When you are in doubt, you can always use a home pregnancy test to confirm your pregnancy. Most women feel comfortable using these tests because it is the most personal way of determining if a missed period was due to pregnancy. To get accurate results, it is important to understand how to use your home pregnancy tests properly. Not only do you need to use your pregnancy test kit in the right way, you also need to ensure that you are not using an expired pregnancy test. Many women ask if pregnancy tests expire,here’s the answer.
Do Pregnancy Tests Expire?
To answer it simply, like all other products, pregnancy tests do come with an expiry date and they’ll no long function as a pregnancy test that you can trust.
If you have been trying to conceive for quite some time but your pregnancy test shows you are not pregnant, you may think the kit is broken or invalid. What you may not think is that you may be using an expired pregnancy kit.
A number of different pregnancy tests are available in the market today and they come with different expiry dates. After manufacturing, most pregnancy test kits will expire in a couple of years. Less expensive pregnancy test kits usually come with a shorter shelf life. It is therefore a good idea to buy pregnancy tests that may have been manufactured only a few months back.
Why Does Pregnancy Kit Expire?
Now you know the answer to your question, “Do pregnancy tests expire?” You may want to know about exactly why pregnancy kits expire. The reason is that these kits use special chemical that tests Hcg level in your urine. This chemical becomes ineffective after some time and that makes those kits useless. You need to pay attention to the label and check expiry date and year before buying. You should also consider it when using those kits. Understand that you are not going to get accurate results if you use a kit in June that has already been expired in May.
Is There an Expiry Date for Early Pregnancy Test?
EPT comes with a high sensitivity level because it has to detect HCG hormone. The levels of HCG hormone are low in the beginning of your pregnancy, so high sensitivity is essential. Due to high sensitivity, the kits can even detect pregnancy even before you miss a period. Women want to know if these test kits also expire. The answer is yes.
Do Expired Pregnancy Tests Work?
Many women ask, “Do pregnancy tests expire?” and if they do, “Is it a good idea to still use them?” If you have a pregnancy test kit that expires in August and you use it September, you may still manage to get an accurate result. This may not always work though. These tests will be less reliable after expiry, and that is the reason why manufacturers recommend that you should discard these kits once they have expired.
To avoid getting a false positive or false negative result, you need to pay attention to the expiry date before you purchase any of these pregnancy test kits. You need to bear in mind that there may be some contradiction in dates printed on the box and the kits itself. You should opt for the one with minimum difference.
More FAQs Regarding Pregnancy Tests
Do pregnancy tests expire? It is definitely one of the most common pregnancy tests questions, but there are others as well.
What is the difference between home pregnancy tests and those that test blood?
Both home pregnancy tests and blood tests check the presence of hCG, the pregnancy hormone. Home test kits will detect hCG in your urine and do not require any special skills on your part. Blood tests are usually expensive and are not required if you have tried home pregnancy tests a number of times and they give the same result. Urine tests are usually effective after a couple of weeks of ovulation, but some more sensitive tests are now available to detect pregnancy early.
How can you perform a home pregnancy test?
You can find OTC home pregnancy tests easy to use. You simply need to hold a stick in the urine stream and wait for a few minutes to a plus/line symbol to show. If it appears, you are pregnant. Some pregnancy tests require you to collect urine in a cup and dip pregnancy test stick into it. Modern day tests now have a “control indicator” that you can see in the result window – it tells you if your test is working or not. The first urine in the morning is said to be the most accurate.
How accurate are these home pregnancy tests?
They are usually highly accurate, but many factors will determine accuracy, including how you use them, when you use them, and which brand you use.
When should I use home pregnancy tests after I miss a period?
Many home pregnancy tests claim to give 99% accurate results when you use them on the day of a missed period. Research suggests it is better to use a home pregnancy test at least a week after your missed period to get accurate results.