Are you feeling a little bloated? Did your pants suddenly become too tight for comfort? Are you always hungry but nothing seems to satisfy your cravings? If your answer is yes, then congrats bud, it's time to face the music. You might be pregnant! But hold on tight and don't get ahead of yourself because timing is everything when it comes to pregnancy testing.
Let’s Talk about Preggo…ancy Tests
Okay, let's start with the basics - no need for those scientific terminologies that make our brains hurt. A pregnancy test detects a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in urine or blood samples indicating if a person is preggers or not.
Peeing or Pricking?
There are two ways, ladies and gentlemen; two preferred methods when it comes to getting tested: peeing on a stick or pricking them veins:
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Urine Test – we've all seen this one before; pee onto something small enough fit into your pocket like some fancy lighter… blah-blah-blah et voila!
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Blood Test – this requires finding an appropriate vein (ouch!) usually done by injecting needles into the arm and extracting blood from the poor soul which will then be sent for testing.
Whichever method pleases your heart...or bladder go forth and do thy bidding
Time Is Of The Essence
One thing we should know - there isn’t exactly an overnight success method when taking pregnancy tests regardless of what adverts say out there on YouTube, so cool down.
Knowing WHEN TO TAKE THE TESTS can save you money spent buying unnecessary sticks whilst quenching thirst caused as results take long.
Here are some tips (NB!) which may come in handy:
Track Your Menstrual Cycle
You see girls haven't been the “weaker sex” for centuries without having a trick or two; when the first day of your last period begun, write it down. The average menstrual cycle is around 28 days (can be as short as 21 to 35 days), but not all women have consistent cycles each month.
Count Thy Days
For example, if you have monthly periods starting on September 1st and then again on October 1st, this means that your cycle takes approximately one month in duration.
For luckier ladies with regular menstrual cycles counting the days is easier: tests can be taken 14 – !7days after ovulation.
False Negatives and Positives
Now let's get serious guys! Even though peeing sticks are usually very accurate they cannot determine pregnancy immediately in some cases:
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Hang In There This could mostly happen because its too early for hCG hormone to show up e.g before seven to ten days after fertilization (Don't bother testing yet).
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Problematic Health Conditions Health conditions such as being treated with fertility drugs which contain hCG may also give false positives while experiencing an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage shows false negatives.
Conclusion
Pregnancy Testing time can indeed cause uncertainty - don't believe everything seen/heard online without consulting doctors/nurses/helpful aunties out there. Remember only TWO conventional ways exist for testing and choose wisely according bank account balance etc., Timing is key so count those days from previous bouts of menstruation.Beware False Negatives - Wait till Test results become more truthful.