The cost of pregnancy test: What is available and how much

To understand how pregnancy test kits work, you must first understand how the human body processes the miracle of conception.  Each month, approximately two weeks after the last day of her menstrual cycle, a woman's body releases a mature egg that is ready for fertilization.  This is called ovulation.  A woman cannot become pregnant unless she is ovulating.  The egg waits in the fallopian tube waiting for sperm to come by and fertilize it.  If there are no sperm, the egg continues making its way to the uterus. The egg, and the lining of the uterus, is shed at the next menstruation cycle.
 

Although there are millions of sperm in a man's ejaculate, it only takes one of them to fertilize the egg.  One! Out of millions!  The odds are so aganist the egg from escaping fertilization, but it can happen. A woman's body has a lot of internal mechanisms to fight off the sperm. Once inside the body, the sperm has 4 to 6 days to reach the egg and fertilize it before it dies.  However, if the sperm fertilizes the egg, the egg will continue its journey to the uterus.  Once fertilized, the cells divide and form a ball of cells.  The cells attach to the lining of the uterus and is referred to as implantation.  The cells continue to divide and grow.

The cells will begin to form the placenta that will protect the embryo and nourish it thoughout the pregnancy.  Once the placenta is formed, it emits a pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).  This hormone is the confirmation that fertilization has occurred.  A woman's body will show high levels of hCG when pregnant.  The home pregnancy tests are testing for the presence of hCG.  The less expensive home pregnancy tests cannot detect the presence of hCG until the 3rd week of pregnancy.

 

To confirm a pregnancy, the test strip is dipped into the urine of the potentially pregnant woman, and then you have to wait anywhere between one and five minutes to see the results.  Every pregnancy test kit is different and the instructions for testing varies, but most kits claim to be 99% accurate.  You are recommended to use the first urine in the morning as it is likely to have the highest level of the hCG hormone than urine collected later in the day. 

Accuracy also depends upon how soon after fertilization you are taking the test.  The longer you wait, the higher the level of the hCG hormone will be in your body.  One day after conception, you may not get a positive result because the placenta has not yet formed therefore you do not have high levels of hCG yet.  One week later, if the test is repeated, you may see a positive result.  This is why when purchasing home pregnancy tests, it is recommended that you buy a kit with multiple tests because you will need to repeat the test several times to confirm the results.  Multi-packs are usually more cost effective than single packs. 

If you are buying a pregnancy test you are either trying to get pregnant and are so excited at the possibility of a positive result or you are worried that you may actually be pregnant when you weren't planning on having a baby now.  Regardless of why you want a pregnancy test, you may not want to go the doctor, and are looking for a reliable way to find out.  Because of the accuracy of home pregnancy tests, you can figure it out in the privacy of your home and the tests are easy too.  If you don't want to run into nosy neighbors while buying a pregnancy test in your local drugstore, you can easily buy the tests online.  Here are some tests you can buy through the mail.

AccuMed is sold in packs of 25 tests kits for the price of $7.99, so this is an amazing value at approximately .32 cents each.  Results are available five minutes after taking the test.  Two lines indicate pregnancy and one line means you are not pregnant. Test strips can detect the hCG hormone up to five days before your missed period. This test kit is FDA approved.

Proven offers early detection pregnancy tests in a kit with 30 tests for $10.09 which comes to .36 cents each, so this is the kit to get if you want to test multiple times to verify the previous results.  Results are available three minutes after taking the test and are 99% accurate when you use it one to two days before your anticipated menstrual start date. The manufacturer claims their test strips will be able to pick up the smallest amount of the hCG hormone, giving you more accurate results.  This is one of the few manufacturers offering a 100 day, no questions asked, money back guarantee.
 

Evagloss manufactures an early pregnancy test kit containing seven tests offered at $17.99 which comes to $2.57 per test. Results are available within five minutes after taking the test. These tests are 99% accurate and are FDA approved.  The manufacturer offers a money back guarantee if you are unhappy with your purchase.

The First Response pregnancy test is sold in a box of two for $16.49 with each costing $8.25.  It boasts a 99% accuracy rating as long as you are testing six days or less before the day of your missed period.  Results are available within three minutes of taking the test.  A positive result is shown with two pink lines, regardless of how faint either of them are.  No lines appear if you are not pregnant.

The Fact Plus pregnancy test is sold in packs of two for $5.49 at a cost of $2.75 each.  The test is 99% accurate.  The results window is easy to read with a large plus sign for positive and a minus sign for a negative result. 

Walgreen's store brand One Step Pregnancy Tests are sold in a box of three for $14.99, so the cost is $5.00 per test.  One Step produces results in two minutes and you may test as early as four days before your expected period.  The results are clearly shown as a plus sign for pregnant and an negative sign for not pregnant.

Clearblue digital pregnancy tests are sold in packs of two for $12.49 or $6.25 each.  Clearblue is the only test on the market that has a countdown to see your results.  The reason a lot of women like this feature is because the test is already a stressful event and the countdown is letting them know that the test is working properly.  In addition to the countdown, the results are present in actual words, and not lines that you have to interpret, so it is easy to read and understand. Results are presented within three minutes or less.

CVS offers a Digital Pregnancy Test in a box of two for a price of $14.49, or $7.25 each.  The test may be used at any time of the day and is 99% accurate. It is recommended to take the test on the day of your missed period. Pregnant results appear within one minute and not pregnant results appear within three minutes.

CVS offers a store brand pregnancy called Digital and Early Result sold in a pack of two for $17.49 or $8.74 each.  The test is 99% accurate and can be taken within 5 days before your expected period.

So regardless of the reason why you need to buy a pregnancy test, rest assured that the home pregnancy tests may be just as accurate as a test you will be given by your health care provider.  If you are trying to have a baby, you would be best served by purchasing a kit with multiple tests as this is most cost effective than buying single kits. 
 

Let's face it, you will need to test several times, so go for the multiple test kits.  After getting a positive result, you will want to repeat the test a week later to re-confirm the results.  You will still need to see your OB/ GYN once you are sure that you are pregnant.  Your doctor will be able to confirm your pregnancy with a blood test and will be able to guide you along through your next exciting adventure and get you ready for motherhood.