kit to doubly confirm the same via a check-up. A blood test will be performed to investigate the HCG in your body and it cannot fool you. It may be an agreeable fact that you wait anxiously to know that you are pregnant, but a little patience can get you accurate results.

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Ultrasound scans done during the last trimester can help determine the position of the fetus thereby avoiding labor complications says an article published in Embriovid. A host of pregnancy tests are done during the course of nine months which help keep tabs on the health of the mother and the baby and is the agent of information about potential high-risk factors.

Essential Tests To Be Done During Pregnancy

Ultrasound Test

Three ultrasound tests are done during the course of nine months, one in each trimester. In the first trimester, it can help determine the no. of fetuses i.e determine if there are twins, determine expected date of delivery, and can also help detect fetal abnormalities. In the second trimester, ultrasound helps confirm expected delivery date, determine the structure of placenta, check the amount of amniotic fluid, examine the growth of fetus, patterns of blood flow, examine fetal anatomy and determine the presence of any anomaly. In the third trimester, the scan helps to determine position of the fetus, assess the placenta and determine the quantity of amniotic fluid.

Blood Tests

Blood tests are generally done during the first quarter. They help determine Rh factor, levels of Human Gonadotrophin which determines the growth of the fetus, abnormal levels of PAAP-A (pregnancy-associated plasma protein screening) which is a protein produced by the placenta, abnormal haemoglobin levels or red and white blood cells counts, as well as diseases like Hepatitis B, Syphilis, HIV and other STDs and immunity to German measles. High levels of PAAP-A indicates high risk of chromosomal abnormalities in fetus. It is essential to get checked for STDs even if you have been tested before because it is possible to have STD and not have any symptoms, says an article published in Mayo Clinic. Early detection of STDs can help to reduce their chances of transmission from mother to baby.

Urine Tests

One of the most common pregnancy tests include urine tests, may be done as early as to detect the pregnancy. Urine tests are done numerous times during the three trimesters. They help to determine protein levels and to also check for infections.

Fetal Monitoring

Fetal monitoring is done to determine the fetal heart rate. It is either done through fetoscope or through a handheld Doppler. It helps diagnose complications during the last leg of pregnancy especially in the case of less or no fetal movements.

Glucose Challenge Screening Test

It is a blood screening test done between weeks 24 to 28. It determines if you are at risk of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Other tests include Amniocentesis and Cordocentesis which helps to determine genetic abnormalities in the fetus.

The post 5 Pregnancy Tests Carried Out During the Course of Nine Months appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.