In looking at the results from any of the home pregnancy tests, it is advisable for the test-taker to assume a scientific attitude. The following article goes into detail about the meaning of the term “scientific attitude.” It provides information about how such an attitude relates directly to the viewing of results from any of the home pregnancy tests. The presentation here of this information is not meant to dampen the enthusiasm of a young woman for a way to test at home for evidence that a child has been conceived within her body. She and her husband must temper their joy or disappointment at the results with acknowledgement of a possible false reading.
A female scientist knows that the results of any experiment can not provide conclusive information. The results of any experiment should be confirmed by a follow-up experiment, if the experimenter wants to feel in possession of proven results. That scientific fact dictates the proper approach for the interpretation of home pregnancy tests.
A single home pregnancy test does not always give an accurate assessment of a woman’s physiological condition. Multiple home pregnancy tests are always recommended, if a woman wants a guarantee of accuracy. The several reasons for such repeat tests emerge from an understanding of the scientific method. Their value becomes more apparent when one supplements an understanding of scientific method with knowledge of reproductive biology.
All home pregnancy tests measure the hCG level in a sample of urine. The woman taking the test should realize that her hCG level will not rise significantly until after implantation. Conception alone will not cause a rise in a woman’s hCG level. Therefore, the earliest date for a possible positive result from a home pregnancy test would be 7 days after ovulation.
The women taking the home pregnancy tests also need to realize that not all of the available tests have the same sensitivity. The most sensitive test is the Abbot Testpack Plus hCG from Abbot Laboratories. Germaine Laboratories also manufactures a sensitive test—Accu Home Aim Step. Women using a less sensitive test are apt to get a false negative reading. In that case, the woman might think that she has failed to become pregnant, when in fact she has conceived a child, but the test has not yet detected a rise in the woman’s hCG level.
A woman could check for a false negative reading by repeating the test after a wait of 24 to 48 hours. While this might seem like an unnecessary nuisance, it represents an accepted approach to scientific testing. While a false negative reading could lead to a delay in discovery of the true reading, it should at least be detected by repeat tests.
That is not the case with false positive readings. A false positive reading might slip past the eyes of a smiling couple unnoticed. They might so delight in the positive reading that they would fail to remember the medication they had used to increase the woman’s fertility. Some women receive hCG injections during the course of fertility treatments. Such a woman could easily get a false positive reading. The presence in her system of hCG would cause a plus sign to show up in error, during the taking of any of the home pregnancy tests.
The existence of false negative and false positive readings does not detract from the value of the home pregnancy tests. All test readings, however, must be viewed with a scientific attitude.
A female scientist knows that the results of any experiment can not provide conclusive information. The results of any experiment should be confirmed by a follow-up experiment, if the experimenter wants to feel in possession of proven results. That scientific fact dictates the proper approach for the interpretation of home pregnancy tests.
A single home pregnancy test does not always give an accurate assessment of a woman’s physiological condition. Multiple home pregnancy tests are always recommended, if a woman wants a guarantee of accuracy. The several reasons for such repeat tests emerge from an understanding of the scientific method. Their value becomes more apparent when one supplements an understanding of scientific method with knowledge of reproductive biology.
All home pregnancy tests measure the hCG level in a sample of urine. The woman taking the test should realize that her hCG level will not rise significantly until after implantation. Conception alone will not cause a rise in a woman’s hCG level. Therefore, the earliest date for a possible positive result from a home pregnancy test would be 7 days after ovulation.
The women taking the home pregnancy tests also need to realize that not all of the available tests have the same sensitivity. The most sensitive test is the Abbot Testpack Plus hCG from Abbot Laboratories. Germaine Laboratories also manufactures a sensitive test—Accu Home Aim Step. Women using a less sensitive test are apt to get a false negative reading. In that case, the woman might think that she has failed to become pregnant, when in fact she has conceived a child, but the test has not yet detected a rise in the woman’s hCG level.
A woman could check for a false negative reading by repeating the test after a wait of 24 to 48 hours. While this might seem like an unnecessary nuisance, it represents an accepted approach to scientific testing. While a false negative reading could lead to a delay in discovery of the true reading, it should at least be detected by repeat tests.
That is not the case with false positive readings. A false positive reading might slip past the eyes of a smiling couple unnoticed. They might so delight in the positive reading that they would fail to remember the medication they had used to increase the woman’s fertility. Some women receive hCG injections during the course of fertility treatments. Such a woman could easily get a false positive reading. The presence in her system of hCG would cause a plus sign to show up in error, during the taking of any of the home pregnancy tests.
The existence of false negative and false positive readings does not detract from the value of the home pregnancy tests. All test readings, however, must be viewed with a scientific attitude.
