Are You Really Pregnant? Take a Test and Find Out!Most hopeful moms-to-be want to know if they are pregnant. In most cases, you can know for sure as soon as one week after conception. When implantation occurs, the developing placenta begins to produce the hormone HCGChuman chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone is detectable as early as one week after conception in your blood and 7 to 10 days after conception in your urine.
The urine test is performed in your doctor's office or at home (if you follow the directions on a home pregnancy kit). A very early test may register negative if your body has not yet produced enough HCG to be detected. A repeat test a few days or week later may come out positive. By the way, a home pregnancy test is nearly 100 percent positive within 7 to 10 days after conception. Whether your test registers positive or negative, if you think you are pregnant, take care of yourself and your baby as if you were pregnant.
A few drops of blood can let you know if you are pregnant as early as one week after conception. This blood test is performed in your doctor's office or a laboratory. Within a day or two, you will have the final results. The test is nearly 100 percent accurate, depending on no laboratory error.
At some time during your pregnancy your doctor will mention a certain test, such as a blood test, an ultrasound, or an amniocentesis. You may wonder if this test is really safe or even necessary. You deserve answers to these questions! After all, you are a key partner in making these decisions. Here are some basic facts about three common tests.
The AFP screen is the most commonly available prenatal screening test for birth defects. AFP, a natural substance produced by baby's liver, normally enters the mother's bloodstream during pregnancy. Maternal levels of AFP are elevated if the mother is carrying a baby with a neural tube defect, NTD, (the vertebrae that normally enclose the spinal cord fail to develop), because AFP leaks out of an open spinal column. These defects include spina bifida (in which the spinal cord is not enclosed in the spinal column, often cause paralysis from the waist down) and anencephaly (in which baby's brain is either severely underdeveloped or doesn't develop at all). AFP levels are lower than normal if the baby has Down syndrome or another chromosomal defect.
The AFP screen is performed on a small amount of blood taken from the mother's arm. This common test is safe and is done between the sixteenth and eighteenth week of pregnancy. You will know the score within one week.
While the AFP screen is safe, it can be traumatic and lead to unnecessary worries. A confirmed positive test will be followed by other tests, which carry greater risks and anxiety, and in most cases, you find out there was nothing to worry about in the first place (or nothing you want to do about it anyway).
To decide whether or not to have a prenatal screening test for birth defects, consider these questions:Would the results matter to you?Would you change the course of your pregnancy? Are the results of the test going to create or alleviate anxiety?Would having the test or not having the test worry you more or less?Would knowing about a birth defect before hand dampen the joy of your pregnancy?If so, would it be better for you to have the time to prepare to handle a special needs baby?
Keep in mind that this screening is not very accurate. Ninety-five to ninety- eight percent of "positive high" or "positive low" AFPs turn out to be false (i.e., the baby has neither a chromosomal abnormality nor a neural tube defect). If your AFP test is abnormally high or abnormally low, your healthcare provider may recommend that you have further tests, such as an ultrasound and/or amniocentesis.
A new test, called the "triple screen" (also known as the "prenatal risk profile" or "expanded AFP"), is used to screen for birth defects. The triple screen measures the following:Maternal levels of AFPHCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, which is elevated if mother is carrying a baby with some chromosomal abnormalitiesStroll, a byproduct of the hormone estrogen, which is lower if mother is carrying a baby with some chromosomal abnormalities
The triple screen raises the accuracy from twenty-five percent with the AFP alone to 60 percent. The triple screen may detect 70 percent of Down syndrome babies in women over age thirty-five, and sixty percent in women under age thirty-five.
