There are many options when you are looking to test to see if you are pregnant. You can go to a local clinic to be tested, you could go to your doctor or gynecologist, and the most popular is to take a home pregnancy test.
Some of the benefits for taking a home pregnancy test is that you can do it in the privacy of your own home, without having to travel to a clinic or doctors office or set up an appointment. Although home pregnancy tests are known to be a little expensive and there may be problems with reading the results, they are definitely the choice of most women.
All home pregnancy tests test for a hormone in a women’s body that is specifically created when a conception has taken place. hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, is released after the egg is fertilized and is implanted in the uterus (can take up to 12 days after fertilization to be implanted.) When this happens, hCG is released by the embryo and in a few days makes its way into your urine. hCG is important to your pregnancy because it helps other body parts (specifically the corpus luteum) function properly which is critical for pregnancy in humans.
Most home pregnancy tests have you urinate on a strip that is at the end of the test and then look into the results window to check and see if there is any hCG in your urine. There are also some tests that have you dip the tester in your urine after you urinate in a cup, or have you add a few drops of your urine (through a dropper) into the test. It is up to your personal preference which home pregnancy test you choose, but both seem to be just as accurate if taken at the correct time.
Of course, before using a home pregnancy test you should read, and re-read the instructions to make sure you are doing everything correctly. There are certain time limits that you have to look out for to make sure you are using the home pregnancy test correctly.