Should you take an easy home pregnancy test? It’s nice and private, and it only takes a few minutes to get a result. But what about those tales of false positives, false negatives, or indecipherable results? Can you trust something so simple, done in the comfort of your bathroom?
There are three main types of pregnancy test: urine, blood, and home remedy. Professional blood and urine tests have 99% accuracy, providing the instructions are followed.
Pregnancy tests are all about one hormone – human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG for short. When it comes to pregnancy, these three letters crop up all the time.
This hormone thickens the lining of the uterus, getting it ready to support an embryo. HCG is the gold standard for detecting pregnancy, as it’s produced by the placenta, the temporary organ which delivers nutrients to a growing baby.
We’ll talk you through each type of easy home pregnancy test, and how reliable it is for detecting HCG. Most are very dependable, but we’ll start with the methods you should rule out.
Home Remedies For A Pregnancy Test
What could be easier than a homemade test? All you need to do is get the ingredients from the cupboards and mix them with your urine to detect HCG.
There are many types of home remedies to detect pregnancy, using shampoo, toothpaste, sugar, soap … However, there’s not a single piece of scientific evidence to suggest that these methods work.
For example, one remedy is to mix urine with sugar. If the sugar dissolves quickly, the result is negative. If it starts to clump, it’s positive.
Similarly, if you mix your urine with shampoo and you are pregnant, the shampoo is supposed to start fizzing.
Some people find these tests very appealing, as the ingredients are free and the results easy to read. Yet there are no studies or evidence to support any of these home remedies – they’re all based on stories told by individuals. You can even get some of these ‘positive’ results without being pregnant!
For real accuracy, we recommend a urine test. You can buy one over the counter in your local pharmacy or request one from our website, for free.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/homemade-pregnancy-test#research
How To Take A Strip Pregnancy Test
These are the iconic pregnancy tests. They use a strip or dipstick that changes its appearance when it encounters HCG. Sometimes the strips are encased in plastic, giving you the classic white stick.
There are three main ways to take a urine pregnancy test. The instructions will tell you which one you should do for your particular test:
- Collect your urine in a cup and dip the strip below the surface, or;
- Collect your urine in a cup and put a few drops on the strip, or;
- Hold it under your urine stream. (Stick tests are specially designed for this method.)
After about five minutes, the strip will have changed colour or developed symbols, like lines or a plus sign. Different tests have different signs, but the instructions will tell you what they mean.
If you’re nervous about reading the result properly, some tests come in a digital format, with a miniature computer which interprets for you. These tests are more expensive and have the same accuracy, but the results will show up nice and clear on the screen.
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/baby/pregnancy-tests
https://natalist.com/blogs/learn/digital-vs-regular-what-s-the-best-home-pregnancy-test-1
Which Test Should I Pick?
There are plenty of branded tests to choose from, both digital and analog, so it can be hard to know which easy home pregnancy test to pick.
Medical experts say that it doesn’t really matter which one you choose – they’re all a similar accuracy and work in the same way. It’s all down to your preferences.
You can find out more with Healthline’s pregnancy test breakdown, which lists the pros and cons of the biggest brand products out there. They range in price from single to double digits, but if you’re looking for something completely free and especially discreet, we recommend requesting a free test from our website.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/best-pregnancy-test#how-we-chose
Ordering Our Free Pregnancy Test
Life’s free pregnancy tests come to your door in a discreet white envelope, with no indication of what’s inside.
When you open it, you find clear, easy-to-follow instructions and a small packet containing a dipstick.
Waiting for a test can be stressful. Ours arrive quickly, with free postage and packaging for all addresses in the UK and Ireland. They also come with an offer of support: each test arrives with a little pink and green booklet, with contact details for phoning, texting, or emailing our listening team confidentially. If you want to talk, they’re here for you.
They create a space for you to express however you may be feeling and to explore your options. If you just want someone to stay on the phone as you take the test, they can do that too. Our listening service is non-judgmental and confidential, so you have the freedom to talk openly and honestly.
Request a free pregnancy test →
Can I Do A Blood Pregnancy Test At Home?
The third kind of pregnancy test is a blood test.
Blood tests are just as accurate as a urine test, but they’re more sensitive, able to detect a very early pregnancy by picking up on lower levels of HCG.
They’re generally done by a healthcare professional, but this means you need to wait for the results to come back from the lab. If time is your priority, you may as well wait a couple of days to take an at-home urine test.
It is possible to do a blood pregnancy test at home, pricking your finger with a lancet to get a sample. However, it takes more skill both to take the sample and to read the result, with the possibility of bruising or dizziness as you take the blood. They’re also more expensive than your typical urine strip.
For something cheap, quick, and pain-free, we recommend our free strip as your reliable, easy home pregnancy test.
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/baby/pregnancy-tests
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/9703-pregnancy-tests
https://glycanage.com/self-care/lifestyle/home-blood-hcg-test
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/blood-tests/
Can An Easy Home Pregnancy Test Be Wrong?
Very occasionally, an easy home pregnancy test can give wrong results. You may have heard the term ‘false positive’ floating around the internet, where the test reads pregnant even when there’s no baby.
False positives are extremely rare. If you think your test result might be wrong, you might want to consider the following causes, and see if any of these is likely to affect you.
What Can Cause A False Positive On A Pregnancy Test?
- Menopause or ovary problems
- Medication containing HCG (check the ingredient list)
- Urinary tract infections
- Medical conditions such as cancer or kidney disease
- Pregnancy loss
HCG can stay in your system for up to six weeks after a miscarriage or abortion, giving a positive test result even if you’re no longer pregnant. Pregnancy loss can be extremely painful, and you can call, text, or email our trained listeners for free emotional support.
Other causes of a false positive include a chemical or molar pregnancy, which you can read about here.
Despite these cases, false positives are still very rare, with blood or urine tests producing accurate results over 99% of the time.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/false-positive-pregnancy-test#medical-conditions
https://www.ccjm.org/content/88/11/635
Can You Get False Negatives On Pregnancy Tests?
False negatives do happen on pregnancy tests, but it’s thought to happen less than 1% of the time.
Most false negatives are down to people using the test incorrectly or at the wrong time, which is why it’s worth answering these two questions:
How soon after sex can I take a pregnancy test?
Many modern tests are super sensitive when it comes to picking up HCG, but the hormone only starts to be present about 6 days after conception. After that, it will carry on increasing.
Because of this, it’s better to wait 21 days after sex before picking up an easy home pregnancy test. Alternatively, wait until after a missed period – this will be the optimum time in your cycle for pregnancy to be detected.
What time of day is best for a pregnancy test?
You can test for pregnancy at any time of day, but the best time is first thing in the morning.
As you consume fluids throughout the day, your HCG levels will be diluted, making it harder for the pregnancy test to pick up. Therefore, you have a better chance of an accurate answer if you take the test just after waking up, when you haven’t drunk anything for several hours.
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/baby/pregnancy-tests
https://www.forbes.com/health/family/false-negative-pregnancy-tests/
https://www.health.com/when-to-take-pregnancy-test-7497586
https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/trying-for-a-baby/doing-a-pregnancy-test/
Conclusion
In conclusion, yes, you can trust home pregnancy tests, with the exception of home remedies.
The results come quickly and accurately, and if you’re unsure about the results, you can always take more than one test.
You can call Life at any time between 9am and 6pm to be referred for a free pregnancy test, delivered discreetly and without fuss.
Talk to us about free pregnancy tests →
You can also reach out to our listening service with any questions or worries. Whether you’re nervous about taking the test, emotional about the result or don’t know what your options are, you can get in touch with us.
- Call on 0808 802 5433
- Text-to-talk on 07860 077 33
- Email help@lifecharity.org.uk
Find out more about our pregnancy support by exploring our website, or by following us on Facebook or Instagram.
