Pregnancy test
If your menstrual period is late, you may be pregnant. However, there may be other reasons why your period is irregular.
You can take a pregnancy test to see if you are pregnant.
You can buy a pregnancy test at the supermarket, drugstore or pharmacy. Almost all tests cost less than ten euros.
You can take the test if your period does not arrive on the day you expect. There are also tests called “early” tests. However, the results from these are not reliable.
The test measures the concentration of the pregnancyhormone hCG in your urine. It is best to take the text in the morning, since the pregnancy hormone is particularly concentrated in the first urine passed in the morning.
How to take the test
- Hold the test strip in the stream of urine. Or urinate into a container and dip the test strip into the urine.
- Put the test down on a horizontal surface, such as a table.
- Wait a few minutes, then read the result in the display window.
- Depending on the test you have used, the result may be shown as a change in colour of the test strip, a line appearing, or the message “pregnant” or “not pregnant”. The message will be explained in the leaflet accompanying the test.
Test result
If the test is positive, it is very likely that you are pregnant. You can also have the pregnancy confirmed by another test by a doctor or midwife.
If the test is negative, you are probably not pregnant.
If your period still does not arrive, take another test a few days later. If this test is also negative, consult a doctor, who can check why your period has not arrived.
You can also go straight to a doctor and have your pregnancy test there. Say that you want a pregnancy test as soon as you arrive.
Usually you will take a urine test at the doctor’s surgery.
Sometimes a blood test will also be performed. In this case, you will get the result the following day.