You may suspect you are pregnant. This can be confirmed via pregnancy test or by a pregnancy blood test.
Key Points
A missed period may be the first clue you are pregnant, or maybe you have suspected you were pregnant earlier. You can confirm this by
- Home pregnancy test
- Blood test
Home pregnancy test
- A home pregnancy test can be purchased from your local pharmacy or chemist.
- These are inexpensive, private and easy to use and if you follow the instructions they are very accurate.
- Home pregnancy tests work measuring the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HcG) in your urine. Your body starts to produce this hormone when the fertilised egg implants in your uterus. The pregnancy hormone can be detected in your urine from about six to fourteen days after fertilisation.
- Follow the instructions on the test, some required you to wee on the test stick. With others you may have to dip a testing strip into a urine sample. Most types of tests will give you a result in a few minutes. Results may appear as a line on the test strip while others display a plus or minus symbol.
- Most pregnancy tests are sensitive enough to detect levels of HcG and display a positive result on the day you miss your period. However you may retest in a few days of you believe you are pregnant but return a negative result. It would be rare for a pregnancy test to return a positive result that was incorrect or false, but there are other reasons that you may have a high HcG levels such as a tumour.
Pregnancy blood test
A GP can confirm your pregnancy by a blood test. Even if you have a positive home pregnancy test it is a good idea to visit your GP to confirm the result with a blood test and also discuss with your GP your options for pregnancy care. Pregnancy blood tests are 99% accurate and can detect a pregnancy about one week after conception. A blood test will also confirm the presence of the hormone HcG but can detect this earlier than the home pregnancy tests. Normally HcG levels rise quickly in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and this can assist your doctor to tell if the pregnancy is progressing as would be expected.
There are two main types of pregnancy blood tests
- Quantitative blood test – measures the exact amount of hCG in the blood and can give you an estimate of how far along the pregnancy has progressed.
- Qualitative blood test – only checks for the presence of hCG so will give you a positive or negative result but not how far along your pregnancy is.
Talk to your GP about these options.
Caring for your emotional health
- Download the Talkingbirth early pregnancy MP3 relaxation track – breath awareness
- Talk to a family member or friend and share your feelings about your pregnancy
- Remember to get outside each day, prioritise sleep and eat a range of fruits and vegetable each day.
Questions for your Midwife or Doctor
- What pregnancy care options are available to me?
- Are there any individual risk factors I should be aware of?
- When should I book my next appointment in my pregnancy?
Actions items
- Gather together any results from scans, blood tests or ultrasounds to take with you to your appointment
- Consider your personal circumstances and options or preferences for private or public pregnancy care
Resources
For support and advice for an unplanned pregnancy
- Reach Out
- Family Planning Alliance Australia
- Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on 1800 882 436 to talk to a maternal child health nurse.
