Do-It-Yourself Pregnancy Exam

Do-It-Yourself Pregnancy Exam

Home test kits that enable a woman to determine for herself if she is pregnant have become the messenger of choice for many American women. Not only do the kits allow women to conduct an initial pregnancy test in the privacy of their own homes, but at rather low prices a kit, the home tests cost considerably less than the blood tests, for which physicians normally charge much more to determine pregnancy. No prescription is required.

New technology has made the tests highly reliable and easy to use. Results take only five minutes to obtain, and the test can be given as early as the first day or a missed period. The tests detect a hormone in the urine called human chorionic gonadtropin, which is produced by the placenta. Since the hormone is most easily detected in the morning, some kits require that the test be done in the early morning.

Do-it-yourself pregnancy exam. Photo : Elena

Most tests have the user urinate on a plastic indicator stick about the size of a nail file. If the hormone is detected, a chemical reaction registers on a gauge built into the indicator stick. If the woman is pregnant, a closed circle, bar, or plus sign appears on the gauge on the indicator stick. Of the results are negative, the window remains unchanged. When test results are positive, the test is 99 percent accurate, They are 80 percent accurate if the results are negative. If the results are negative and a woman’s period is still late, the test should be redone in a week. Anytime the results are positive or menstruation is delayed, and the test remains inconclusive, a gynecologist should be consulted promptly.

The Biological Clock

Recent data shows that 4,065,014 babies were born in the United States in 1992. More than three-fourth were to women in their 20s and early 30s, but the biggest increases were for older women (Source: National Center for Health Statistics).