Pregnancy Test
Definition
A pregnancy test is a test of blood or urine used to determine whether a woman is pregnant.
See the following tests:
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Why is the Test Performed?
Qualitative tests
Women who are late for their menstrual period (menses) often perform qualitative urine tests at home. Qualitative tests only indicate whether you are pregnant or not -- yes or no. Home pregnancy tests are available at pharmacies and do not require prescriptions.
Sometimes the test will be performed at your doctor's office before the first prenatal visit. This is done just to confirm the results of your home test. Doctors also perform a qualitative urine pregnancy test before performing a procedure or prescribing a medication that might adversely affect an existing pregnancy.
The qualitative urine test can detect HCG levels above 25-50 milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/mL). Serum tests can detect HCG levels above 5-10 mIU/mL.
Quantitative tests
Quantitative serum pregnancy testing is usually performed at a hospital or doctor's office. This test measures the amount of HCG in your blood. It can measure amounts ranging from 5 mIU/mL to 2,000,000 mIU/mL or more.
Quantitative testing is performed when it is not sufficient merely to know whether you are pregnant or not. Sometimes, your doctor will need to correlate your HCG levels with the progress of your pregnancy.
Ask your doctor to explain the results of your quantitative pregnancy test.
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