Pregnancy Testing
If you think you may be pregnant, and can't bear to wait until you visit your doctor, you may opt to buy a home-pregnancy testing kit, available at most pharmacies. The latest kits are so sophisticated and easy to use, and many will give you a result in a few minutes on the day of your missed period.
The tests all indicate the presence of hormones in your urine. With some of the tests you will need to collect a specimen, whereas with others you can simply hold a sampler in the urine stream. The most reliable results are normally obtained first thing in the morning when you're likely to have a higher concentration of hormones present in your urine. Ask you pharmacist to recommend the best available product on the market.
If you get a positive result, it is almost certainly accurate and you can assume that you are pregnant. Make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as possible.
If the result is negative, but your period still ceases, do another test seven days later. It might be that the hormone levels in your body weren't high enough to register the first time. Most pregnancy testing kits include two tests specially for this purpose. If it shows negative the second time, but you simply feel that you are pregnant, consult your doctor for his opinion and a blood test.
The most accurate way to confirm a pregnancy is through a blood test, which can detect pregnancy at slightly less than two weeks after fertilisation. There is still a slight margin for error at this early stage, but by six weeks, when most women test for the first time, the levels of the hormone HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) are mostly sufficient to provide an accurate test result.
When is my baby due?
Calculating your due date is probably the first thing most elated new moms-to-be do. (Don't be alarmed if you find yourself working out your estimated delivery date weekly - its quite common, when overcome with excitement and apprehension !!) Here's how to do it:Go back three calendar months from the first day of your last period and then add on seven days.
e.g. First day of your last period:
March 13.
Go back three months:
February 13, January 13, December 13.
This brings you to:
December 13.
Add on seven days:
Your due date is December 20.
One woman's cycle may differ quite significantly to the next, so when calculating your estimated delivery date, bear in mind the length of your menstrual cycle. Conception is normally assumed to have taken place around the fourteenth day of your menstrual cycle. The estimations above were calculated for a 28 day cycle, and if your cycle is longer than this, your delivery date may well be later. For instance if your cycle runs into 33 days, the expected date of delivery will be five days later than above. This is because in a longer cycle, ovulation occurs later, with the same being true in reverse - if your menstrual cycle is shorter than 28 days, your expected delivery date will be earlier.
Between the 12th and 16th week of your pregnancy your doctor may do an ultrasound scan, which is the method used to find the most accurate confirmation of your date and to detect whether any abnormalities exist.
