Taking the Pregnancy Blood Test for More Accurate Results

Should you take the pregnancy blood test or a home pregnancy urine test kit? There are a lot of ways offered today for you to know if you are pregnant. Being pregnant means you have to take care of your health more than ever. This is why it is important to know if you are pregnant as soon as possible by taking pregnancy tests. Early detection ensures not only your health, but also your baby’s health.

But which pregnancy test is more accurate?

Taking a home pregnancy test is cheaper and faster, but the results can be misleading at times, especially if you took the test too soon. In fact, there are greater chances of getting false results with the home pregnancy test. This is due to human carelessness, such as not following the proper instructions, or if the strip is not dipped in the right manner. In fact, after taking a home pregnancy test, you are advised to confirm the results with a blood test.

The pregnancy blood test is very simple. It is done by drawing some blood from your vein. The blood is sent to the laboratory for examination. The test results can take some hours, at times, even up to a day.

For greater accuracy, it is better to take a pregnancy blood test because it measures the exact amount of hormones in the blood.  This test can trace even the smallest amounts of hormones, which make it very accurate. It is also able to determine the approximate age of the fetus, and the progress of your pregnancy.

Other Pregnancy Blood Tests

Aside from checking your hormonal levels to determine pregnancy, there are a number of other pregnancy blood tests that may be performed throughout the pregnancy. This is to check the mother’s blood type, determine if you have a sexually transmitted disease, are anemic, have any digestive illnesses, and also to detect the presence of antibodies for diseases that can be very dangerous in pregnancy.

The blood test is more accurate than the urine test since it confirms traces of HCG a week earlier. Urine tests usually take 14-16 days after ovulation to give an accurate result, while the pregnancy blood test only takes a week after ovulation to give you a legit result.

Although the blood test is genuine, the results can be affected when you are taking fertility drugs, or if the test was performed too soon, when the hormone levels are too low to detect. To determine if the timing is right for taking the test, doctors prefer to wait until you have missed your period to make sure that the results will be 100 percent precise.

If you are experiencing symptoms of pregnancy, like a delayed menstrual period, vomiting, pelvic pain, breast tenderness, or irregular spotting, take a pregnancy blood test to confirm or negate pregnancy.