With HCG test strips, you'll want to pee in a cup and dip the test strip in the cup to get an accurate result. If you try to pee directly on the strip, the results may be blurry or invalid.
Should I dip my home pregnancy test in urine, or pee on it? Most tests allow you to either place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for (usually) five seconds or dip the tip in a collected urine sample for five to 20 seconds. Accuracy is not dependent on the method as long as you follow the instructions.
Point the absorbent tip (with 5 small openings) directly into the urine stream. Take the sample for at least 7-10 seconds, to ensure that an adequate sample is collected by the testing device. (Another technique is to collect the urine into a clean container and dip half of the absorbent pad for at least 10 seconds.)
All you need to do is simply pee on the test stick (or dip it into collected urine) and wait several minutes for your results. However, while home pregnancy tests are pretty simple to use, it's very important that you carefully read the test directions.
All pregnancy tests measure hCG, but they don't all work exactly the same way. Each requires a certain amount of urine. That's why some tests ask you to pee directly onto a stick, while others have you dip the stick in a cup of urine.
Can Too Much Pee on a Pregnancy Test Make It Negative? Urinating too much on a urine pregnancy test should not cause a false negative result. But diluted urine, or urine with a higher water content, can impact a pregnancy test by skewing results.
Excess fluids can impact the accuracy of the test results, so if your urine is diluted or pale yellow, hold off on taking a test. Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results. Take a test when you naturally need to pee.
Can a pregnancy test come up negative if I didn't pee enough? A false negative on a home pregnancy test is possible, but extremely unlikely. As long as your urine got on the test's absorbent strip, it should be accurate. You can always take another test if you're worried you might have missed.
It's always wiser to take a pregnancy test than not. Drinking too much water prior to taking a pregnancy test can dilute your urine, making it less likely the test will detect the necessary amount of human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), which can then produce a false negative.
In general, the best time is when you have your first morning pee. However, some pregnancy tests are sensitive enough to detect HCG no matter what time of day you take the test.
Just be sure to wait a few days—taking a second test in the same sitting won't give you a different result. When should you take a pregnancy test?
hCG is a hormone produced by your placenta when you are pregnant. It appears shortly after the embryo attaches to the wall of the uterus. If you are pregnant, this hormone increases very rapidly. If you have a 28 day menstrual cycle, you can detect hCG in your urine 12-15 days after ovulation.
Place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for 5 seconds. Or, if you prefer, dip into a urine sample collected in a clean, dry container for 5 or 20 seconds, depending on the test you're using.
Test too early and the amount of hCG in your urine isn't detectable. As many as 9 out of 15 women will get a false negative until seven or eight weeks of pregnancy.
It is possible to get a false negative on a pregnancy test (where the test says you're not pregnant, even though you are), particularly if you've tested before your period is due. If you've just had one negative result, you could try waiting for a few days and testing again, just to be sure.
Yes, it is possible. Getting a negative result doesn't mean you're not pregnant, it may just mean your hCG levels are not high enough for the test to detect the hormone in your urine.
If you see a positive result beyond this time frame, you may be left second-guessing the results. However, always remember that a pregnancy test result is only accurate within 10 minutes. After the that, it's best to throw the test away to avoid confusion.
Use First-Morning Urine
This makes it more likely to get an accurate test reading. 1 If you're worried you'll forget to collect it when you first get up, close the lid to your toilet and set the pregnancy test on top. Some say that if you hold your urine for more than four hours it is the same as first-morning urine.
There are many reasons your period could be late other than pregnancy. Stress, illness, and changes in weight or nutrition can all affect your menstrual cycle. If you're taking hormonal birth control or took emergency contraception, that can also change your period.
It can be tempting to try remedies or foods that purportedly help raise your hCG levels. Unfortunately, there's no way to change your hCG levels or make them go up. What's more, hCG levels reflect information about your pregnancy, but changing them wouldn't address the cause of any potential problems.
Home pregnancy tests work by detecting the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in a urine sample. There are a few things that can cause a false negative reading, namely the improper use of the test, testing too early, using an expired test, or diluting the urine by drinking too much water in advance.
Levels of hCG will be strongest with first morning urine — more concentrated urine guarantees a more accurate test. Your test will still be valid if it's the afternoon or you've already had water, but first morning urine will result in a stronger results line. The stronger the line, the more accurate the test results.