Women who have missed a period or are trying to get pregnant may take numerous home pregnancy tests. The home pregnancy test requires a sample of urine. The test will look for a certain hormone called the human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is made by the body when a woman is pregnant. Early response pregnancy tests can detect very small amounts of the hormone, allowing a woman to get results sooner. Other tests may not be as sensitive and require that she wait until a missed period, when the hCG levels will be higher. Two types of blood tests can be done by a medical professional to confirm a woman's pregnancy.
Quantitative Blood Test
One type of pregnancy test that uses blood is the quantitative blood test. This method examines the quantity, or level, of hCG in the bloodstream. Epigee.org points out that this test can not only confirm a pregnancy, but it can also detect how far along a woman is in the pregnancy. The hCG levels will continue to rise rapidly during the first trimester of pregnancy, making a blood test quite reliable in detecting pregnancy.
Qualitative Blood Test
The qualitative blood test does not identify the level of hCG in the blood. Instead, it simply detects whether the hormone is present. The result from this test will simply identify whether the woman is pregnant.
Follow Up Blood Tests
Women who use reproductive assistance, such as intrauterine insemination, are likely to receive at least two blood tests to confirm the pregnancy. The first is done two weeks after the implantation of the fertilized egg. This test will be a quantitative blood test to identify the hCG levels. Three weeks later, or five weeks after the procedure, the test will be repeated. The purpose is to confirm that hCG levels have at least doubled once every 72 hours, explains FertilityAuthority.com.
