Many female friends may feel confused during their first pregnancy test, not knowing when to do it, not knowing how to read the pregnancy test stick, and so on. When is the most accurate time to use a pregnancy test stick? What is the result of the pregnancy test stick?
When is the most accurate time to use a pregnancy test stick?
Generally, ovulation occurs around the 14th day of the menstrual cycle. Assuming successful fertilization at this time, it takes 6 to 7 days for the fertilized egg to produce HCG, and pregnancy tests are determined by measuring urine HCG. The true start of HCG secretion occurs after the implantation of the fertilized egg, when syncytiotrophoblasts begin to secrete HCG in large quantities. And the implantation of the fertilized egg takes at least 11 days. So, the earliest 6 days after sexual intercourse, if you want to be more accurate, you can wait until 11 days after sexual intercourse to use a pregnancy test stick, which is more accurate at that time. Generally, it is more accurate to use a pregnancy test stick to check after 7 days of menstrual delay, but multiple tests are necessary to confirm. However, the best method is to go to a regular hospital's gynecology department for blood HCG and B-ultrasound examination to confirm whether you are truly pregnant and rule out the possibility of ectopic pregnancy.
How to read the pregnancy test results?
In general, there are two types of pregnancy test results for a pregnancy test stick: if urine is dropped into the detection hole on the test strip, and a colored band appears in the control area of the test strip (some test strips appear red, some test strips appear blue), it indicates that the patient is not pregnant; otherwise, if a clear color band appears in the detection area, it indicates that the patient is pregnant.
This detection has the advantages of being fast, convenient, sensitive, and highly specific, which can avoid cross reactivity with other glycoprotein hormones with similar structures to HCG. However, women who self test for early pregnancy must remember that the pregnancy test stick can only be used as a preliminary screening test. If you are unsure about the test results, it is best to call a doctor for consultation and complete the test under their guidance. If the test result is positive but not obvious, you should assume that you are pregnant and go to the hospital for a check-up; If the self-test result is negative and your menstrual cycle still hasn't started after one week, you should do another self-test. If it's not negative, it's best to see a doctor.
Women should have a clear understanding of this knowledge during their first pregnancy, so that they won't feel anxious when things really come up.
