Finding out that they are expecting is like a dream come true for married couples, as many begin to look forward to having children in the near future after becoming husband and wife.
Numerous women may suspect that they are pregnant due to changes in their bodies. However, they should not base their assumptions on such symptoms alone to confirm whether they are pregnant.
This is as these abnormalities may be due to hormonal changes that are not related to pregnancy. Thus, it is best to take the test before you confirm your suspicions.
Let’s take a look at the top pregnancy test and their benefits together!
What’s a urine pregnancy test?
A urine pregnancy test (UPT) or pregnancy detector is the best way to find out if a woman is pregnant. UPTs accurately determine whether one is pregnant by detecting the levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) present in the urine, where HCG is only present in pregnant ladies.
There are three types of urine pregnancy tests on the market today – cassette, strip and digital. We have chosen to focus on the following factors to help us in determining which urine pregnancy test to use:
- Credibility: We prefer to use UPTs recognised and recommended by credible parties, such as gynaecologists.
- Efficiency: Different UPTs have different sensitivity levels, where some can detect the pregnancy before your first missed period.
- Cost: We consider which products are the most value for money as some UPT kits include 1-2 tests.
How do pregnancy tests work?
Your body will start to produce human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) when you conceive. This hormone is measured when you take a pregnancy test. hCG can be detected in the urine or blood.
However, because this hormone takes time to build up in your body, very early pregnancy tests may be negative. Your body will produce more hCG each day throughout early pregnancy.
The level of hCG in your urine or blood is detected by pregnancy tests. A piece of reactive paper detects hCG in a urine test. A plus sign, multiple vertical lines, or even the phrase “pregnancy" might appear as a result.
A positive result will appear in a variety of ways depending on the test. To find out what a positive result looks like, read the guidelines that came with the test.
When do pregnancy tests work best?
Pregnancy tests work best in the mornings since the maximum concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the pregnancy hormone, is seen in early-morning pee.
The good news is that in early pregnancy, hCG practically doubles every two days. That implies that during the fourth or fifth week of pregnancy, your hCG levels are usually high enough to show a positive result whether you use first-morning pee or not.
Even if the test is performed later in the day, the longer it has been since your missed period, the easier it is to detect pregnancy.
On the other hand, there are techniques to assure a more accurate test later in the day if your schedule or circumstances prevent you from testing in the morning.
If you don’t use the toilet for at least 4 hours, you can get first-morning urine for a pregnancy test.
Drinking more liquids than usual is not a good idea. Overhydrating is a typical blunder since many people believe that drinking more will result in more pee. However, doing so will dilute your urine, making it more challenging to detect pregnant hormones.
5 Best Urine Pregnancy Test Kit in Malaysia
We’ve collated and summarised information about a few brands to aid you in your search for which UPT to use.
#1 Dip ‘n’ Tell Pregnancy Test 2s
The Dip ‘n’ Tell brand is quite well known and easily available in the Malaysian market.
The company actually manufactures 2 different types of test kits, one for women with regular menstruation periods and the other for women with irregular periods. The two can be differentiated through their differently coloured packaging.
What we like:
- Proven effectiveness of 99.9%
- Suitable for those with either regular or irregular menstruation
- Can be used before your missed period
- Results are available in a timely manner, after a 1 minute wait
- Each kit comes with 2 tests
#2 Disclosure Urine Pregnancy Test
While cheaper than most brands, the Disclosure test is also certified and readily available at trusted pharmacies.
To use it, you must collect your urine in a clean and dry container then use the dropper provided to dispense 3-4 drops of urine into the test card. Results will be displayed after 1 minute.
What we like:
- Cassette Type
- Affordable
- Easy to use
- Each kit comes with 1 test
#3 Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Kit
This kit is the most specialised one so far. It is able to track the gestational age of the foetus and let you know how far along you are.
Its wider tip makes it easier to use and its unique Floodguard technology helps to prevent excess urine from entering the device and causing errors.
These 2 advantages make the test more expensive as compared to the others.
What we like:
- Digital Type
- Able to test up to 5 days before your missed period
- More sensitive – able to detect lower level of HCG
- Clear ‘Pregnant’ and ‘Not Pregnant’ display of results
- Easy to use
- Each kit comes with 1 test
#4 Clearblue Plus
Clearblue products are known to be reliable and are guaranteed effective. With its award-winning design, the stick-type test is especially easy to use. You just need to dip the absorber in urine and wait a few seconds for results to be displayed.
What we like:
- Proven effectiveness of 99.9%
- Easy to read (+) or (-) results
- Accurate results after only a 1 minute wait
- Has a larger and clearer display
- Easy to use
#5 Guardian One Step Pregnancy Test 2s
Guardian is one of the leading pharmacies in Malaysia with many branches located island-wide. Thus this kit is readily available and convenient to get at a very affordable price.
This cassette type test comes with a plastic handle which improves grip and boosts ease of usage. Results will take 5 minutes to be displayed.
What we like:
- Cassette Type
- Paper cups for urine collection are provided
- Affordability
- Ease of availability
- Can be used after you have missed your period
- Easy to use
- Each kit comes with 2 test
Pregnancy test effectiveness
When used appropriately, store-bought pregnancy tests are extremely accurate. In fact, they’re equally as reliable as a urine pregnancy test from a doctor’s office. When you take a pregnancy test after you’ve missed your period, it’s the most accurate.
However, accuracy can decrease if you use an expired pregnancy test or if you don’t use it correctly. So make sure to check the expiration date on the packaging and read the instructions carefully before using your pregnancy test.
Causes of false positive pregnancy test
Here are some examples of why you may get a false positive pregnancy test:
- Evaporation line: This might be misinterpreted for a positive if the pregnancy test instructions are not followed exactly. When hCG is discovered, many tests display two lines, one line when hCG isn’t detected, or a plus or minus sign. Sometimes a faintly coloured second line shows in the line testing. This might be an evaporation line or a sign of early pregnancy.
- User error: Pregnancy tests, like other consumer items, have an expiration date and are occasionally used incorrectly. A false-positive result might occur when a test is used improperly or when an outdated one is used.
- Chemical pregnancy: This is a miscarriage that occurs before the fifth week of pregnancy and occurs when an embryo implants in your uterus but never takes hold. You may not even realise you’re pregnant since the miscarriage occurs so early. The embryo, on the other hand, generates hCG, which might result in a false-positive pregnancy test.
Pregnancy blood test
A blood test can also be used to detect pregnancy. A little sample of blood is drawn and tested at a hospital or healthcare provider’s office for this sort of pregnancy test.
This blood test will establish whether or not the pregnancy hormone is present in your body, and also how much of it is present.
Because they can detect very low amounts of hCG, these blood tests are somewhat more sensitive than urine tests.
This implies that they can give a more precise response very early in the pregnancy, between nine and twelve days after fertilisation.
Final remarks
It’s understandable that you’ll feel anxious when taking a pregnancy test. However, give your body some time to produce adequate levels of hCG to obtain a more accurate result. You can try out one of the recommended pregnancy tests and find which works best for you.
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