at home pregnancy test reliability

[katharinethomas.livejournal.com]

alright.
i'm new to this and i'm kind of stressing out but heres my situation:

well basically, my best friend hasn't had her period for roughly... 3 months. she got her period, it went away, she had unprotected sex, and then i think she said she got her period for 2 days and thats it since then. now, she said she came off birthcontrol awhile ago and came off it cold turkey, just stopped taking the pills - and her doctor said a funky period could be result of this. but she is too afraid to ask her docter about it right now.

we got the EPT test that says pregnant or not pregnant and the first one came out NOT PREGNANT so thank god but we are still sketchy because she freaked out today cause she noticed that her nipples were HUGE compared to usual.

now for my questions:
i did some research and large nipples can be from infection.. which could come from some sort of heat. she has a heat rash on her chest, is there a chance this could be the same thing?

and also, i tried looking at peeonastick.com for personal stories on the EPT test with the pregnant/not pregnant thing but i didn't really understand what i was looking at. do you guys think these are accurate? or do you know of a test that is more accurate.

is it more accurate to get tested at a clinic? and does it cost money?

blah. so stressed. she really freaked out because she isn't showing at all in any other way but if she was i think its like a figment of our imagination. i don't know. shes 18, in pretty good shape - very active. what are the chances a test would say she isn't pregnant even if she was?

Comments

[sxyskeksis.livejournal.com]

I can't really speak to any of the other issues but I took 3 at home pregnancy tests and did they as directed (even with the first pee of the day and all) and they were negative almost 3 months into my first pregnancy.

[br0ken_dolly]

i would say that ept is the best test on the market. however, many clinics offer free pregnancy tests.

good luck.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

can you elaborate?

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

While I'd agree, according to this chart (http://www.babyhopes.com/pregnancy-test-sensitivity.html), that the e.p.t.s are not the most sensitive tests on the market, it seems to me that asserting one test is the "best" is more complicated than just saying it's the most sensitive test available. One might also have to take into account how easy it is to use, considering that the more people understand the directions and how to interpret the results of the test, the more likely they are to both use and interpret that test correctly.

[geminigirl]

I'm fond of the chart and reviews at peeonastick.com.

[ex-leopardp.livejournal.com]

With a period that isn't regular, it can be iffy figuring out when you're ovulating and when you're not.


It COULD be implantation bleeding that made her bleed for a couple of days, which would indicate pregnancy. Or it could just be going off the pills that screwed her period up and made it lighter.
She should NOT be afraid to talk to her doctor. If she is, then maybe it's time for a new doc?

I'd have her test again in a week or two.

[ticktockman.livejournal.com]

The testing at the clinics is more reliable because:
1. They've got lots of practice doing the tests (fewer technical errors)
2. They do enough tests to keep their testing supplies fresh

But the tests they use aren't essentially different than the ones you buy in a store.

The hormone they measure is strong at the beginning of a pregnancy but then tapers down a few months in, so if it has really been three months or more, she could get a false negative off the test no matter who dips the stick.

[bear-ecology.livejournal.com]

My cousin tested negative for about the first 8 weeks of her pregnancy. A friend of hers never tested positive at home all 9 months.

They both got positive results from free tests done at Planned Parenthood.

[kaelstra.livejournal.com]

It's more likely to get a false negative than a false positive, because if the hormone is present in a level high enough, the tests will catch it.

Is she using morning urine? The hormones are stronger in that then any other time.

She really should talk to a doctor. Is she scared to go because she doesn't like her doctor, or is it something else, like she's afraid she is pregnant, and doesn't want the answer? She really should go, the longer she waits, the fewer options she has.

[sandi1743.livejournal.com]

i have never used that test, so i cannot speak from personal experience.
over all stoppong pills mid cycle can cause some issues with late pds etc. usually, most implantation bleeding is very light and hardly noticed by the woman and is not that common to be honest from what i have seen and read in journals - the net is a differnt story.
over all, she needs to go to her doctor even if it is just to get check out after having unprotected sexual intercourse. while her doctor my give her a lecture, he doctor is also the one that can give her the best and most accurate answer to all of her questions and trust me - it is nothing that they have not heard before.

[angel-eyes224.livejournal.com]

I got 2 tests at a clinic and they both came out negative. In fact, they were two different kind. Both urine but the lady said one of them they had just got in and it was supposed to show a positive with a smaller amount of HCG present. So a week later I got a first response and it was very positive. Like shotie said, she needs to find out for sure. She really should get to a clinic and maybe get a blood test done. Is she scared that she is pregnant and having to tell her parents? She is 18 and they don't have to know anything. The longer she waits the fewer options she has.

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Tori
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