Beta Blood Pregnancy Test or Urine Pregnancy Test

BETA Pregnancy Test (BPT)

The blood pregnancy test (BPT) is normally known as the BETA pregnancy test. It calculates the beta chain segment of the hCG hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin) that is secreted as the embryo develops. Precisely, this test is known as the “BETA hCG” blood test.

The Temptation

Aspiring to be pregnant, women are most tempted to test pregnancy at home. Home pregnancy tests are not always reliable to give you the correct result. In fact, it is not advised to fertility patients to perform home pregnancy tests as it often renders false outcomes. hCG hormone remains high in women during this time as it is injected to fertility patients in order to trigger ovulation. Hence, the presence of this hormone in the blood might bring a false positive result in a home pregnancy. This is solely because the home tests fail to ascertain the difference between the two. Similarly, low level of hCG is mostly undetectable in a urine test even though the pregnancy is initiated, and results in a false negative outcome.

Moral Down Due to False Home Urine Test Outcomes

In many cases, it has been seen that women undergoing fertility treatment, who are yet not actually pregnant have had positive urine pregnancy tests. This actually happens due to the injected levels of hCG hormones in their bloodstream. But then, when they go for the blood pregnancy test and find out the actual result, they get very disappointed. Similarly, women who are actually pregnant sometimes unknowingly neglect their pregnancy as the urine pregnancy test has failed to let them know about their pregnancies. This can cause unwanted miscarriages as the woman herself is not aware of her pregnancy and hence fails to take proper care of herself after the conception.

Blood Tests to Determine Pregnancy

The pregnancy blood tests or the pregnancy serum tests are designed to evaluate and determine the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the blood to assess the initiation of pregnancy. Soon after the conception, in a span of maximum 10 days of fertilisation, the placenta releases the human chorionic gonadotropin, into the bloodstream.

There are mainly two pregnancy blood tests:

1. The quantitative blood test to calculate the concentration level of hCG in the blood

2. The qualitative test to ascertain the presence of hCG

Correct Time to Take the Pregnancy Test

For aspiring mothers, a minimum of 7 days wait after a missed period is the best time to go for a home pregnancy test. The first urine of the morning is the best to use when checking for a pregnancy. Urine home-pregnancy tests performed by women are at the most 97% accurate. However, the blood pregnancy test delivers an accurate result. A home pregnancy test is never reliable as they can inculcate false hopes in the woman or even can rule out a positive pregnancy.

If you think you are some days past ovulation, you can try the urine pregnancy test at home. However, a blood pregnancy test is more recommended even after the temptation test to accurately ascertain the pregnancy. The home test and the blood test both works on the objective of determining the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), popularly known as the pregnancy hormone, in the blood. Nonetheless, only the blood test can determine the level of hCG present in the blood, unlike the urine test. Blood tests determine whether you are actually pregnant or not.

False Positive Pregnancy Test

There are wider possibilities of a false outcome in urine pregnancy tests. It can show positive result but a blood test can rule out the possibility. This mostly happens to women undergoing fertility treatment. The hCG level in their blood is already high due to external hormone injection. In such cases, women might be demoralised as they find differences in the urine and blood test results. Hence, we always advise the fertility treatment patients to go for the blood pregnancy test to ascertain the pregnancy.

For other women, who are not undergoing fertility treatment, urine pregnancy test can bring negative results even when they are pregnant. This might occur rarely, but chances cannot be ruled out at all. In such cases, women are often reported to be negligent of their pregnancy which might result in unfortunate miscarriages.

There are chances of false positive urine tests under the following circumstances:

1. Women who have been given shots of hCG/gonadotropins for ovulation might find positive urine pregnancy test results even when there is no real pregnancy.

2. Urine tests give inaccurate results when reading after the evaporation line as the suggested time is over by then.

3. In case the instructions are not properly followed, urine pregnancy tests deliver incorrect outcomes. At times it’s really confusing for the woman to try the test for the first time. It, hence, misguides the person and might bring adverse consequences.

4. At times the urine pregnancy report might come up as positive, but actually, there is no sign of any type of development in the embryo/ foetus.

5. In case the person is suffering from any rare medical condition, urine pregnancy test might not fetch the true results. This is because some of the medications might interfere and create hindrances in getting the correct pregnancy test results.

Blood Tests for Pregnancy

Blood tests become compulsory for all those women undergoing a positive urine pregnancy test. Blood tests for pregnancy are performed at the doctor’s, and ca detect pregnancies easily even before the home pregnancy test. This test can determine successful pregnancy after around 6-8 days after ovulation. In case you are not sure about the results of your home pregnancy test, you can take the BETA blood test to get true results.

The 2 types of blood pregnancy tests are:

1. Qualitative hCG Test

Qualitative hCG Test determines the presence of hCG in the bloodstream. It gives signals for the presence or no presence of hCG hormone in the blood. This test is conducted usually within ten days of a missed period.

2. Quantitative hCG Test/ BETA hCG

Quantitative hCG Test/ beta hCG calculates the exact quantity of hCG present in the blood. This test is capable of even finding out very low levels of hCG. Quantitative hCG Test/ BETA hCG is also conducted to track problems during pregnancy.

Blood Pregnancy Test for IVF Patients

IVF clinics never rely on home pregnancy tests. The prime reason behind that is the patients are not experts in judging the results or even conducting the tests properly. On many occasions, the urine gets diluted before picked up for the test. Hence, the concentration of hCG hormone is disturbed. We always insist on taking the blood pregnancy test for IVF patients in order to fetch the correct result directly. It is not at all wise to compromise on the pregnancy test- go for blood tests instead of home tests.

There is a qualitative advantage of blood pregnancy test over the home tests. Urine tests gives an unreliable result, whereas, the blood test gives qualitative results. The serial tests conducted by the doctor monitors the health of the pregnancy. Usually, in a healthy pregnancy, the level of hCG doubles itself in every 48 hours. In case of any alteration, the doctor prescribes further tests to determine the health of the pregnancy. As a matter of fact, extremely high level of hCG suspects multiple pregnancies!