Women should purchase the most reliable home pregnancy test when she thinks she may be pregnant. Early prenatal care is important to ensure a healthy baby and reduce the risks to the mother during pregnancy. With all the brands and types of tests on the market it is difficult to make that decision, especially when there is always some anxiety about the results.
First Response Early Result
Home pregnancy tests work by measuring the amount of the hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin or hCG in a woman's urine. When a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining, a woman will begin to produce hCG, which will steadily rise until it peaks at eight to ten weeks. The more sensitive a test is to this hormone, the more reliable the results.
In a 2003 study, published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine tested 18 home pregnancy tests. They determined that at least 12.5 mIU/mL of hCG in the urine is needed to detect a pregnancy on the first day of a woman's missed period. First Response Early Result was the only test with this sensitivity.
Consumer Research ran a test as well and found that First Response Early Result was the most sensitive and reliable among 18 other tests, as reported by CBS News in 2003. First Response Early Result is a traditional stick test with a window to read the results. Pink lines in the test window confirms a positive pregnancy.
Clearblue Easy
Clearblue Easy was the second most sensitive test to hCG, as reported by the University of New Mexico study. Clearblue Easy is available in two formats. One is called Clearblue Easy +/- and the results are read as + for positive pregnancy or a minus sign, - for negative. The other test is called Clearblue Easy Digital and shows the results in the test window of the strip as either "pregnant" or "not pregnant."
A study published in the 2008, "Current Medical Research and Opinion" found that a higher percentage of women accurately read the results of a "digital" pregnancy test over a traditional one with lines. Clearblue Easy Digital came out on top when compared with five other brands of non-digital tests.
First Response Gold Digital
Parents magazine reported on ten pregnancy tests in 2008, choosing First Response Gold Digital and deeming it the one with the latest technology. This test is read as either a "yes" to a positive pregnancy or a "no." There is also a "test is working" indicator to let a woman know that it is ready to be used. The manufacturer claims that it is sensitive enough to be used four days before a woman's period is due, with accuracy increasing to 99 percent on the expected day of her period.
Considerations
Women will begin to produce the hormone, hCG at implantation. This can be different for each woman, as well as the rate of increase in the hormone. Since home pregnancy tests are dependent on the amount of hCG that they can detect, some women may not test positive until their body produces enough of this hormone. The amount of hCG doubles every 24 to 48 hours, increasing the reliability of the test each day. Accuracy is increased by waiting to test a week after a missed period, when the hCG levels are much higher.
Home pregnancy tests that detect the lowest amount of hCG will be the most sensitive and can be used the earliest. Tests are available to detect hCG in the range of 20 to 100 mIU/ml. Some brands offer two tests in one box, which many women feel is a good purchase, as the test can be repeated a day later if needed.
References
- "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology": Accuracy of home pregnancy tests at the time of missed menses
- CBS News: The Best Pregnancy Tests
- Current Medical Research and Opinion: Comparison of accuracy and certainty of results of six home pregnancy tests available over-the-counter
- "Parents": 10 Homer Pregnancy Tests
