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Testing Testing….

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pregnancy test

If you are trying to get pregnant you will want to know as soon as possible whether or not your attempts have been successful.

What is a pregnancy test?

A home pregnancy test (HPT) can be bought over the counter in any Pharmacy and in many supermarkets.  They can also be bought online.  They are used to determine the presence of the pregnancy hormone HcG.  Without this hormone there is no pregnancy however this hormone increases rapidly during early pregnancy and sometimes an early test may not detect any hormone even though conception has occured. To maintain a healthy hormone level you can get best hormone therapy for women here.

When do I test?

Timing is everything.  If you test too early the test may not detect any hormone and provide a “false negative” result.  Most modern pregnancy tests will allow testing from the day you miss your period.  So taking a standard cycle you would ovulate (and therefore be fertile) around day 14.  Conception will happen around this time.  Hold off though on doing a pregnancy test until around day 28.  The gap between ovulation and testing time is often referred to as the “two week wait” or 2WW.  It is a tough time if you are eager to conceive! However it is best to try as much as possible to get on with life as normal.

Using a test

Once you get to testing day the actual test is very straight forward.  You just literally pee on the stick!  Some recommend testing in the morning when urine is strong however once you have strong enough hormone a test will pick it up any time of the day or night.

Different tests have different result windows – two straight lines, a cross or digital tests that actually state Pregnant or Not Pregnant!  Make sure you know what to watch for!  The result generally takes around 2-3 minutes but again the stronger the hormone the quicker the reaction.

The result

If the result is positive its time to celebrate! Congratulations.  If the result is negative you may not be pregnant, however you may just have tested a little early so if your period does not arrive test again in a few days.  If you are not pregnant its time to try again the next month!