All the signs are there, the bloated feeling, a touch of nausea, and sore or tender breasts. Most telling is the absence of your normal monthly cycle. Of course pregnancy is the first thing that comes to mind. There are several methods for determining if a little one is going to make an appearance in nine months. You can take a home pregnancy test, one online, or make an appointment with the doctor. Regardless of the results of an online or home test, if it is positive an appointment with your doctor will confirm the results and get you started on a healthy pregnancy.
Any woman who has had children or suspected they may be pregnant is probably familiar with using a home pregnancy test. Many jokes have been made about peeing on sticks at many baby showers. Home tests are typically wand like devices made to be placed in the urine stream or in a container holding urine. After about 1 minute, the results can be clearly seen by a line in the test window. The appearance of a line means a positive pregnancy result, no line means the likelihood of pregnancy is low. These tests work by detecting the presence or lack of hCG, the most common hormone found in pregnancy.
There are a number of different websites giving pregnancy curious women a way to test the probability of pregnancy. Obviously without physical evidence to go on, no online pregnancy test is going to be fool proof. An online test will ask a series of questions relating to last period date, appearance of any symptoms, and any other physical changes. The program then calculates the probability of pregnancy. These tests were designed to instruct the user if there is enough cause to take a home pregnancy test or contact their doctor. A quick web search will yield a large number of online tests to choose from.
The most accurate of all is the pregnancy test performed by a doctor. They may use a urine test similar to a home test in addition to performing a pelvic exam. Certain internal signals like changes in the cervix, tip off medical professionals as to the probability of an existing pregnancy. This is also a good time to receive medical advice pertaining to care and nutrition for a strong, healthy pregnancy. Most of the time, a new mom to be has already taken a home pregnancy test and the doctors visit is just for confirmation.
Whichever pregnancy test you choose to use, proper medical care and knowledge about your pregnant condition are key in bringing your little bundle home safe and sound.
Azzam Sheikh
Facilitator 'Strengthening families, strengthening communities' parent programme.
pregnancy resource center
