When To Use A Pregnancy Kit | Natural Pregnancy Test At Home
Pregnancy is the beginning of an exciting part of a woman’s life. Most women are confused about how and when to take a pregnancy test. Some of the initial signs of pregnancy are confused and mistaken. In this article, we will discuss seven signs of early pregnancy and at what point you should be taking the pregnancy test.
7 Signs You Should Use That Pregnancy Test Kit Right Now
Here are seven signs that let you know that you are ready to take a pregnancy test.
Missed periods
Changes in the breast
Cramps
Morning Sickness
Feeling Different
Missed Contraception
Changes in Bowel movements
1. Missed Period
When you have missed your period, you should take a pregnancy test. In a sexually active woman, a missed period can be an early and first reliable sign of pregnancy. Most pregnancy tests are accurate when performed 4-5 days after a missed period. However, in some cases, the hormone levels may remain insufficient to trigger a positive result. In such instances, you can repeat the test every 2 days.
You may experience light bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy and you should not mistake it for menstrual bleeding. If you think you are pregnant, you should try and notice if there’s any change in the color or amount of bleeding.
2. Changes in the Breast
A woman noticing changes in breast
During early pregnancy, breasts may feel sore and swollen. Due to increased blood flow, breasts appear tender and bigger. Also, some women may notice changes in the nipples. They appear larger and darker during early pregnancy.
3. Cramps
A woman having cramps
Though cramps are common before and during a menstrual period, some woman has cramps when implantation occurs. If you have cramps before your period is due and there is no bleeding or bleeding is very mild than usual, you can take a pregnancy test.
4. Morning Sickness
If you start feeling nauseous and feel like vomiting, then these are usual symptoms women experience in their first trimester of pregnancy. Its common to feel nauseated all the time. If a woman feels nauseous along with the other signs of pregnancy, you should take the pregnancy test at home.
5. Feeling Different
The physiological and hormonal changes that happen during early pregnancy may give a “gut feel” that a woman may be pregnant. This sort of different feeling usually happens and is a sign to take up a pregnancy test. Nausea, vomiting, food aversions, exhaustion, and frequent urination may make you feel different.
6. Missed Contraception
Birth control pills are not 100% effective, just like condoms. If you have used contraceptive pills and still observe signs of pregnancy, you should consider taking a pregnancy test. Birth control pills are difficult to take as per the directions, and 9 in 100 women on the pill may get pregnant even if they have taken the pill as directed.
7. Changes in Bowel Movements
Early signs of gastrointestinal changes during pregnancy include constipation, bloating, and gas. Also, most women experience a frequent urge to urinate and tend to produce increased amounts of urine.
How Can I Check If I am Pregnant Without A Pregnancy Test?
Food Aversions
The best way to confirm pregnancy is by using a pregnancy test kit. However, if you don’t have access to the test you can be fairly certain you are pregnant if you observe the following changes in your body.
Food cravings and food aversion
Some women may feel the smell of the food is too uncomfortable
Changes in the breast
Excess vaginal discharge along with soreness
Feeling constipated most of the time
These signs are seen in the first seven to ten days after ovulation. It is advisable to take the test if a woman observes one or more of these symptoms.
How do Pregnancy Test Kits Work?
Over-the-counter pregnancy tests test your urine for human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). The hormone HCG is present only in pregnant women and these tests check for its presence in the urine.
The pregnancy test is usually done after a missed period, ideally after 4-5 days of missing your period. These pregnancy test kits are very easy to use. Follow instructions mentioned on the kit and after 5 minutes check for the results. Depending on the kit you use, the results will be displayed as
Change in color
Extra line in addition to the one present on the stick
A plus or minus symbol, where plus is positive and minus is negative
Words ‘Pregnant’ and ‘Not Pregnant’
How Accurate Is The Early Pregnancy Test
To get the most accurate result, a pregnancy test is usually performed after your missed period.
Fertilization happens when a woman is ovulating. This is usually on the 14th day of a 28 day menstrual cycle. HCG starts forming after 10-12 days of fertilization, so its safe to say that a test can be taken around the time of your period and for more accurate results waiting for 4-5 days after missing your period will be appropriate.
What Are The Different Pregnancy Tests?
There are two methods to perform a pregnancy test. First is a urine test that can be done at home using a pregnancy kit. The second is a blood test that has to be done in a diagnostic lab. Blood tests are definitely more accurate than a urine test as it measures the exact amount of HCG present in the blood. Both tests are designed to detect hCG levels in the body.
Blood Test
Beta HCG Test
Qualitative tests are designed to measure the minimum amount of hCG in your blood and hence has the ability to confirm the pregnancy. This test is cheaper than the quantitative blood test.
A quantitative pregnancy is known as a beta hCG test. This helps doctors to monitor the progress of pregnancy, mainly to see if the HCG levels are in line with the normal values at different stages of the pregnancy. This test is useful if a woman has trouble conceiving or has a history of miscarriages.
Urine Test to Confirm Pregnancy
A home pregnancy test kit showing a positive result
A urine test can be done at home and is very convenient. Get a pregnancy test kit from a medical store, follow the instructions, and get the result instantly. The urine test is usually performed 4-5 days after your missed period. If a woman has regular periods this test can be done early, as soon as the periods are missed.
Every home pregnancy test kit comes with instructions of how to use and how to interpret the results. The usual procedure is to drop a urine sample on the space indicated for this on the test stick. Taking the test first thing in the morning is advisable as it will lead to more reliable results, especially if you are taking the test early.
Pregnancy Test At Home Using Natural Methods
The natural pregnancy tests are performed with simple ingredients that are easily available at home. But these tests lack scientific evidence and the results need to be approached with caution.
What Are Home Pregnancy Tests?
In a lot of places, women don’t have access to a healthcare system which will provide them with home pregnancy test kits or blood tests to confirm a pregnancy. In such cases, there are a few natural methods that may be used but their accuracy will always remain a big question mark.
You can perform this test using readily available ingredients at home such as vinegar, bleach, salt etc. We will cover all of these methods in detail below. Conceptually these methods are based on the way these ingredients react with hCG hormone.
It is important to mention that results of these tests should always be confirmed with a laboratory test whenever possible.
How to Perform the Test?
Perform this test about a week after your missed period. Please note that it is important to use the first urine in the morning for better accuracy. You should go through all the early signs of pregnancy mentioned above and perform these tests if needed.
Ensure that the utensils being used are clean. Do not move the sample once the ingredient has been mixed with the urine sample.
Please find below the natural pregnancy tests you can do at home :
Bleach Pregnancy test
Sugar Pregnancy Test
Soap Pregnancy test
Baking soda
Dettol Pregnancy test
Salt Pregnancy test
Wheat and Barley Pregnancy Test
1. Bleach Pregnancy Test
Take a teaspoon of bleaching powder and add it to the urine sample. Any kind of fizz formation or foam is a positive indicator of pregnancy. Please ensure that your face is covered with a cloth or mask as this mixture may produce fumes that are harmful.
2. Sugar Pregnancy Test
Natural Home Pregnancy Tests
This has been a popular method for centuries to test for pregnancy. Pregnancy test kits and blood tests were developed in the later half of twentieth century. Before these were invented, natural methods such as this one were used to confirm if a woman is pregnant.
Take a tablespoon of sugar and add it to approximately 25 mL of urine in a clean container. Wait for sugar clumps to form to confirm pregnancy. If the sugar dissolves and no clumps are formed, then it indicatives that you are not pregnant.
3. Soap Pregnancy Test
Take a small piece of bathing soap or shampoo available at home. Pour some urine onto this piece of soap or sample of shampoo very slowly. In case of pregnancy, bubbles will form. If its a negative result then nothing significant will happen to the sample.
4. Baking Soda
Take a small sample of urine in a clean container and add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to it. If the pregnancy test is positive, you will see bubbles getting formed.
5. Dettol Pregnancy Test
Take a small sample of urine in a clean container and add 1 tablespoon of Dettol to it. Wait 8-10 minutes for the urine to form a separate layer on top of the Dettol layer in case of a positive result.
6. Salt Pregnancy Test
This is definitely the easiest and most reliable natural home pregnancy test. Salt is available in every household and hence doing this test is feasible for everyone, anywhere.
Take a small sample of urine in a clean container and add half teaspoon of salt to it. Wait for 2-3 minutes. In case of a positive pregnancy, clumps will form.
7. Wheat and Barley Pregnancy Test
Take a small sample of urine in a clean container and add wheat and barley seeds to it. Wait for 2 days. If the seeds germinate then it indicates a positive result.
Disadvantages of Home Pregnancy Tests
The home pregnancy tests done naturally cannot be considered completely accurate
The pH of urine may lead to false-positive results
Using the right quantity of ingredients and clean containers is important, else it may lead to false-negatives
To avoid false-positives or negatives, it is recommended to rely on approved pregnancy test kits or blood tests performed in a laboratory. Identification of pregnancy at the correct time will ensure that you are able to get the right prenatal care.
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