HPT, FRER, TWEAKING: A Lesson In Pregnancy Tests

Testing to see if you are pregnant is pretty easy. Pee on stick, let it sit for the allotted time, and then look at the results. For the non trying to conceive this seems simple. You miss a period, you take a test. But for those of us who are trying to get pregnant testing becomes an addiction. I admit I was a POASaholic(POAS= pee on a stick) at one point, but have since moved on because those damn things aren’t cheap! And, getting a negative is about the most horrible let down there is, especially if you are testing early, because it could just be that you aren’t pregnant enough yet.

Home pregnancy testing is all about options, there are several brands of pregnancy tests out there, some are even digital now and very plainly read either “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” There is a first response digitalthat says “yes” or “no.” But most of them either give you one line, or two, either side by side vertical lines or a plus sign vs. a minus result.

Different brands of tests have different sensitivities. Some pick up the pregnancy hormone (HCG) earlier than others. Here is my list after some internet research:

First Response Early Result- 6.3 mlU
Internet cheapie tests (Amazon, early-pregnancy-test.com- 10 mlU
Dollar tree and dollar store test – 25 mlU
Answer brand- 25 mlU
First Response Rapid Result- 50-100 mlU
Accuclear- 25-50mlU
Equate (Wal Mart brand) - 25-50 mlU
First response digital- 25-50

So, most women I’ve met who are trying to conceive use FRER’s or First response early result pregnancy tests because they are the most sensitive. They can give positives as early as 10 days post ovulation. These are usually very faint positives. But there’s more, you can go onto any online support for trying to conceive and get your pregnancy test tweaked turning this:

Into this:

Amazing right? Can also be damaging because tweaking a test plays with the light and color saturation, but sometimes digital pictures alone have pixel changes with tweaking which will create a non existent line….so it can be a way to give false hope.

This website gives you the low-down on tweaking: http://www.amandabears.com/heartstweaking-tests.html This site is also a great resource for all your TTC needs! This girl has done her homework. And after 17 cycles of trying she finally did conceive, and go on to deliver a healthy baby boy a few months ago.

Another interesting site is: http://www.peeonastick.com/, Yep that’s right! If you just look and Google, it’s amazing what you can find! The resources are almost damaging, they can turn the curious babymaker in to a full on baby making addict

PS: This is a NO JUDGEMENT ZONE! Be respectful. I’m just telling it like it is.