An at-home pregnancy test is popular because it is relatively inexpensive, you can conduct it in the privacy of your own bathroom, and it's a quick way to know if you are pregnant without going to the doctor. The home tests are not always 100 percent accurate. Sometimes the test will give a false positive, indicating you're pregnant but you're not, or a false negative, showing that you're not pregnant, but you are.
Completing the Test
Step 1
Urinate first thing in the morning. The most accurate readings occur when the human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, hormone is highest. The cells of hCG form the placenta.
Step 2
Wait the allotted time before reading. At-home pregnancy kits will instruct you on how long to wait before reading the sticks, usually a few minutes.
Step 3
All tests have a control color band that indicate the test is working. Some kits indicate you are pregnant by producing a second line, and others leave just the control line. Read the test's instructions to find out how your test works.
Step 4
Follow up with another test. Because not all at-home tests are accurate, it might be safe to try another test or see a doctor for blood work. False negatives are more common than false positives because a test might be taken too early in the pregnancy or the hCG in the urine is too diluted to get an accurate reading. Do not rely on positive results that appear after the instructed time period for reading the test, because it can provide a false positive.
Tips and Warnings
- The most accurate way to determine pregnancy is going to the doctor.
