Home pregnancy tests, or HPTs, are a popular way for women to find out if they are pregnant. Home pregnancy tests are reasonably priced, less invasive than blood tests and don't require a doctor's visit. Finding out early if you're pregnant is especially beneficial for women concerned about the effect of smoking, alcohol or medications on their pregnancies. Equate, sold exclusively by Walmart, is an inexpensive, popular HPT.
Purpose
Equate is designed as an early home pregnancy test. It's meant to be used by a woman who wants to know she's pregnant as soon as she misses a period or shortly thereafter. Equate literature states that the test is accurate in registering a positive pregnancy human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) level of 25 milli-International Units per milliliter (mIU/mL).
Method
Equate home pregnancy tests test the level of hCG, a hormone produced by the growing placenta, in urine. To obtain the best results, the sample should be concentrated, so the first morning specimen is the best one to test. Drinking extra fluid may dilute the amount of hCG in the sample. Urinate into a clean container, and then dip the strip into the urine, or pass the stick through the urine stream to wet it. Make sure you're actually getting the strip thoroughly wet if using the second method. Test results should be read between 1 to 10 minutes after wetting. Results after 10 minutes may not be accurate.
Significance
In a 2004 article in "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology," a study by lead author Laurence Cole, PhD, of the University of New Mexico reported that the average hCG level at the time of a missed menstrual period was 49 mIU/ml, but most of the levels fell in the 12.5mIU/ml to 241 mIU/ml range, so some women would not have a positive result on Equate even if pregnant at that time. While false negatives are not unusual, false positives are rare, as long as the sample is examined within the prescribed amount of time.
Time Frame
The Equate HPT should be read between one and 10 minutes after wetting, according to the manufacturer's instructions. If the sample sits too long, the line may darken and appear positive even if the result is negative, according to obstetrician Norman Ravski, M.D. of the Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Considerations
The Equate HPT, like most HPTs, is accurate when used at the right time and checked in the right way. Letting the strip sit too long can result in a false positive, and testing before the hCG level is high enough to register will result in a false negative. If a test is negative the day of a missed period or a few days after, wait another few days and test again, if your period still hasn't started. If you took hCG to induce egg release for an in vitro fertilization or intrauterine insemination, it can take 10 days or more for the drug to leave your system, and you can have a false positive if you test too soon.
