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Home › Articles › Early Pregnancy › Pregnancy Testing Too Early

Pregnancy Testing Too Early

Premature Home Pregnancy Testing

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

  • Smoking. Thought to be responsible in part for low birth weight babies as well as other prenatal complications, smoking puts an unborn child at risk.
  • Delaying proper prenatal care. Prenatal care is an important part of the healthy development of the fetus as well as protecting the mother's health.
  • Strenuous activities. Pregnant women should refrain from many strenuous activities such as repeated heavy lifting.
  • Failing to catch an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies can be very dangerous and life threatening. Catching an ectopic pregnancy in the early stages is very important in order to prevent major medical complications.

    • Dr. Brasner says that these medical or health risks of taking a premature pregnancy test are only one side of the story; there is an emotional aspect to consider. "Just as there are many potential health risks with early home pregnancy testing, there are mental and emotional risks as well," she says. "Clearly women need to be educated on how home pregnancy tests work and when the best time is to take them to receive accurate results to minimize these risks. This is especially relevant to the increasingly large number of women who are desperately trying to get pregnant and dealing with infertility problems. A false reading can be devastating."

    The Human Error Factor

    There are several factors that could contribute to an inaccurate reading on a home pregnancy test. According to Dr. Brasner, the most common reason is not following instructions and/or mishandling the test. "Home pregnancy tests are effective and accurate when used correctly," she says. "With most at-home pregnancy tests, to get an accurate reading, the absorbent tip of the test stick should be pointed downward and placed in the urine stream for a full five seconds. Then the stick should be placed on a flat surface to wait for the results to appear. Result times vary from test to test, but most results can be read within three minutes."


    Pages:  1  2  3  4  

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