You did it, and here you are a few days later feeling uneasy. You think of what might be wrong with your belly, but you cannot get an answer. “Huh! am i pregnant?” you sigh in disbelief. After some minutes of thinking, you decide to visit a pharmacy to get a pregnancy test kit.
It is barely five minutes after peeing on the pregnancy test stick, and I bet they are the longest five minutes you have ever experienced in your entire life. After looking at the results, you discover you are holding a positive pregnancy test. Usually, it feels like a dream. At this point, it is wise to make sure you had a positive pregnancy test before calling your mum, best friend, tweeting, or updating your Facebook status. I recommend that you take a deep breath and ask yourself, “Did I follow the instructions carefully?” Do some comparison of the positive pregnancy test result you got against the one indicated on the test box.
A positive pregnancy test means, in most cases, that you followed the instructions carefully and that you are pregnant. Congratulations if you were longing to be a mum. If you were not expecting a baby, do not give up. It time to sit down and make life-changing decisions.
Most of the pregnancy tests available show positive results when there is a substantial amount of hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the urine. When the fertilized egg implants on the uterus wall after conception, the body releases hCG which increases steadily for the next few weeks. The most sensitive pregnancy test shows positive results after detecting 15mIU of hCG. The least sensitive test gives positive results at 50 mIU of hCG.
How can you be certain that the pregnancy test you are holding is truly positive?
In some cases, though rare, false positive pregnancy test results happen. Did you look at the results before the “expiry” period? It might be because you did not follow the instructions closely. Alternatively, the false positive may be as a result of fertility drugs that may artificially raise the hCG levels in the body. Additionally, though, in rare cases, the pregnancy test may be erroneous.
In other cases, you may get a positive pregnancy test that is very faint. Do not worry. The levels of hCG might be still low because you are still in the early stages of pregnancy. Our bodies are different, and you should not get stressed if your hCG levels are low. It is very normal. If you are strong enough, wait until the next morning and take a new pregnancy test.
The best way to be truly sure that you are truly pregnant is by taking another pregnancy test preferably early next morning. This is because the hormone levels are highest at this time. Alternatively, you may call your doctor and make an appointment for a blood test or talk about the pregnancy test results. A blood test is almost 100% indication that you are pregnant.
