Re: Question About Pregnancy Testing

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• In reply to: William D. McIntosh, MD: "Re: Question About Pregnancy Testing"

At Sat, 13 Feb 1999, William D. McIntosh, MD wrote: >
>At Fri, 12 Feb 1999, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>>
>>In a message dated 2/12/99 10:12:59 PM Central Standard Time, goknow@yahoo.com
>>writes:
>>
>><< Would a blood test be more accurate? >>
>>
>>A Blood Test Would Be Much More Acurate!
>
>This used to be true, and still is to a certain extent, but the urine
>tests in current use are very sensitive. The real question is how much
>of a hormone called HCG is present. Since the quantity of this hormone
>rises as your pregnancy progresses throught the first trimester, a test
>taken at one point may be negative, while a subsequent test a few days
>later may well be positive. In days of old (2-3 years ago) the urine
>tests were not as sensitive as those we use today, and the blood tests
>were slightly better. Now, the difference is actually rather small.
>
>There is a blood test alterntive, a quantitative HCG, which gives an
>actual number rather than a yes-or-no answer. It is usually easier just
>to wait 3-4 days, and then repeat the urine test with a first urine of
>the day (the hormone level is higher in this more concentrated urine).
>
>--
>William D. McIntosh, MD
>Clarksville, TN
>
>This is for educational purposes only. It is not intended
> to replace consultation and examination by your physician
> or other health care provider.
>

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