Knowledge You Need When Using a Home Pregnancy Test

If you need to use a home pregnancy test, make sure you understand how they work first as this can affect how and when you use it, to get the most accurate results. After conception the fertilized egg has a journey to the uterus to make. During the journey the woman is not technically pregnant. When the embryo implants itself into the uterus wall the placenta starts making human Chorionic Gonadotropin, hCG. It is this pregnancy hormone that triggers symptoms of nausea, fatigue, food cravings or sickness. Tests look for hCG in your urine.

A doctor would suggest testing after the woman misses a period, this is when the hCG is at high levels, but there are tests now that are more sensitive and offer the option of early testing. Early Response and Clearblue Easy for example can be used before a missed period. Very sensitive tests detect hCG as low as 20mIU but remember that even 3 weeks after conception hCG can be anywhere from 5 up to 50mIU. So even using a sensitive test you may get a false negative result.

Remember that even though you may have conceived you are not actually pregnant until that embryo reaches the uterus which takes 6-12 days. For any kind of accuracy you need to wait at least 12 days after conception before you even think of testing. Also know that if you have received fertility treatment you can get a false positive.

There are various types of home pregnancy tests, traditional with lines to more modern digital ones, and prices run from $8 to $20. All look for hCG and if your tests is not a sensitive one the best time is to wait until after a missed period. Read how to use it carefully and follow these tips to ensure accuracy:

Use your first urine of the day as the hCG is easier to detect in this more concentrated urine. At least 4 hour urine is best. The leaflet needs to be read carefully and followed exactly for the best accuracy. You should only read the test at the time the instructions say, usually 1 to 3 minutes after peeing on the stick. After that the test is no good. A doctor can do a blood test if you are having problems.

All there is to know about an early pregnancy test and pregnancy testing in general. Today’s special: how to get pregnant with a boy

Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy And Testing

For some women who are trying to get pregnant the key sign to success is a missed period. But there are earlier signs you can watch out for varying from woman to woman in form and strength. Sickness can start as early as a few days in, other have bloating, and others say they have tightening feeling in the stomach.

The earliest time you should really take a pregnancy test is 2 weeks after conception as there is not enough hCG in the body to detect otherwise, even using a sensitive home pregnancy test designed to be used for early testing, before a missed period. But by testing earlier you are losing some of the accuracy – the highest accuracy per cent sensitive tests give if you test before a missed period is 90%. So if you get a negative result you may still want to wait and see if you get your period. If you do not, you need to retest again.

There are early signs your body may be giving off of a pregnancy that you can watch for such as: Feeling fatigued. Vomiting (not just in the morning). Light spotting (3-12 days after ovulating). As mentioned, bloating. Blue veins on your breasts, some swelling and a feeling of tenderness. Frequent visits to the bathroom. Food cravings.

Some women may experience just one or two symptoms, and some may get them all. Some may experience symptoms early, some may have not experience anything until a but further in to the pregnancy. All of these symptoms are caused by the hCG and hormonal changes occurring in your body.

Home pregnancy tests can give you the answer to your question am I really pregnant. They are easy to use but you do need to follow the instructions carefully, whether using a test strip as you pee, or peeing in a cup and then sitting it in the urine. Test are not all the same, some are digital, some are more sensitive, so choose carefully. However they do all work the same way, looking for hCG in your urine. If you are confident about the result even after a re-test, see your doctor and they can either do their own urine test, take blood for a lab to test and may also do a pelvic examination.

All there is to know about any early pregnancy test available and pregnancy testing in general. Today’s special: how to fake a pregnancy test

Ways to Look After Stretch Marks From Pregnancy

Having your baby placed on your tummy after just giving birth is a priceless precious moment, but often the lead up to that moment is not smooth sailing. Pregnancy brings with it frequent trips to the bathroom, backache, swollen ankles, sickness and of course stretchmarks. The stretch marks are perhaps the worst of it as they stay with you even after birth. It is something women come to expect; that if you are pregnant you will be faced with stretch marks.

First of all why do they happen? Well of course women gain weight during pregnancy which stretches their skin. However because of the amount of weight gain the skin is stretched past its natural elasticity so stretch marks form and as the skin reverts back after birth, you have the flattened scar appearance. Women get them in various places of the body, commonly the abdomen, the thighs, hips and arms. Around two thirds to three quarters of women have to deal with them.

If you have dry skin then the stretch marks are likely to be worse and look a lot uglier. So the key to reducing the appearance of them is to keep your skin well hydrated throughout the pregnancy. Massage lotion or cream all over your body, particularly areas that are prone such as the buttocks, arms and stomach. Or even better ask your partner to do it for you! Use a cream that has Vitamin E in it as this is the best ingredient for fading stretch marks. There are also good home remedies you can use like olive oil, aloe vera gel or cocoa butter.

Other things you can do is avoid overeating foods that have Vitamin A and make sure you drink lots of water. This will help flush out toxins and keeps your body and skin hydrated. How you eat is also very important. As well as eating healthy you also need to try and control your weight gain so that you do not gain a lot all at once. Stretch marks are particularly bad in women who gain a lot of weight at one time, so make sure you gain it steadily. Your doctor will monitor this with you.

A top cream for dealing with stretch marks is by Revitol. They are a leading company in the skin care market and have a reputation amongst consumers for releasing products that do as they claim. Their stretch mark cream does not cost a fortune and they are so confidant that you will love it they even offer a money back guarantee.

Visit our early pregnancy test blog and find out how much can stretch marks be prevented in pregnancy!

When To Take A Pregnancy Test

It is a difficult time during that time of limbo when you think you are pregnant but you are unable to take a test because of the timing. All home kits have a recommended time of when to use them and for good reasons. When you take a test will affect the accuracy and lets face it you need to be accurate about something like this.

There are actually two types of tests you can take, one tests your blood and one tests your urine. Usually home tests use urine and the test the doctor does is using your blood. In both types of tests the hormone they are looking for is the same one, called HCG – human chorionic gonadotropin. It is between 6 and 8 days after ovulating that a blood test can be taken and fourteen for a urine one.

Most home tests are urine tests. They are usually easy to read, convenient and cheap and perhaps best of all they are private. You can react to the news however you wish to. Most tests suggest using the urine that is passed when you wake up in the morning as the HCG is easier to detect. If you get a positive result go and visit your doctor for a confirmation blood test and pelvic examination.

It is important to take the test at the right time as if you do it too soon the HCG may not be easy to detect even if you are expecting. You can feel fairly satisfied with the results a home test gives you as they are 90 per cent accurate. Test the day after your missed period and if you are not satisfied with the results test again a week later. If you are still getting negative results but think you are carrying you will have to visit your doctor.

Pregnancy has many joys and many tribulations to experience, the morning sickness not so special…the first time you feel him or her kick, priceless. In order to do best by your child and yourself make sure you know how to eat and take care of yourself.

Pregnancy stretch marks – how to prevent them..

Numerous women at both puberty and pregnancy feel a thorough happiness as these denote igniting a new stage in life. Nonetheless this juncture, like others, has a set of evils that come with it and are exasperating: the majority of women have been experiencing trouble with stretch marks appearing.

Stretch marks mess up this joyful new found condition; also, once they emerge, they do not dissipate at all. The biggest trouble is getting these off once they emerge. So, let us see a few useful tips to eradicate pregnancy marks fully.

Diet This is the key to having a soft and beautiful skin: expectant mothers should take a lot of fruits and green vegetables. Refrain from alcohol, coffee, and smoking – as these burn out skin cells rapidly. Drink a lot of water – at least 2.5 to 3 liters a day; also, having green tea, fresh juices and green coconut water is great for your skin.

Exercise You may be familiar with the fact that stretch marks come on because the skin gets pulled faster because of heavy fat deposition beneath – so it has very less time to develop the same way. You can tackle this by watching your weight every month as per the chart, or you can avoid gaining weight by doing simple workouts. Then it would be easier to become fit after your delivery.

Cocoa butter Another relief for pregnancy stretch marks is cocoa butter. You may ask your loved one to apply it each day. Apart from having these marks go away, the two of you can have a great time.

Vitamin E You may also buy vitamin E and apply the inside cream to the stomach area. It is good for keeping the skin soft. Use moisturizer with this to create your own anti stretch mark cream and then apply after on your damp skin everyday.

Stretch mark creams Creams are very helpful in treating and avoid pregnancy stretch marks. Numerous people think creams should be applied only if marks come on which is not true. Physicians advise use of cream as a precaution. These are created to penetrated down, to the dermis and the soft skin from within, thus there can be no rupturing of collagen and elastin.