Gynecology Pregnancy
Pregnancy
How can you safely check if you are really pregnant? Hardly any test result is expected with so much tension as the one of a pregnancy test. This is of course understandable since a positive result means a whole new life. The quality of tests is critical, for example how easy is it to perform and when does the test deliver a reliable result. “A little bit pregnant” is not a possibility. Pregnancy rapid test The most common way to detect pregnancy is through a urine screen test that can be done at home easily and gives a reliable result after a few minutes. This „stick test” screens for the presence of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is responsible for the maintenance of pregnancy. The test strip contains antibodies which react upon contact with the hCG hormone. The developing placenta produces hCG once the fertilized egg has taken root in the womb. This happens several days after fertilization. In urine, hCG (or its subunit β - hCG) can be measured positively around 14 days after fertilization. Since the fertile phase is approximately in the middle of the cycle, the pregnancy test reacts mostly commonly at the time of the expected menstrual period. It is at exactly this point that women are looking for certainty, because their period is absent. In the first weeks of the pregnancy, the hCG concentration in the blood rises steadily, where the hormone levels double approximately every two days. The maximum is reached somewhere between the eighth and tenth week of the pregnancy. A so-called “early test” can already detect a pregnancy 10 days after conception, as it can detect very small amounts of hCG. If a pregnancy test is done too early, it can be negative despite the existence of pregnancy. When using a urine rapid test it is to be noted that, especially at an early time of testing, the concentration of hCG in the urine is still very low. If testing before the absence of menstruation it is best to use the first morning urine, because it
In the 1960s, women had to rely on help from the animal kingdom to detect pregnancies.
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will contain a higher concentration of hCG. The intake of medication has generally no influence on the test result, unless containing hCG itself. Pregnancy tests at the gynecologist By using a blood test gynecologists can determine whether the pregnancy hormone hCG is present or not. In blood the hormone can be detected as early as six to nine days after fertilization. The gynecologist usually performs a urine test first; and only in rare cases is an additional blood test undertaken. Furthermore, an ultrasound examination, is another safe way to test for pregnancy. This pregnancy test is also done by the physician, but can only reliably detect pregnancy from the seventh day after a missed period. From frog tests to positive results via internet Until the 1960s, women had to rely on help from the animal kingdom in the determination of a pregnancy. The “African clawed frog” (also called pharmacist frog) was injected subcutaneously into the dorsal lymph sac with urine or blood of a female subject. If the female was spawning after 12 to 24 hours or spermatorrhea was observed in the male, then the tested woman was declared as pregnant. Compared to that, today‘s testing methods are much easier. Today, modern stick tests are so widespread that it has caused some strange marketing ideas. In the U.S., positive pregnancy tests can be ordered via the Internet and are advertised with the following headlines: „You want to surprise your parents? Or your partner? Maybe you simply want him to finally make a marriage proposal?“ That, once again, proves that there is simply a market for everything on the internet! If it does not happen right away: ovulation tests can help Not all couples can fulfill their baby wish right away, and many have to try for several months before they can celebrate a positive outcome. For family planning it is very important that the woman knows her personal cycle precisely, because good timing is crucial. The fertile phase of the cycle can be limited to 3-6 days to 1 day after ovulation. An exact determination of ovulation is therefore essential in fulfilling the dream of having children.