What Do The Results Means
Your results will show whether you are pregnant. If you are pregnant, it’s important to see your health care provider as soon as possible. You may be referred to or may already be receiving care from an obstetrician/gynecologist or a midwife. These are providers who specialize in women’s health, prenatal care, and pregnancy. Regular health care visits during pregnancy can help ensure you and your baby stay healthy.
Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.
Can You Take Home Pregnancy Tests Before Missing A Period
Most mothers-to-be today look at early detection as something immensely important. This is especially true for women who begin experiencing symptoms of pregnancy before missing their periods. However, how do you know whether you should wait to take a test or if you can take one before your period while still getting accurate results?
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Can You Take A Pregnancy Test While On Your Period
Whether you have been trying for months to conceive or dont feel ready to have a child yet, if you think you might be pregnant its likely to bring out all the emotions. Even waiting one day to find out can seem like an eternity.
Luckily, your corner drugstore or local grocery should have you covered with pregnancy tests you can take at home ASAP. A quick trip to the bathroom, a few minutes of waiting, and the answer will display before your eyes.
But how trustworthy are those results? And what if youre bleeding or seem to be on your period, will that ruin the test results?
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How Much Does A Pregnancy Test Cost
Pregnancy test costs depend on the type of test performed and where you purchase it. Home pregnancy tests generally run anywhere from $8 to $15. A test from a licensed medical provider may cost a bit more, but it can also be more accurate. Plus, a professional pregnancy test comes with trained medical staff to explain the results and your options.
Urine pregnancy tests at a doctors office can vary widely in price, however. Always ask about cost before having the test done. Even with a co-pay from your insurance, you could end up spending as much as $100 or more. Your FastMed provider can usually offer the test for far less. Contact your local FastMed Urgent Care for specific pricing.
If you need a pregnancy blood test for greater accuracy or to confirm a healthy pregnancy, these usually cost about $49. The higher price is why these tests are typically reserved for more complicated pregnancies.
Is It Possible To Get A False Positive Pregnancy Test Result
Yes, but this is rare. A positive result can also be caused by:
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Pregnancy loss very soon after implantation
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hCG secretion from a tumor
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Pituitary hCG secretion, typically in people going through perimenopause
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Interference from hCG administered as part of infertility treatment. If youâve had an injection of hCG, this should be cleared from your system after two weeks.
Medications do not cause false positive pregnancy tests, unless the medication contains hCG or, rarely, certain antibodies . If you think your medication might be interfering with pregnancy test results, talk with your healthcare provider.
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Weight And Height Checks In Pregnancy
You’ll be weighed at your booking appointment, but you will not be weighed regularly during your pregnancy. Your height and weight are used to calculate your body mass index .
If you are overweight you have an increased risk of problems during pregnancy.
You’re likely to put on 10 to 12.5kg in pregnancy after being 20 weeks pregnant. Much of the extra weight is because the baby is growing, but your body also stores fat for making breast milk after birth.
Talk to a GP or midwife if you are concerned about your weight.
It’s important to have a healthy diet in pregnancy and do regular exercise during your pregnancy.
Whats Next If The Results Are Positive
Your next steps depend on two things: whether youre pregnant and whether or not you planned to get pregnant.
If your test results are positive and youve been planning to have a baby, take another test to make sure youre pregnant. Then, see your doctor before you reach the 8-week mark. You can ask them about prenatal care options or specialists who can help guide you through your pregnancy. Ask your doctor about any changes you need to make to your lifestyle, medications, or diet to keep yourself and your baby healthy for the next nine months.
If your test results are positive but you didnt plan to get pregnant, ask your doctor about available options, including:
- carrying the pregnancy to term for adoption
- what to do if you want to continue your pregnancy
You can also receive help from a clinic or health center that specializes in reproductive health and child care, like Planned Parenthood.
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A Quantitative Or Blood Pregnancy Test Tells A Great Deal
Rachel Gurevich is a fertility advocate, author, and recipient of The Hope Award for Achievement, from Resolve: The National Infertility Association. She is a professional member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and has been writing about womens health since 2001. Rachel uses her own experiences with infertility to write compassionate, practical, and supportive articles.
Most pregnant women find out they are pregnant by taking a urine-based home pregnancy test. Sometimes, doctors suggest that you also take a blood pregnancy test. In specific cases, there are multiple reasons why a blood test may be preferred, but usually, a urine test is all you need. Below, we explain exactly what a blood pregnancy test is and how it differs from a urine test.
False Positive Results Of Blood Pregnancy Test
False positive results of pregnancy blood tests are rare, but they do happen. Some conditions can lead to a result of pregnancy when the woman is, in fact, not pregnant.
Because blood tests detect the presence of the hormone hCG, any level of hCGâeven if it is there for another reasonâcould lead to a false positive test result. Some non-pregnancy reasons for hCG to be in the blood are:
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Can A Blood Test Tell If You Are Pregnant
How Much Does Genetic Testing Cost
The cost of DNA analysis has decreased in recent years, as technology utilized for genetic testing has become more advanced. Instead of conducting multiple separate tests, genetic testing can now be performed with a single blood or saliva test.
Genetic carrier screening can cost between $100 and $2,000 depending on the type of testing being performed. Testing may be covered by your insurance if the tests are recommended by your physician, but if you have questions, its best to contact your insurance company to see what your plan might cover.
It does depend on the insurance, but typically the routine, recommended screening is covered in women who are either pregnant or trying to get pregnant, says Dr. Keegan.
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How The Test Is Performed
A pregnancy test is done using blood or urine. There are 2 types of blood tests:
- Qualitative, which measures whether the HCG hormone is present
- Quantitative, which measures how much HCG is present
The blood test is done by drawing a single tube of blood and sending it to a laboratory. You may wait anywhere from a few hours to more than a day to get the results.
The urine HCG test is most often performed by placing a drop of urine on a prepared chemical strip. It takes 1 to 2 minutes for a result.
For the urine test, you urinate into a cup.
For the blood test, the health care provider uses a needle and syringe to draw blood from your vein into a tube. Any discomfort you might feel from the blood draw will only last a few seconds.
How Do You Get A Blood Test While Pregnant
The screening process typically involves collecting a sample of blood from the pregnant woman between the 15th and 20th week of pregnancy . The AFP screening is one example of the many markers. This blood test, which also goes by the name maternal serum AFP, determines the amount of AFP that is present in your blood during pregnancy.
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Where Can I Get A Pregnancy Test
You can buy a pregnancy test at your local pharmacy, drugstore, grocery store, and some convenience or dollar stores. Pregnancy tests are usually inexpensive they can cost as little as a dollar. Sometimes you can get a free pregnancy test at certain health centers.
You can also get a pregnancy test from your nurse or doctor, community clinic, or local Planned Parenthood Health Center. Most health centers use the same urine pregnancy tests that you can buy in stores. Sometimes they use a blood test to test for pregnancy, but thats usually only under special circumstances.
But be careful when looking for a reliable health center, because there are fake clinics out there called Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Crisis Pregnancy Centers give free pregnancy tests and claim to offer information and help. But theyre run by people who may not be medical professionals, and dont believe in giving you honest facts about pregnancy and all of your options. Crisis pregnancy centers are often located very close to Planned Parenthood health centers or other real medical centers, and have similar names they do this to confuse people and trick them into visiting their center instead.
Your nearest Planned Parenthood health center can help you find a safe place to get a pregnancy test in your area.
Blood Pregnancy Test Accuracy
A urine pregnancy test is just as accurate as a blood test , as long as you wait the recommended amount of time to take it. HCG doubles every couple of days in the very early stages of pregnancy. Urine tests can produce a false negative if the urine is diluted or the test is taken too early.
As with home urine tests, it is possible to end up with false results from a blood pregnancy test.
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Are Test Results Accurate
While no test is 100% accurate, pregnancy tests are considered to be very accurate.
A positive result in someone who is not actually pregnant can occur after menopause or when taking hormone supplements. A negative result in someone who is actually pregnant can occur when a test is done too early after conception, when insufficient hCG levels are present. If a negative test occurs when a pregnancy is suspected, the test should be repeated a week later.
How Do Pregnancy Tests Work
The two types of tests, blood, and urine, both measure presence of human chorionic gonadotropin . This hormone starts being produced when a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus, and production rises quickly over the first few weeks of pregnancy. Blood tests given by a doctor are able to confirm pregnancy earlier than urine tests because they can detect lower levels of hCG. Home urine tests will typically work from the first day of a missed period if administered correctly, but some home tests are more sensitive to hCG levels than others.
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What Details Do Pregnancy Blood Test Results Show
All blood tests are done to determine whether the foetus is growing well and is healthy. Pregnancy blood tests reveal if there are any problems or complications at present or if they could arise as the pregnancy progresses. Some important results that the blood tests confirm are:
- The blood group and type of the mother.
- If there are any diseases like Rubella, Syphilis, Hepatitis B affecting the mother.
- If she has gestational diabetes or is suffering from any other infectious illness.
- If the foetus is healthy and growing well without any birth defects.
Tests Done Later In Pregnancyexpand All
- What tests are done later in pregnancy?
The tests done later in pregnancy include glucose screening and group B streptococcus screening.
- What is a glucose screening test?
This test measures the level of glucose, or sugar, in your blood. A high blood sugar level may be a sign of gestational diabetes, which can cause problems during pregnancy. For this test, you drink a special sugar mixture. An hour later, a blood sample is taken and sent to a lab. If your blood sugar level is high, you will have another type of glucose test to confirm the results.
- When is a glucose screening done?
This test usually is done between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. This test might be done in the first trimester of pregnancy if you have risk factors for diabetes or had gestational diabetes in a past pregnancy.
- What is GBS?
GBS is one of the many bacteria that live in the body. It usually does not cause serious illness in adults, and it is not an STI.
- Why is GBS a concern for pregnant women?
- How can GBS affect a newborn?
Even though it is rare for a baby to get GBS, it can be very serious when it happens. A small number of babies with GBS die even with immediate treatment.
- How is the test for GBS done?
If the results show that GBS is present, most women will receive antibiotics through an intravenous line once labor has started. This is done to help protect the fetus from being infected. The best time for treatment is during labor. See Group B Strep and Pregnancy to learn more.
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What Is The Usual Time For Delivery Of Paternity Dna Test Reports
The delivery time for lab results may vary depending upon which laboratory service you choose. It also depends on how fast the collected sample is sent to the laboratory and tested.
Any decent DNA lab confirms the test results within two to three business days it rarely takes longer than that. Some labs offer same-day test report delivery with an additional fee. Many reputed DNA testing centers upload results on a secure website for easy and quick access.
However, note that pre-natal DNA paternity tests like Amniocentesis and CVS can take a week or so to provide accurate prenatal DNA test results.
When your babys paternity is questioned by society, a DNA paternity test helps you answer it. Your chosen DNA testing center/lab assists you with the testing method best for your situation.
But whichever DNA lab service you choose for at-home or medical test, make sure the lab is AABB authorized. The test results released by an AABB-accredited laboratory meet solid standards for testing and maintaining accuracy.
Accurate C& S Services, Inc. partners with an AABB accredited lab. We deliver paternity test results typically available within 2 business days.
For more details about our various DNA testing services, call us at
Contact Us
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Follow My Babys Growth
This doesnt mean you cant take a pregnancy test later in the day. It just means that youre more likely to get a false-negative, especially if youve been drinking a lot of water. Its easy to forget in the morning, so it might be helpful to leave yourself a note the night before. You can close the lid of the toilet and leave a note there to remind yourself.
What if you have an unconventional sleep schedule and cant test your urine first thing in the morning? You can increase the level of hCG in your urine by not using the bathroom for at least four hours.
Before taking a pregnancy test, dont drink more water than you normally would. Drinking a lot of water can dilute your urine and affect the result of your test.
If you got a negative result but still think you might be pregnant, take the test again after several days. False positives and false negatives are rare, but they do happen. Repeating a test can also be a good idea.
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What Are Screening Tests And Diagnostic Tests
Screening tests check to see if your baby is more likely to have a health condition, but they dont tell you for sure whether your baby has a condition.
Diagnostic tests tell you whether your baby has a health condition. If a screening test shows your baby is at high risk of a health condition, your provider may recommend a diagnostic test to confirm the results. Some diagnostic tests may have some risks for your baby, such as miscarriage. Miscarriage is when a baby dies in the womb before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Screening test results can help you decide whether you want to have a diagnostic test. You may or may not want to know whether your baby has a health condition. If you decide to have a diagnostic test, you can learn more about your babys condition and how to care for your baby after hes born. You also can make plans to give birth in a hospital that can give your baby special medical care.
