How to Take a Pregnancy Test
A great deal of anxiety comes with taking a pregnancy test. Wondering if it will be positive or negative is stressful enough, you don’t need to also worry about whether or not you are taking it properly. If you think you might be pregnant, and you want to avoid false readings, taking a pregnancy test the right way will ensure you get more accurate results. Here is how to take a pregnancy test so you get the right answer sooner.
5 Steps for Taking a Pregnancy Test
You have heard horror stories about pregnancy test errors. Ask any woman who has peed on a stick. It seems easy, but knowing how and when to take a pregnancy test will improve your odds of more accurate results. The best way to describe how to take a pregnancy test is to break it up into 5 easy steps. Follow them all. Not only will your anxiety go down but you might even save a little cash by eliminating the number of times you have to buy a pregnancy test online.
1. Don’t rush it
According to the Mayo Clinic, the earlier you take an at-home pregnancy test ,the higher your odds for inaccurate results. When you are pregnant, your body produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG. HCG levels increase in the body overtime, so the very day of your missed period may not be the best time for the test to detect HCG.
2. Take a breath
This seems like a silly step, but it’s an important one. Take a breath. Relax yourself and calm your nerves. When you are cool and level-headed, you reduce the likelihood of making a mistake. When you are taking a pregnancy test, the mistake might mean you end up with too much pee on your hand and not enough on the stick.
3. Take the test in the morning
Parenting Magazine suggests taking a pregnancy test in the morning. This doesn’t mean that there is something special in the morning pee that ensures accuracy when taking a pregnancy test. There is just more pee to test if you run into any troubles. When you sit down to pee, allow yourself to pee a little first before placing the stick in your urine stream.
4. Walk away
After you pee on the stick, place the test on a flat surface. Remember that old saying “a watched pot never boils”? It is true in this situation. Your nerves are already all over the place, so walk away and do something else. Wash your hands, walk out and get some water, and keep yourself occupied while you wait. When 2 minutes have passed, go take a peek at the results.
5. Follow all the instructions
A majority of pregnancy tests are similar, but not all are the same. Make sure you read the directions carefully. Tests require different wait times, they have various early detection timeframes, and the symbols vary. Read the directions carefully and thoroughly before you begin.
Once you have taken the pregnancy test, the results will help you determine what comes next. There is an understandable fear of miscarrying, false-positive results, and errors. If you have a positive test, call an OB/GYN and make an appointment immediately. If the results are unclear, wait a few days before taking another test.
Find out how you can take a test in the privacy of your own home, and better yet, with an over 99% accuracy rate with the CuriousMe Early Result Pregnancy Test.
