Nurse's Station

How accurate are your tests?
Our pregnancy tests can determine as little as 20 u *HCG per cc of urine. This is the most accurate urine test available. It has the same accuracy as those used by any emergency room or clinic. First morning urine is more accurate since your urine is more concentrated at that time.

If my urine test is negative, should I get a blood test?
Only under rare circumstances would this be necessary. Since the pregnancy hormone doubles every 2 days you may wait 2 days and test again, avoid drinking large amounts of fluid and test your first morning urine.

*HCG-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-the hormone present during pregnancy.

When can I get pregnant?
Generally, pregnancy takes place between 6 days before or 1 day after ovulation. For example, let's say you have intercourse 3 days before you ovulate, if the mucous in your vagina was "friendly" to the sperm at that time (the correct thickness, and the proper pH), you are fertile, and sperm may be hanging around at the end of your Fallopian tubes just waiting for your egg to pop out of the ovary. When the sperm penetrates the outer covering of the egg, you are pregnant.

Pregnancy depends on many factors:

  • Having the correct hormonol balance to allow ovulation.
  • The state of your vaginal mucous (if it is too thick the sperm can't swim).
  • The pH (acidity or alkalinity) of your vaginal tract also contributes to whether sperm live or die.
  • Normal sperm.
  • Normal open tubes and a host of other factors including patience. If you have been trying to get pregnant for more than a year and have not had success, see your doctor. Fifty percent of all healthy women get pregnant in the first 6 months and 80% in the first year of trying.

When do I ovulate?
Ovulation- your egg being released from the ovary-takes place 14 days before the menstrual cycle (period) begins.
If your cycle (the time which elapses between the 1st day of your period and the 1st day of your next period) is 28 days long, then ovulation occurs around day 14.
If your cycle is irregular it is still possible to pinpoint the time of ovulation by counting back 14 days from the onset of your period and that was when you ovulated.
Ovulation is accompanied by vaginal mucous which is thin and clear, this causes it to string into the toilet like egg whites would drip from an egg shell after you crack an egg. This is the time when ovulation is occurring.

Pay attention to your body's signals:
You can keep track of when you ovulate by recording the first day of your period on the calendar. Count the number of days starting with day one of your period until the first day of the next period- this is your cycle length.

Watch for the thin clear mucous to be produced which is described above. If you are using a hormonal birth control method such as birth control pills or a patch, you will not see the thin clear mucous which is indicative of ovulation.

You may also get ovulation predictor kits from the pharmacy and use them as directed. This method is much more accurate then the others.