According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most pregnancy tests claim to be 99 percent accurate as early as the first day of a missed period. A pregnancy test works by detecting the pregnancy hormone that is referred to as hCG. The test generally has a thumb grip on one end and an absorbent tip on the other end. The front of the test has a clear window that covers the results window. Some pregnancy tests have a control window next to the results window. Using a pregnancy test requires only a few straightforward steps.
Step 1
Remove the pregnancy test from the package. To maintain the freshness of the test, don't remove it until just before you use it.
Step 2
Grip the thumb grip in your dominant hand and use your non-dominant hand to remove the cap covering the absorbent tip. Set the cap to the side.
Step 3
Hold the absorbent tip at a downward angle in your urine stream for five seconds. Alternately, you can urinate into a clean, dry cup and hold the absorbent tip submerged in the urine for five to 20 seconds. The length of time to hold the tip in the cup of urine depends on the brand of test. For example, the Clearblue Easy Digital Pregnancy Test recommends submerging the tip in the cup of urine for 20 seconds while the Clearblue Easy +/- Pregnancy Test and the First Response Early Result Pregnancy Test recommends five seconds.
Step 4
Replace the cap over the absorbent tip and lay the test on a flat surface with the results window facing up. It is normal for a pink or blue color to spread across the results window. If you used a cup to collect the urine, dispose of the urine and the cup.
Step 5
Wait the enough time for the results to show up, which is generally two to three minutes. If the test has a control window, a line will appear in this area once the test has worked, but it may take a few more minutes for the results to show up. If no results are seen, wait an additional three to four minutes, but don't read a negative test after 10 minutes because an evaporation line can become visible, which can make the test appear to have a positive result.
Step 6
Retake the pregnancy test in one week if the results are negative, but you feel that you are or might be pregnant.
Tips and Warnings
- The first morning urine has the highest level of hCG, but you can perform the test at any time of the day. The symbols for a positive or negative result will vary from brand to brand. A positive result may show up as a plus sign or two vertical lines and a negative result could show up as one vertical line. The lines showing a positive result can have one faint line and one bold line. If the test is a digital pregnancy test, a positive result will show up as a single word such as "yes" or "pregnant" and a negative result will show up as "no" or "not pregnant." Most tests have examples of the positive and negative results printed on the test beside the results window.
Things You'll Need
- Pregnancy test
- Cup
