How to take a pregnancy test?

Nausea, tense breasts, swollen belly and delayed periods are all signs that could herald the start of a pregnancy. Faced with these symptoms, many people first rush to their pharmacist to get a urine pregnancy test, a reliable and easy solution to quickly get the answer to all their questions. here is the essential elements to follow to perform the best urine pregnancy test.

When can I take a pregnancy test? The inevitable few days of waiting

No need to rush to your pharmacist the day after unprotected intercourse: the level of beta-HCG (the hormone produced during pregnancy) is still undetectable, even by the most advanced screening devices sold in pharmacy. Better to wait until you have at least one day late in its rules to be sure of the reliability of the result.

How is a pregnancy test done? Read the instructions carefully: essential!

Whether you opt for the bestseller of pregnancy tests sold in pharmacies and drugstores, presented in the form of a stylet with impregnator, or for any other medium (strip, cassette), it is essential to refer from A to Z to the instructions of the product in question.

So we forget the advice of others, certainly well intentioned but often hazardous, and we only rely on the instructions provided in the box of the test. According to Prof. Jacques Lansac *, obstetrician-gynecologist and former president of the French National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF), the biggest cause of error in urine pregnancy test results comes from non-compliance with the procedure indicated on the notice. And of course, you only use the test once.

How long do I have to wait to find out if I am pregnant?

Whether this is the best time to test (from the expected date of your period, at least 19 days since your last unprotected intercourse), the time that the impregnator must remain under the spray. urine or soak in the urine container (5 to 20 seconds), or the time to be observed before reading the results (from 1 to 3 minutes), the most important is to stick to what the leaflet says of the test you have chosen, no more and no less. For this, nothing beats the precision of a watch or a stopwatch, because even if you are sure you have counted well in your head, emotion often alters the perception of time.

Choose the right time and place: take your time, at home or in a comfortable place

If Dr Anne Théau **, obstetrician-gynecologist at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul maternity hospital in Paris, recommends using the first morning urine, more concentrated after a whole night without going to the bathroom (or almost), most tests are precise enough to detect the hormone beta-HCG at any time of the day. On the condition, however, of not having drunk 5 liters of water after his sports course, which would risk too much diluting the quantity of pregnancy hormones in the urine, and thus making it undetectable by the urine test. Also avoid taking the test in the rush of a wee break, it is better to take your time to be sure to do things right.

Positive or negative pregnancy test: we ask to check the result!

Whether the test is positive or negative, and whether or not you want to be pregnant, the most important thing is to stay calm and not to get carried away. And this, both when performing his test and when reading the results, even if it means asking someone emotionally objective and not necessarily involved to be present.

A blood test: the best way to confirm the test result

Again, depending on whether you want to be pregnant or not, the reliability of the result can be crucial. Even if urine pregnancy tests are generally 99% reliable, you can therefore choose to perform a second urine test to confirm / refute the results of the first one or ask your doctor for a prescription to perform a test. laboratory blood pregnancy test, more reliable than the urine test.