There are a lot of pregnancy test kits available nowadays, and though all of them have the same use (which is to determine whether or not one is pregnant), they vary in the level of human chorionic gonadotropin they detect in the urine. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone which the body produces only when pregnant and increases as the pregnancy progresses. Thus, it is not common to get a false negative result when hCG levels in the urine may not be detected yet or pregnancy may still be too early to be detected by pregnancy test kits.

Home pregnancy tests are actually comprised of a chemical strip which detects hCG in the urine, a urine dropper and may, but not always, include a container where to put urine. These test equipment come properly labeled and with complete instructions to boot. Using the dropper, urine is then placed onto the chemical strip. It usually takes a minute or two before the results are shown. The reliability of the results depends on proper usage and proper timing. Your menstrual cycle and how early you are in your pregnancy also determines your results. Generally, it is recommended that women who think they might be pregnant must wait to use home pregnancy tests until the first day of their missed period. Those who test too early, hence, still having low levels of hCG may get a false negative result. Remember that on the average, women produce 25 miu of hCG after 10 days of conception while most tests can only detect 50 to 250 miu of hCG.

Pregnancy test kits are widely available and easily acquired. These tests are also used in doctors' offices and other healthcare facilities aside from the pregnancy blood tests that they usually employ.

Pregnancy Blood Tests

If you can't wait until after your missed period, then you can visit your doctor and opt for a pregnancy blood test. Pregnancy blood tests are more accurate than home pregnancy tests since they may detect even trace amounts of hCG, even as early as 10 to 12 days after ovulating. It is a simple procedure which involves drawing blood from your arm which is then tested for hCG.