Genia Bekker, who is an Associate Director of division of Gynecology at Nassau University Medical Center , East Meadow to discuss the topic of pregnancy testing.
Boris Petrikovsky, MD, PhD
Pregnancy Test .
Question: I missed my period. How can I find out if I’m pregnant?
Dr. Bekker : You have two options. You can go to any pharmacy and buy over the counter pregnancy test or you can go to the doctor’s office and have a pregnancy test done there.
Question : How does a pregnancy test work?
Dr. Bekker : Pregnancy test is an assay that detects the hormone of pregnancy in the urine. It is called human chorionic gonadotropin and is only produced by the woman’s body if she is pregnant.
Question: Do I have to do the test at any specific time of the day?Dr. Bekker: No, the test can be performed at any time of the day.
Question: How soon after I miss my period does the pregnancy test turn positive?
Dr. Bekker: Today urine pregnancy tests are very sensitive. 97% of pregnancies will be detected if the test is done one week after the expected first day of missed menses and 100% will be positive after 11 days. A lot of times the test will be positive even a couple of days prior to the first day of missed period. (Wilcox A, Baird D, Dunson D, et al. Natural limits of pregnancy testing in relation to the expected menstrual period. JAMA 2001; 286:1759)
Question: What if my home pregnancy test is negative but I think I am pregnant?
Dr. Bekker: One of the most common reasons why a pregnancy test is negative is that it is done too early. I recommend that you repeat it in one week.
Question: If my pregnancy test is positive am I definitely pregnant?
Dr. Bekker: Even though nothing is 100 % and false positive tests do occur, positive pregnancy test is very reliable, and most like you are pregnant.
Genia Bekker , MD