positive pregnancy test (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]
I was beyond excited to get pregnant after my husband and I were married. I remember that agonizing two week wait after
ovulation, but before the start of my period in which miraculous changes may or may not have been taking place inside my body. Was there a little zygote free-floating down my
fallopian tubes? And if so, would it successfully burrow it's way into my
uterine lining? Could I possibly wait to see if my period was late or would I buy one of the many early home pregnancy tests on the market?
Early home pregnancy tests look for the smallest traceable amounts of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin hormone (cCG). Some pregnancy tests say that the earliest you can get accurate results is the day after a missed period. Several early home pregnancy tests claim you can get a positive result up to five days sooner--before you've even missed your period. The obvious benefit of early home
pregnancy tests are that you will know much sooner if you are pregnant--MUCH being a relative term of course. For some, four or five days might not seem too long to wait--to others, myself included, each day feels like a century or two. There also some things about using early home pregnancy tests that aren't ideal. For instance, the earlier you test, the less accurate the results. You are much more likely to get a false negative than a
false positive. So if you test five days before you expect your period and get a negative, will you wonder if you just tested too early? If so, you'll be spending more money to buy another test and you won't even have quieted your racing mind.
Another thing that isn't great about early home pregnancy tests is that they can detect pregnancies that may not last. There are times when a fertilized might implant for a day or two and then the pregnancy might terminate naturally. A woman who hasn't taken a pregnancy test will assume she has gotten her period while a woman who has taken an
early pregnancy test will know she has had a very early miscarriage. I know my doctor told me that he isn't a big fan of early testing for this reason--every day that goes by increases the chances that the pregnancy will be viable. I remember getting a positive pregnancy test with my second pregnancy at day 22 of my cycle, which probably meant I ovulated very early that month. I even took the test in the middle of the afternoon--I couldn't even wait until the following day to use first morning urine which is the most concentrated. Talk about impatient. So, while I well know the cons of testing too early, have I ever been able to follow that advice? No Ma'am!
Did you test early or were you patient enough to wait until you were "late"?
My husband and I don’t use traditional birth control and I chart my cycles meticulously. I knew I was pregnant both times before I took a pregnancy test because I know how my body works, fertility signs, daily temperatures etc. So the notion that women wouldn’t know they were pregnant without the “early detection” tests is kind of ridiculous, because it is entirely possible to know. What really bothers me is the sentiment that it would somehow be bad for a woman to know she was pregnant and then miscarry. Are we supposed to be so weak minded as women that we can’t handle that kind of news?! All life is worth noting, regardless of how short that life might be. In fact, if a woman frequently miscarries in the first week or two of a pregnancy, that could signal more serious fertility problems that need to be discussed with her doctor. I don’t understand why any doctor would support a viewpoint that includes keeping women ignorant about their own fertility. It seems incredibly condescending and sexist. I highly recommend every woman read Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. No matter what your chosen form of birth control and pregnancy testing are, it’s extremely important to understand your body’s signs and functions during your cycle in depth – most health care providers simply don’t explain it and so many gynecologic issues can be detected through self monitoring!
Yes! I found out I was pregnant about 5 days before my expected period…. And I had twins!!
We’re still waiting for that positive sign. But it’s just so disappointing each time so I think I just may wait until mother nature’s pregnancy test- late period- to ease my nerves.
With both my pregnancies I did not plan them so I didn’t really have a chance to test that early. But both times I just knew I was pregnant before I even took the test. I had period like cramping and some nausea. The cramping just felt different. But with both I felt these symptoms right around when my period was due. So I waited for my period to start thinking maybe the birth control messed my period up, but I still knew I was like ky pregnant. I took the test first thing in the morning and there was no faint lines either time. They were about as dark as possible. Lol. Plus with my second pregnancy I was breastfeeding still so I thought possibly that was messing with my period. But mostly I was in denial. :)
Wow that was informative. I test when I’m late no matter what now that I discovered the dollar sstore has tests. Its worth the piece of mind.
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