OB/GYN — Pregnancy Tests

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To be seen in the WHC, if active duty, you must have a positive pregnancy result documented by a healthcare provider/lab. If not active duty a positive pregnancy result documented by a health care provider/lab or a positive home pregnancy test can request an appointment. If the testing listed above has not been done the patient will be directed to go to their PCM for lab work.

How do pregnancy tests work?

Pregnancy tests look for a special hormone in the urine or blood that is only there when a woman is pregnant. This is the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

hCG is made in your body when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus. This usually happens about 6 days after conception. But studies show that the embryo doesn't implant until later in some women. The amount of hCG increases drastically with each passing day you are pregnant.

What's the difference between pregnancy tests that check urine and those that test blood? Which one is better?

There are two types of pregnancy tests. One tests the blood for the pregnancy hormone (hCG). The other checks the urine for this hormone. Blood tests can pick up hCG earlier in a pregnancy than urine tests can. Blood tests can tell if you are pregnant about 6 to 8 days after you ovulate (or release an egg from an ovary). A quantitative blood test (or the beta hCG test) measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood, so it can find even tiny amounts of hCG. This makes it very accurate. Qualitative hCG blood tests check to see if the pregnancy hormone is present or not, giving a yes or no answer.

Most women use home pregnancy tests to find out if they are pregnant. Many home pregnancy tests claim they can tell if you are pregnant on the day you expect your period, but a recent study shows that most do not give accurate results this early in pregnancy. Waiting one week after a missed period will usually give a more accurate answer.