Video:Types of Pregnancy Tests
with Dr. Stuart James FischbeinThere are various types of pregnancy tests on the market. Watch this About.com video to learn about the different types available.See Transcript
Transcript:Types of Pregnancy Tests
Hello I'm Dr. Stuart James Fischbein. I'm a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. My website is www.BirthingInstincts.com and I'm here on behalf of About.com today to discuss the types of pregnancy tests that are available.
How Does a Pregnancy Test Work?
Quite simply it boils down to urine and blood. Urine pregnancy tests are the ones that you tend to use commercially over the counter, you don't need a prescription to get them, they are relatively inexpensive, and they are fairly accurate. Once you get beyond about two weeks from conception or about the time of your missed menstrual period, most commercial urine pregnancy tests with a normal morning voided urine specimen are going to be positive if you are pregnant.
Accuracy of Pregnancy Tests
The test that is more accurate than a urine pregnancy test is a blood test. These cannot be done over the counter. They are done at a practitioner or a clinic's office. They are done in cases where there is confusion as to what is going on, or you want to rule out the possibility of an impending miscarriage or when placental tissue may be retained after a miscarriage or after abortion, or when you want to possibly rule out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy. Then you might have some blood tests.
Reliability of Urine Pregnancy Tests
But other than that, you can trust that the urine pregnancy test is reliable and a blood test will tell you if you are supposed to see something - say you're supposed to be 6 or 7 weeks and the doctor looks at ultrasound and doesn't see what he expects to see based on your history and your urine pregnancy test which was positive several weeks ago, he may draw some blood tests to do that, to help determine what to do next. But urine tests are the ones that are routinely done. They are very accurate; you should trust them. Blood tests have more accuracy, but they are more expensive.
Again, I'm Dr. Stuart James Fischbein. Thank you so much for watching. If you would like to learn more, please visit us online at About.com.