Pregnancy TestsThere are several types of pregnancy tests available to women who suspect that they are pregnant. All pregnancy tests are based on the presence (or lack of) hCG. hCG is a hormone that is released by the placenta, and is present in a pregnant woman's blood and urine. hCG can be found in a woman's blood through a simple test performed by a doctor. A doctor can take a blood sample, send it to a laboratory for analysis and have an answer within one to two days. Doctors can perform two types of pregnancy tests: the first simply tests for the presence of hCG (to inform a woman whether she is pregnant or not), while the second measures the amount of hCG (to inform a woman how far along she is in a pregnancy). Normally, a woman will perform a home pregnancy test before having the result confirmed by a doctor. Home pregnancy consist of a strip with a tip that can detect hCG in the urine. A woman can either urinate directly on the tip, or into a cup and then dip the tip into the urine. Once the tip has been saturated, a result will be displayed within five minutes. It's important to consult the instructions when interpretting a test. While a regular home pregnancy test can detect pregnancy on the first day of a missed period, an early pregnancy test can detect hCG four to eight days before a missed period. Read more of our articles on pregnancy tests Early Pregnancy Tests |