Pregnancy is more complex than everyone thinks. There are some who find it easy and fast to conceive but more often than not, more time and effort is required. Hopeful women always want to get a definite on whether they are really pregnant considering that the wait is frustrating. It should be understood that fertilization is not the start of pregnancy. Instead, it commences after the fertilized egg settles in the uterus lining. During this stage, known as implantation, a unique pregnancy hormone is secreted by the placenta. This hormone is the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Pregnancy tests work by detecting the presence of HCG. There are two types of pregnancy tests; urine or home pregnancy test and the pregnancy blood test or serum test.

Pregnancy blood tests in comparison to urine tests are known to give more accurate results. A result is considered positive if it reads 25 IU/L (international units/liter). The reason behind urine test’s low accuracy level is attributable to who performs the test. Home urine test users tend to ignore the instruction leaf that goes with the product. It has been proven however that the accuracy of home tests can be in par with the blood tests if used correctly at the correct exact time. This is proven when the testing was done by lab technicians. But since HCG is present first in the bloodstream than in urine, blood tests can detect pregnancy earlier.

Pregnancy blood tests have two types; namely, the qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative blood tests only give a “yes” and “no” answer which is basically like the urine home test kit. Quantitative pregnancy blood tests, on the other hand, measures the exact amount of HCG present in the blood. It is so sensitive that it can even detect 2-5 IU/L. This is helpful in checking the progress of pregnancy and a good determinant in the possible age of the fetus; doctors sometimes advice women to take multiple quantitative pregnancy blood tests to check the status of pregnancy.

The reliability of the test result doesn’t rely mainly and primarily on the type of pregnancy test used. The correct time of extracting the sample is on top on the list. So the question “when should I take a pregnancy test” should be answered first before any action can be taken. As pointed earlier, the onset of pregnancy is on the moment of implantation. It takes about 7 to 12 days before HCG can be detected. A result drawn too early might give a false positive or false negative. Pregnancy blood tests can rule out the error much earlier.