How Pregnancy Tests Work

[x]   Tags: pregnancy test, pregnancy tests, hcg, missed period, online pregnancy test, early pregnancy test, home pregnancy test, pregnancy, pregnant, pregnancy symptoms, signs of pregnancy, early signs of pregnancy, sonogram, prenatal care

[x]   Transcript: Whether you're desperate to make a baby or are petrified that you are pregnant, your first step will most likely involve taking a home pregnancy test. To get the most accurate result on a home pregnancy test, it helps to know how the test works, and when you should take it. Quite simply, a home pregnancy test detects the presence of a hormone in your urine called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG. HCG is a pregnancy hormone that a woman's body starts producing when a fertilized egg implants in her uterus. In most women, this implantation and subsequent hCG production, occurs up to six days after sperm and egg meet. Because of this, many women will get the MOST accurate result if they take the home pregnancy test a full week AFTER their missed period. Although many tests claim that they are "99 percent accurate" as soon as the FIRST day your period is due or earlier. That's because some technically pregnant women may not have experienced implantation by this day in their cycle. Plus, the amount of HCG that a woman makes may be so minute at first, that a home pregnancy test won't be sensitive enough to detect it. When you do take your home pregnancy test, you'll get the best results if you test first thing in the morning, when your urine is the most concentrated. Since tests work in various ways, make sure to read the instructions and pick the one you think will work best for you. Whatever the test results say, you should still take another pregnancy test in a few days to confirm. This is partly because of the extremely unlikely chance that your test will say you're pregnant when you're actually not. This false-positive result can occur if you had a miscarriage or abortion in the past eight weeks, or if you're taking certain fertility drugs. More common are false-negative results, where the test SAYS you're baby-free when you're actually pregnant. False-negatives are often the result of taking a pregnancy test too early, or not following the test directions. Additionally, you could get a false-negative if you drink a great deal of water pre-test, in turn diluting the amount of HCG in your urine. If you DO get a positive result, make an appointment with your doctor to confirm the pregnancy. Your physician will probably take a blood test to measure HCG in more minute amounts than the home pregnancy tests are able to. Your doctor may also confirm your pregnancy with a sonogram. If you are indeed pregnant, prenatal care should begin right away!

[x]   Bio:

Eden Gabrielle Fromberg, DO, FACOOG, DABHM is an osteopathic physician, Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology (1999) and Board Certified in Holistic Medicine (2003). Dr. Fromberg was born by natural childbirth in NYC, breastfed, weaned onto a naturopathic diet, and raised as a third generation vegetarian. She grew up with an awareness of the wholeness of all things and the goodness within people. In college, she began studying nutrition, yoga, massage, midwifery, natural family planning, and herbal medicine. She received a B.A. in Biology from Oberlin College in 1985, graduated from Southeastern University of the Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1991, and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1995. From 1995 - 1997, she was in private practice at Catskill Women's Health Center in the Hudson Valley. In 1997 and 1998, she volunteered in Bali, Indonesia with the renowned midwife and author, Robin Lim, providing culturally sensitive prenatal care, home birth, and health care in a traditional Balinese village. The project has built a birth center and a homeopathic apothecary, and Dr. Fromberg was an assistant researcher for "Obat Asli Bali: The Synthesis of Traditional Herbal Medicine and Modern Medicine in Bali, Indonesia." She also wrote the forward to "Eating Wisely: Recipes for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women," by Robin Lim, CPM. Dr. Fromberg continues to consult with Robin Lim and the project in Bali, now known as Yayasan Bumi Sehat - Healthy Mother Earth Foundation.

After returning from Bali, Dr. Fromberg established a private OB/GYN practice in New York City. From 1999 - 2004, she was on the faculty at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, where she supported midwifery practice and helped establish the hospital's Birth Center. She was appointed Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in 2000. After ten years in practice, working with midwives and delivering babies in the Hudson Valley, Bali, and Brooklyn, Dr. Fromberg now focuses exclusively on holistic gynecology for women throughout the life cycle and joined SoHo OB/GYN in 2005. She is a Fellow of the American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine. She incorporates natural remedies, vitamins, herbs, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, and other alternative approaches in her medical practice. In addition to holistic gynecology practice, Dr. Fromberg is also the founder and director of Lila Yoga, Dharma & Wellness, a unique wellness center dedicated to the cultivation and celebration of the cycle of life. Lila hosts diverse programs including yoga, prenatal yoga, meditation, internal martial arts, birth and parenting services, and massage. Dr. Fromberg completed the Forrest Yoga Teacher Training and is a two-time Advanced Forrest Yoga teacher training graduate, and she teaches Fertile Yoga workshops and private yoga at Lila. Dr. Fromberg's husband, Edison Archer, a visual and martial artist, musician, and Nagkpa (Buddhist practitioner), manages Lila and teaches meditation and internal martial arts at the center and at Tibet House.