Since the earliest recorded history, women have had a strong desire to know whether they are pregnant as early as possible. The body goes through countless changes in the first trimester, and one of the first indicators is a change in the hormones that leave the body through urine.

Could you be pregnant? Get answers to common questions about home pregnancy tests.

At-home over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 diagnostic tests can show if you have an active COVID-19 infection.These at-home OTC COVID-19 diagnostic tests are FDA authorized for self-testing at home (or in other locations) without a prescription. Tests are available online or at local stores and  you collect your own sample, perform the test, and read the result yourself without the need to send a sample to a laboratory.

The rapid antigen tests give results in 15-20 minutes and are convenient. Self-testing is an important tool in efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus, along with vaccination, masking, washing hands and social distancing. To get the most accurate result, it’s important to do the test properly.“We get a lot of questions from families about how to do the tests and how accurate they are,” said Claudio Alvarado, an assistant nurse manager in the pediatric emergency department at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. “They aren’t difficult to do, but it is important to follow the directions carefully.”

Molecular tests are generally more accurate and mostly processed in a laboratory, which takes longer; antigen tests—or “rapid tests”—are processed pretty much anywhere, including at home, in doctors’ offices, or in pharmacies. You can get antigen test results in about 15 minutes, but they tend to be less accurate.  Health care providers typically rely on molecular tests, particularly when people have COVID-19 symptoms, whereas antigen testing is often used when quick results are needed or for general screening and surveillance.Below, we take a closer look at the two categories. 

Where can I find at-home tests?You can pick up at-home test from area libraries (call ahead to check supply) or at our South Park Street or East Washington locations during business hours.  You can order free at-home COVID tests on COVIDTests.gov. Every U.S. household is eligible to receive four free rapid tests to be delivered directly to your home via the U.S. Postal Service.You can also find at-home tests in stores, pharmacies, and online.

You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period.You can do a pregnancy test on a sample of urine collected at any time of the day. It doesn't have to be in the morning.

Could you be pregnant? Get answers to common questions about home pregnancy tests.By Mayo Clinic StaffTaking a home pregnancy test can be exciting, but it also may be stressful. That's especially true if you're not sure whether you should trust the results. Know when and how to take a home pregnancy test. And learn some of the possible drawbacks of home testing.

Could you be pregnant? Get answers to common questions about home pregnancy tests.By Mayo Clinic StaffTaking a home pregnancy test can be exciting, but it also may be stressful. That's especially true if you're not sure whether you should trust the results. Know when and how to take a home pregnancy test. And learn some of the possible drawbacks of home testing.

The day of your expected period is the day your period is due to start. If you still haven’t got your period the next day, this is the first day of your “missed period”. If you see instructions in the leaflet telling you, you can take a test 5 days before expected period, this is the same as 6 days before your missed period. The Clearblue® Early Detection Pregnancy Test, can detect hCG as early as 6 days before your missed period3.

At-home COVID-19 testing, also known as rapid antigen testing, is convenient and accessible, and now American families can once again order four free tests. Be careful though. Test results may be wrong. Learn when and how to use testing.Millions of people living in the United States have ordered free at-home COVID-19 tests. Starting September 25, 2023, every American household can again order four free tests.Ordering a test takes less than a minute. Just visit the popular covid.gov/tests website . Then fill in your address and your free at-home COVID-19 test should arrive within a week or two. Currently, every household in the United States is entitled to four free at-home COVID-19 tests. People living in poor or low-income communities should have access to more free coronavirus testing.Easy, right? Well, ordering a test is quick and easy. But figuring out when and how to use them or how to understand your results isn't always simple. That's because at-home COVID-19 tests, also called rapid antigen tests, are not as accurate as the more reliable nasal swab PCR tests you can get at a doctor's office. PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction. ( Learn more about getting a PCR test .)The appeal of at-home COVID-19 testing is its convenience and accessibility. You can take the test at home (hence the name) and get results in about 15 minutes. But it's important to be cautious about rapid home test results and how you use them. If you get a positive result, the test is probably accurate. If your result is negative but you get sick, you may still have COVID-19. To help you understand what an at-home COVID-19 test is and how to interpret the results you get, we spoke with Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention and control at UCHealth and a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the university . University of Colorado School of Medicine .

Rapid antigen tests are available through pharmacy and grocery retail locations, local public health units, as well as targeted distribution to high priority communities, while supplies last.The distribution of free rapid antigen tests to the public is being discontinued and retailers are currently distributing their remaining supply. If your participating retail location is out of stock, another local retailer or your local public health unit may have tests available.

Now that COVID-19 is regularly circulating through communities, it’s hard to know if you should take a COVID test every time you have a sniffle. Gone are the days of COVID testing centers on every corner. But at-home tests remain readily available. When there’s an uptick in cases, you might be wondering when to get tested and the best kind of test to use.As an infectious diseases expert and a hospital epidemiologist, here's what you should know about when to get a COVID-19 test, what kind you should use, what to do if you can't access one and why it's still important to get vaccinated.

At-home COVID-19 tests, also known as rapid antigen tests, are convenient and accessible, and now, U.S. households can once again order four free tests. But be careful. The test results can be wrong. Learn when and how to use the tests.Millions of people living in the U.S. have ordered free at-home COVID-19 tests. As of Sept. 25, 2023, every U.S. household can once again order four free tests.Ordering the tests takes less than a minute. You simply visit the popular covid.gov/tests website. Then you fill in your address, and the free at-home COVID-19 tests should arrive within a week or two. For now, each household in the U.S. is entitled to four free at-home COVID-19 tests. People living in disadvantaged or lower-income communities should be able to get more free COVID tests.

All home pregnancy tests measure the amount of a specific hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. When the embryo starts to implant in the lining of your uterus, as early as six days after conception, cells that will later develop into the placenta begin to produce hCG.As the placenta grows, the amount of hCG in your body doubles every two days or so during the first few weeks. When hCG levels are high enough, the hormone enters the bloodstream. That's when it starts to show up in the blood and urine. If the home pregnancy test detects enough hCG in your urine, it gives you a positive result.Some tests are more sensitive than others. But in general, it's easier for any home pregnancy test to pick up hCG in the urine when you're 4 weeks pregnant (when there's more hCG) versus 6 days after fertilization (when there's a trace amount of hCG at best).The best way to tell if a test is sensitive enough to pick up the smaller amounts is to read the fine print. Some urine pregnancy tests can detect lower levels of hCG. If you're wanting to test early, before you miss a period, check the package insert to learn more about how much hCG needs to be present in your urine to detect a pregnancy.

Home pregnancy tests work by detecting a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).1 This is produced by the placenta during pregnancy, and it's found in your urine after a fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining (about six to 12 days after conception). Your body makes increasing amount of hCG as the pregnancy progresses.The presence of hCG leads to a positive pregnancy test result, while lack of hCG causes a negative result. You can also get a false negative by taking the test too soon; this happens if hCG levels didn't rise enough yet to be detected by the test.2What Does a Faint Line on a Pregnancy Test Mean?

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