A missed period. Lots of anxious moments. Finally a frantic SOS to a friend who has been a mommy.
Yes, it was she who suggested that I take a 'Home Pregnancy Test' before consulting a doctor. Most doctors grab this opportunity to run a battery of expensive tests without even confirming the pregnancy in the event of which the former turn out to be absolutely useless.
With a whole lot of options like Preganews, Pregasure, Velocit. etc, I simply chose the one that was stocked by my nearest chemist. And i bought two just to be doubly sure (no pun intended here). Now this is a simple device with a well and a results window. The results window has a pink line which serves as the control. Most of them also include a small container to collect the urine.
Taking the test is relatively simple . Collect the first few drops of the morning urine ( IMPORTANT ) and add 2-3 drops into the well. Wait for 5-10 minutes. A pink line appearing near to the existing one (control) indicates a positive result. A very faint line or no line does not necessarily indicate a negative pregnancy. It may be the case that one has taken the test too soon and the HCG levels have just not picked up. A repeat test should be taken after 3-5 days if you have reason to believe that you are pregnant. Best time to take the test is around your period date or one week later ( IMPORTANT ).
In my case, I had taken the first test in the afternoon which gave a very faint line. I guess it was the anticipation that led me to take the test without going through the instructions carefully. A repeat test the next morning gave better results and this time I made an appointment with a doctor.
Doctors routinely prescribe a urine test ( again to detect HCG ) and a blood test ( to rule out anemia, Hepatitis, HIV ). An ultrasound at 5 weeks is also standard practice. This is a must to rule out any problems in pregnancy (especially an ectopic one ).
With all my test results turning out to be fine, it was time to pop the laddoo ( No champagne being permitted for expectant mothers and me being a teetotaler ). However a word of caution from the doctor left me a little subdued. She stated that since miscarriages are quite common in case of IT folks ( stress and odd working hours are to blame ), I had to take hormone pills for the first 2-3 months.
But the test results showed my hormone levels to be within the normal range. After much deliberation and quite a bit of research on the net, I made up my mind to skip the pills ( the effects of which are not documented ). And I haven't ever regretted the decision.
Yes, it was she who suggested that I take a 'Home Pregnancy Test' before consulting a doctor. Most doctors grab this opportunity to run a battery of expensive tests without even confirming the pregnancy in the event of which the former turn out to be absolutely useless.
With a whole lot of options like Preganews, Pregasure, Velocit. etc, I simply chose the one that was stocked by my nearest chemist. And i bought two just to be doubly sure (no pun intended here). Now this is a simple device with a well and a results window. The results window has a pink line which serves as the control. Most of them also include a small container to collect the urine.
Taking the test is relatively simple . Collect the first few drops of the morning urine ( IMPORTANT ) and add 2-3 drops into the well. Wait for 5-10 minutes. A pink line appearing near to the existing one (control) indicates a positive result. A very faint line or no line does not necessarily indicate a negative pregnancy. It may be the case that one has taken the test too soon and the HCG levels have just not picked up. A repeat test should be taken after 3-5 days if you have reason to believe that you are pregnant. Best time to take the test is around your period date or one week later ( IMPORTANT ).
In my case, I had taken the first test in the afternoon which gave a very faint line. I guess it was the anticipation that led me to take the test without going through the instructions carefully. A repeat test the next morning gave better results and this time I made an appointment with a doctor.
Doctors routinely prescribe a urine test ( again to detect HCG ) and a blood test ( to rule out anemia, Hepatitis, HIV ). An ultrasound at 5 weeks is also standard practice. This is a must to rule out any problems in pregnancy (especially an ectopic one ).
With all my test results turning out to be fine, it was time to pop the laddoo ( No champagne being permitted for expectant mothers and me being a teetotaler ). However a word of caution from the doctor left me a little subdued. She stated that since miscarriages are quite common in case of IT folks ( stress and odd working hours are to blame ), I had to take hormone pills for the first 2-3 months.
But the test results showed my hormone levels to be within the normal range. After much deliberation and quite a bit of research on the net, I made up my mind to skip the pills ( the effects of which are not documented ). And I haven't ever regretted the decision.
