Pregnancy tests can be done at home or at the doctor's place. Most ladies prefer to do the home pregnancy test at their privacy. If the test result is positive, most women consult the doctor to confirm the pregnancy.
I n late 1920s and early 1930, the phrase "The rabbit died" used to use to indicate positive pregnancy tests. Sometimes 1927/1928, it was found that urine of pregnant woman causes the bulging of muscles in ovaries. It was necessary to kill the rabbit to inspect the bulging masses on the ovaries. Rabbits and mice literally had to die to determine pregnancy. That is, if the test was positive. If someone said the rabbit died, it meant that they were pregnant.
With the advent of science and technology the nature of pregnancy tests has also evolved. For decades now, chemical agents that react with a woman?s urine are able to give the results of the pregnancy tests without any living thing having to suffer. Except perhaps the woman who is waiting for those results.
There are many different choices of home pregnancy test kits today. In 2003 Consumer Reports tested 19 of those kits and reported their findings on CBS? Morning Show. The results were actually fascinating as we were provided with a lot of information that even the manufacturers of these home pregnancy tests don?t tell us.
Each home pregnancy test has a certain sensitivity to the pregnancy hormone hCG. This hormone is produced by the placenta after the embryo attaches itself to the uterine wall. The detection of this hormone is what makes pregnancy tests positive. There is no way to know of course when the embryo will attach itself, so by performing pregnancy tests too early you stand a good chance of getting a negative result when you really are pregnant.
Sensitivity Comparisons in Pregnancy tests
The news Consumer Reports gave us about the home pregnancy tests they tested let us know which of the home pregnancy tests would detect hCG at the smallest levels, which of course means these are the tests that will provide an accurate pregnancy test result the quickest. The overall winner of the home pregnancy tests was First Response which will detect the smallest hCG levels.
It turns out First Response was able to detect hCG at 6.5 thousandths of an International Unit (6.5 mIU) while the least sensitive of the home pregnancy tests couldn?t detect the pregnancy hormone under 100 mIU. EPT, which was the first home pregnancy test in the market nearly 30 years ago detects hCG at 40 mIU. Knowing these numbers will help you make a more informed decision when purchasing your home pregnancy tests.
