(BT) A mini survey for those currently using pregnancy tests

OPK- ovulation predictor kit. Little white stick you dip into pee. If control line is lighter than test line then you are ovulating.

CBFM - clear blue fertility montior. Expensive gadget. You dip the sticks in pee and insert them into the machine, it tells you fertile days. Like an OPK but more advanced.

IC - Internet cheapy. Little white stick pregnancy test. Like a normal one minus the plastic casing and pretty colours.

Looking on the BT/MD forum, many (most?) people who are atively TTC get a positive pregnancy test before they miss their period.

I feel confident in using an early test. The superdrug ones state that they are accurate five days before your 'missed' period, so by 2-3 days prior a negative is a negative as far as I'm concerned...although I know there are a few exceptions. For me, I would rather know two days before my period that it was going to show, than go out of my mind for two extra days waiting and wondering - that's just me. Most people who have actively tried for a few cycles will understand what I mean, even if they choose not to early test themselves.

With regards to the alcohol question, I am now starting cycle eight, so that is a hell of a lot of partying that I would have missed out on. There are many occasions that I wouldn't have gone to sober, and inevitably, when you do, people ask if you are pregnant - which is about the most annoying thing that you can be asked when you desperately want to be and are not. I also use alcohol as a coping mechanism sometimes - not saying that it's healthy - but I do, a glass of wine is the first thing I reach for when my period shows up. Some people have been trying for two years, why give something up for that length of time for a maybe?

I think maybe Ducky or OB will know exactly, but the baby doesn't actually take nutrients from you until week 6 maybe? So 4 weeks after conception? (I could be wrong). So, effectively, you shouldn't need to change your eating/drinking choices until you get a positive.

Are you irregular? It's no good really if you are as it will cost you a fortune in sticks. And if you are regular it won't do any more than an OPK!

You could get a cheaper second hand one? Or pop over to mumdrum and see if anyone has one they would sell. I personally find it a bit icky, but I know plenty who have used second hand ones.

Do they definitely state that? That their accuracy rate at 99 % applies to tests five days before your missed period? I'd be surprised as it's been shown in testing that very few, if any, home pregnancy tests are as accurate as their optimum value before a missed period.

I've just dug out an article from 2005, in the Telegraph, which summarises my train of thought well. It's clearly not a novel concept that early pregnancy tests can be psychologically problematic and medicalise women unnecessarily.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3324512/Early-pregnancy-tests-causing-unnecessary-miscarriage-grief.html

MY you are right, baby doesn't take anything from you until the placenta starts to form which I believe is around 5-6 weeks pregnant, so you could safely wait a week after your period is due to do a test (not that I would).

I was a nightmare for testing, but now I don't bother. I know my period will turn up at some point, so I just save myself the heartache and money these days.

It won't work for you (I remember you saying you very rarely have a period?)

It gives up on you if your cycles are long, I think I got to about 40 days before it lost interest in me.

No, it's a sliding scale which reaches 99% on the day of your missed period I think.

However, I read something somewhere (will try to find it) that said something along the lines of in order to say that they are 99% accurate all they have to do is prove that they are more accurate that another 99% accurate test - will go looking now.

No Footlong, 99% is only from the day of the missed period, the accuracy 5 days before is not much more than 50%! My H says he is as accurate as the tests that early! I think the clearblue digital claims to be 99% day of missed period, 98% day before, then drops to 80 something percent 2 days before, and so on.

? I didn't the first few cycles, and don't every cycle. I've been increasingly 'symptom spotting' though (as you know) so at the moment it keeps me sane.

MissRae - It also is unlikely to work if you have PCOS, which I think you said you do. This is because one of the hormones it tests for, lutenizing hormone, surged just before ovulation which is when you're fertile. One of the classic symptoms of PCOS is having constantly elevated lutenizing hormone, which makes OPKs or any method that relies on LH level, useless.

A couple of months ago it was keeping me sane too! You just have to go with how you feel each month. I think I've just given up tbh now. You'll get there though, I know you will x

Missrae, with no cycles it would be pointless and very expensive. You could use OPK's, they're cheap enough, but it's a faff having to do it every day, especially if you have no idea if or when you will ovulate.

Ducky is right, if you have PCOS you can't rely on anything looking for LH.

So essentially a coin toss? Brilliant.

Is the accuracy figure for five days before specifically related to false-negatives, false-positives or both? (I suspect the first)?

Precisely!

You are correct, it's related to false negatives.

Footlong - this is what I was talking about:

These misleading claims tend to be somewhat of an advertising gimmick. The FDA regulates that a home pregnancy test can maintain greater than 99 percent accuracy as long as the manufacturer shows that at least 99 percent of the time, in a lab, their test functions as well an existing test. The home pregnancy tests currently available are, in fact, more sensitive than earlier tests, so the companies can maintain these claims.

The "catch" is that these manufacturers make the accuracy claims in a general sense; they then suggest (separately) that a woman could use the test as early as the day of a missed period. However, the lab results typically do not reflect the test's ability to detect pregnancy this early on.

Thanks MY, have read similar in the last couple of days.

This is a massive problem with the FDA rulings (and likely those in Europe as well). How anyone can reasonably be allowed to use an accuracy figure that derives from a comparison against another test and doesn't reflect the very easily verifiable accuracy of the test in laboratory conditions is remarkable.

(Although admittedly, it's better than the situation for many medicines, where efficacy is measured against, well, sugar.)

Also, just out of curiosity - I have heard that false positives do not exist, not with the pink dye tests anyway. The way I understand it, you can get an evaporation line, or you can misread that test - but a false positive is not an option (particularly a claim made by the big brands, I think).

I don't think I would give it up completely but significantly reduce my intake (2 ales or 2 glasses of wine a week level) & stop the second I knew or had an inkling. I don't have masses anyway.

I came off my pill on Sunday and have started taking folic acid immediately (️⭐️ to you Kharv for taking it as well!). We aren't actively TTC yet but we aren't NATNAPing (another ️⭐️ to Kharv - love it!) as I'd rather not have a bump this side of the wedding!

I wouldn't not take Folic Acid - that was drummed into me by my very scary A level Biology teacher!

There are some interesting points raised. I've used CBDs a couple of times in the past although I knew I wasn't pregnant & think I would probably continue to use when the time comes. I can't help wondering if internet cheapies would worry me that they aren't accurate & end up being a false economy because I'd use as many of them for the same cost as a CBD - my friend certainly did because she didn't believe the result.

Never thought about the whole getting a positive very early be it a chemical or actual pregnancy then loosing it compared to not knowing you are pregnant & getting a heavy period. Certainly something to consider.

& as for how to use them - I always read the instructions for everything!

Two stars! Get me!

Can someone point me in the direction of these cheapy tests please?

Thanks MrsRawe!

Are the hpt the pregnancy ones? Not overly bothered about ovulation doodahs yet.

Told you I was a pregnancy dunce! Ha!

False positives can arise from various medications (although you'll likely be aware of the possibility for false positives with them), from faulty kits, from misreading the result.

However, there are definitional or semantic differences that are touched on in the thread here and form the basis of my original point.

Let's say you have a true-positive test result. What does that actually mean? Well, it quite simply means that conception has happened. Does this event - conception - adequately define you as "pregnant"? Not in my opinion.

There is a very low false-positive rate for conception - the rule of thumb is that a positive is a positive. But there is an astonishingly high false positive rate if you consider "true pregnancy" as the desired outcome. As I said before, the rate of early spontaneous miscarriage has been estimated at up to 9/10 fertilisation events. More often than not, women will not realise that they have technically miscarried. Rather ironically, such figures have to be estimated, because there is little available data if a woman doesn't know she's miscarried - the prevalence of ultra-early testing might allow such data to be collected more rigorously.

I wonder if home pregnancy tests should be labelled as "home conception tests"?

One of the single most positive steps you can take to protect the development of your baby! In many countries, there are government policies in place to ensure that every woman of child-bearing age gets folic acid.

Yep, I was agreeing with her premise.

Thanks for clarifying Footlong. So, other than misreading tests or being on medication that elevates the hormone that the tests look for, a positive test would indicate that conception has taken place. Whether that embryo then goes on to be viable, is another matter I guess.

As I said, I don't think I would miss a chemical pregnancy. My cycles are so fixed that if I was a few days late I would suspect anyway. Also, from talking to somebody who has experienced it, apparently it is quite obvious that something is different about the period.

This thread has, as usual when Footlong has anything to do with it, been very informative.

I had no idea about the high numbers of chemical or unviable (right word?) pregnancies.

If I ever get a cycle then I will definitely bear that in mind when it comes to testing.

I agree with this. I used to think that an early miscarriage would be like 'a heavy period'. Until I had one. It was nothing like a period- I wasn't just losing blood, I was losing material which was quite clearly not part of a normal period. I have a high pain threshold and it was the most horrendous experience I have had (I'm talking physically, not mentally). There is no way I would ever have been able to mistake that for an abnormal period.

I have only ever used pregnancy tests in the past when I have felt that I might be pregnant (normally if I was late, or in the above instance, as I started to develop symptoms). I think at the time I went for the supermarket own brand. The instructions etc are straightforward as far as I'm concerned.

If I was TTC, I woudn't want to be using tests regularly, unless I had reason to think I might be pregnant. I think that could be psychologically draining very quickly. However, I do think there are advantages to knowing you are pregnant early, as for me I would want to make lifestyle changes etc.

I am glad of this.

I am however going to respond as someone who has taken pregancy tests and been v happy when the result is negative (sorry of that offends) to add an new slant on things.

Which brand do you use?

Tesco/Boots/Superdrug own brand.

Do you feel you understand the guidelines for use, the accuracy of the test results and when they are most appropriate for use?

Not really, I have not a clue when my cycles are let alone when I should test. I presume all have been accurate or else I would have a toddler in my womb.

When in your cycle do you use them?

as above, have only done them when I have displayed preganacy symptoms and there has been a chance I could have had an accident.

Do you feel there are advantages to knowing about a pregnancy as early as possible? What are those advantages?

For me it would be about making some big decisions. The choice to find out earlier than later would minimize the amount of medical intervention I would need and would mean I could get back to normal quicker should I take the path I think I would now.

Do you feel there are disadvantages to knowing about a pregnancy as early as possible? What are those disadvantages?

n/a

Which brand do you use? I used IC, then a First Response to confirm. And later a clear blue digital, because I had one and wanted to see the words.

Do you feel you understand the guidelines for use, the accuracy of the test results and when they are most appropriate for use? Yes.

When in your cycle do you use them? I used on CD 38 and 39. (I ovulated on cd 30, so really early.)

Do you feel there are advantages to knowing about a pregnancy as early as possible? What are those advantages? The excitement of knowing you're pregnant, and knowing to not do anything you shouldn't during pregnancy. Mostly I tested early because I couldn't wait.

Do you feel there are disadvantages to knowing about a pregnancy as early as possible? What are those disadvantages? I got my bfp at 3+2, so a good 5 days before a missed period. I was well aware of the percentage of pregnancies that are lost that early, and knicker-checked a lot for the first couple of weeks. I also carried on peeing on ICs on a daily basis for about 2 weeks to see the line get darker and come up faster. I don't think I believed it would stick. Generally speaking I think early testing is a bad idea, but would still do it again as I'd still want to know ASAP.