Lady, do you suspect you are on the family way?

Do you want to take a pregnancy test in the privacy and convenience of your own home?

A pregnancy home test kit is readily available in the pharmacy near you and you can buy it even without prescription. The home test kit, which gives quick result, measures your human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that supports the normal development of an egg in your ovary and stimulates the release of your egg during ovulation.

There are three types of home test kits you may choose from. The most common type uses a strip or dipstick. Here, you can either hold the test strip in your urine stream as you urinate into the toilet, or you may collect your urine in a clean cup and dip your test strip into the cup. Usually, the test takes only a few minutes. If you are pregnant, a section of the strip changes colour, indicating that hCG is detected.

The other type of home test kit is one that contains a collection cup with a built-in testing device. All you need to do is either let a few drops of your urine into the device, or you may dip the device into your urine in the cup. The test strip changes colour to show a positive or negative sign of pregnancy.

The third type of home test kit, which is not frequently used, requires you to mix your urine samples with powders or liquids. The chemical reaction produced from it will reveal a colour change that you may compare against a chart for interpretation.

If you are doubtful of the results, you can improve your chances for an accurate result by using your first morning urine for the test. Your hCG level is at its strongest during the morning with the first urine, and so it best to take the test at this time to get the positive result. If you are pregnant, the result will show more hCG in it than in the urine collected later in the day.

The home test kit, however, can be qualitative, and not as accurate as blood test; meaning, the results are either positive or negative.

The best way to get an optimum result is to have the test at a certified laboratory, where your health care provider can perform the test on you. Here, a sample of your blood is used in the test. This test is accurate because aside from hCG detection, it shows the amount of hormone. It also reveals how long you have been pregnant, and detects possible problems with your pregnancy.

But then, if you still wish to proceed with the home test kit, you just have to follow the instructions that come with the kit.Most importantly, you should not change the medication or dosages based on a home test without consulting your doctor.

When you are done with the test and the result indicates that you are pregnant and you’re displaying some of the pregnancy symptoms, follow it up by consulting with your doctor or health provider so you may start with the prenatal care.