If you suspect you are pregnant, you can get a pregnancy test done by a nurse or doctor or first do a home pregnancy test yourself with a kit bought from a pharmacy.

There are different types of home pregnancy tests and it’s important to read the instructions carefully.

How pregnancy tests work

Pregnancy tests check your urine or blood for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone is produced during pregnancy and can be detected as early as 10 days after conception, when a fertilised egg attaches to your womb.

If hCG is found in your blood or urine it is highly likely that you are pregnant.

Home pregnancy tests

Home pregnancy tests, which can be bought over the counter from a chemist or supermarket, test your urine. There are different types. Read the instructions carefully before doing a home pregnancy test.

With most home kits, you either hold the end of a chemical dipstick in your urine stream or collect the urine in a container and test it. The dipstick tests for hCG and uses colours or symbols to show whether or not you are pregnant. Digital dipsticks may state ‘pregnant’ or ‘not pregnant’ and can be easier to read.

Some kit manufacturers claim their tests can show if you are pregnant with 99% accuracy on the first day you miss your period. That might not always be true.

Some kits give false negative results – they suggest you are not pregnant when you really are. This can happen if you do the test too soon, if you check the results too quickly or you used very diluted urine. It is also possible to get false positive results – kits which suggest you are pregnant when you are not.

To get the most reliable results, wait until at least a week after your expected period before testing. Then the amount of hCG should have built up in your body if you are pregnant. Some digital kits are more accurate than traditional test kits.

Repeat the test a few days later. Always consult your doctor or clinic to confirm that you really are pregnant.

Pregnancy tests performed by a doctor

Nurses, doctors or specialists can do either urine or blood tests to confirm whether you are pregnant. The urine tests are similar to the home ones.

The blood tests for pregnancy are more sensitive and accurate than urine tests. They can detect whether the hormone is present in your blood and how much hCG there is.

Testing the level of hCG and the rate at which it increases is one way your doctor can tell if your pregnancy is normal. For example, an extremely high hCG level may be a sign you are expecting twins or have some disorder.

It’s important to consult a medical professional early in your pregnancy.

Sources: , Mayo Clinic (Home pregnancy tests: Can you trust the results?) MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopaedia(Pregnancy test)