Are Cheap Home Pregnancy Tests Accurate?

The simple answer is a resounding no! No matter what marketing spiel you've seen or heard, both cheap and expensive pregnancy tests are accurate - so why pay more?

The prices that some manufacturers of pregnancy tests charge is, in my opinion, completely outrageous. Some are charging over $25 for digital pregnancy tests which do exactly the same thing as cheap home pregnancy tests do, which is to test for the hormone hCG** in your urine.

Digital pregnancy tests may provide you with the words "pregnant" or "not pregnant" on the display, but the cheaper home pregnancy test strips have an equally good method of telling you if you are pregnant or not, usually by displaying a pink line. It really isn't rocket science. If you're trying for a baby, it's a much better option to get a pack of 5 or more strip tests, since you'll probably be testing every month. You'll also find cheap ovulation tests further down the page so you can put that extra cash into the college fund rather than someone else's pocket.

Don't be fooled by clever marketing either, pregnancy test strips are just as sensitive as digital pregnancy tests and are the preferred choice in hospitals the world over. Be wary of pregnancy tests that claim to be able to give you an early test result, ie: before your period is due. It takes a minimum of 14 days after conception for there to be enough hCG in your urine to test for, which is normally around the time your period is due, so the only way of knowing if you are pregnant before this is to have a blood test.

Why would anyone choose to spend $25 when they can get an accurate test result for $1.50 or less? If your sensible and like to save money, then you'll find many cheap pregnancy tests to buy online here. I'm also going to cover:

• Common Mistakes Made in Home Pregnancy Testing
• How to Get an Accurate Pregnancy Test Result

** hCG or Human chorionic gonadotropin is known as the pregnancy hormone because we produce far greater concentrations of it when we are pregnant compared to when we are not pregnant. It's the hormone responsible for making your periods stop and all the typical pregnancy symptoms that women experience.

There are three main mistakes women make when doing pregnancy tests at home and by far the most common mistake is testing too early. You may be extremely excited or anxious to find out if you are pregnant as early as possible, but the chances of getting a false negative are substantially increased by taking a pregnancy test before your period is due.

As mentioned previously, it takes 14 days minimum after conception for there to be enough hCG in your urine to test for. So for women that have a 28 day cycle and who ovulate on day 13 or 14, the very earliest that a test can be taken is the day that your period is due. If you can handle it, waiting a week longer is better for an accurate result, because even if you did ovulate at the expected time, fertilization can take a few more days to occur.

1. Testing too early
2. Not Testing the First Urination (pee) of the day

3. Peeing Directly onto the Stick

The other common mistakes women make when taking pregnancy tests are forgetting to test the very first urination of the day and trying to pee directly onto the stick. The first urination of the day will have the highest concentrations of hCG in it in comparision to later on in the day, so if you are testing as early as you can you really need to ensure that it's that first pee you're testing. While many pregnancy test manufacturers do say in their instructions to place the stick or strip under the flow of urine, it's actually a lot easier and cleaner to use a sterile cup. You're also more likely to get an accurate result using this method.

Ok, so we've talked about ensuring that you test your first pee of the day, on or after, the date that your period is due. It can be hard to remember to test your first pee when we wake up bursting to relieve ourselves, so my advice is to prepare the night before you plan to take your pregnancy test.

Choose a suitable vessel to catch your pee in such as a cup, jar or glass and give it a thorough wash in hot water and detergent. Ensure you rinse it well to remove any residue from the detergent. Now sterilize your cup by either by putting it in the microwave with a little water inside and putting on full power for 2 minutes, or boil it in a saucepan for a few minutes. Pour any water away and place it in a clean freezer bag. Tie it up and put it on your window ledge or shelf in your toilet. Now when you wake up in the morning your cup is ready to go.

Pee in your cup, glass or jar and place the pregnancy test strip right side down inside the vessel. Leave it for 10-15 minutes. You may see positive result a lot quicker than 10 minutes, but if you're in the very early stages of pregnancy leaving the strip in the jar will ensure that the pregnancy test has ample opportunity to detect any hCG in your urine.

I hope this article has given you all the information you need on buying pregnancy tests as well as how to use them to get an accurate test result. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.