Pregnancy tests are presented in different price categories. There are expensive models, the price of which starts from 300 rubles, and there are diagnostic systems that cost only 17 rubles and a little higher. And naturally, the question arises, what are the differences and which is better: to save money and buy a cheap test, or give more and buy an expensive one.
How do they differ from expensive ones?
Cheap pregnancy tests are almost no different from expensive ones. And this is the main secret of the market for the corresponding goods. Both act in exactly the same way: they determine the presence of hCG hormone molecules in a woman's urine. This substance begins to be produced in high concentrations by the chorionic villi of the ovum after the embryo has successfully implanted into the uterus.
Implantation takes place about a week after actual conception. After that, the level of hCG grows approximately twice every two days. By the beginning of the delay in menstruation, the level of the hormone in most cases is already sufficient so that the reagent applied by the manufacturers with antibodies to human chorionic gonadotropic hormone can react with the molecules of the substance secreted by the kidneys into urine.
This is how absolutely all types of tests that you can buy today work: tablet, inkjet and even digital. The difference between an inexpensive test and an expensive one usually lies only in the brand, since manufacturers “wind up” up to half of the cost price for well-known names, as well as in design and modification. The principle of operation is the same.
The price does not depend on the sensitivity of the tests either. There are systems with a high threshold of susceptibility of the reagent, which make it possible to establish the presence of the hormone already a few days before the delay, and there are less sensitive tests. And the system, which costs only 17 rubles with a sensitivity of 10 mIU / ml, may well detect a second strip before the delay, and expensive test systems with a sensitivity of 25 mIU / ml will show positive results after menstruation does not begin for several days.
What types are there?
All diagnostic systems for home determination of early pregnancy are of several types. An electronic test with determining the duration of pregnancy is the most expensive, inkjet models are slightly inferior in price.... It is enough to put both those and others under the stream of urine during emptying; it is not required to collect urine in advance.
Tablet or cassette tests involve the collection of urine, followed by instilling it with a special pipette into the window of the plastic case allocated for diagnostics... These tests are not considered cheap either.
Only the first generation systems are among the most economical today - simple strip-strips, at the distal end of which there is a reagent sensitive to the presence of chorionic gonadotropic hormone. They need to be lowered to a certain point in the collected urine and wait until the result is displayed on the strip.
Such tests cannot boast of an excellent appearance, a convenient holder, a beautiful case, and sometimes they cannot even differ in the brightness of the stripes, but on the whole they are quite simple and unpretentious. Their main advantage can rightfully be considered accessibility. For a hundred rubles, you can buy several pieces and, if necessary, do testing several times.
Top manufacturers
To select the most inexpensive tests from the whole variety, we determined that the cost should not exceed 70 rubles. From this category, we have selected only the most accurate systems that have the maximum number of positive reviews from women.
"Rest assured" - Russian test, the price of which starts from 15 rubles per strip. The sensitivity is not high - 25 mIU / ml, but with the onset of the delay it gives fairly accurate answers to all questions.
- "EAKS" - Russian-made strip-strip, the price of which starts from 19 rubles. Basic sensitivity - 20 mIU / ml, can determine pregnancy 1-2 days before the start of the delay.
- "HCG-IHA-Recipi" - Russian test at 15 rubles per strip. Average sensitivity - 20 mIU / ml. But reviews claim that the test is very accurate and reliable, you can trust it.
- "Vera" - Russian test with a sensitivity of 25 units, but its cost is the lowest in its segment - from 13 rubles. According to women's reviews, the strip is rather flimsy and unreliable, but with the result it usually does not deceive.
- "Faith-plus" - a variation of the above-described system with a sensitivity of 20 units or more. It is the most expensive in its segment, the price exceeds 59 rubles, but only because you can use it as an inkjet and as a strip (at will).
- Bee-sure-s - Russian test, the cost of which starts from 15 rubles. Sensitivity - from 20 mIU / ml. According to reviews, it is often mistaken, showing the second strip in the absence of pregnancy.
Also, the list of inexpensive ones includes the "EVA-test" of American production, the price of which starts from 30 rubles.
Terms of use
If you have chosen an inexpensive test, then be sure to carefully read the instructions so as not to increase the already existing risk of an incorrect result. Expensive tests can also make mistakes, and no one has yet analyzed which ones are mistaken more often, and therefore conduct the test correctly.
Collect the morning urine sample for examination, especially if the sensitivity of the system is low... In the morning urine there is a denser concentration of all substances, and it will be easier for the reagent to detect the hormone necessary for diagnosis in it if a woman becomes pregnant.
Dip the strip to the marked line in the urine and hold for exactly as long as the manufacturer recommends. Usually cheap systems are not fast, so you will have to wait up to 20-30 seconds. Then the strip should be removed and laid out horizontally on a dry and flat surface. In this position, she should lie down for as long as the manufacturer provided. Usually 1 to 5 minutes.
But remember that "Slow" inexpensive tests sometimes show the second strip only 7-9 minutes after you have removed it from the liquid. But do not wait too long - after a ten minute wait, the results are considered invalid, since a second grayish streak may appear on the strip. So the strip-strip shows a trace of drying of the applied inexpensive reagent - it does not talk about pregnancy.
All inexpensive diagnostic systems are disposable and not reusable. The same is equally true for expensive tests. The only exception is the digital test from "Cleable". It is intended to be reusable.
Can the results be trusted?
A very difficult question. Cheap strips make mistakes, like expensive diagnostic systems, according to experts, in about 5% of cases.... This is a margin of error, and therefore tests are not considered a completely reliable method for determining pregnancy. It is much more accurate to donate blood for hCG or wait a week or two and do an ultrasound examination. When buying a cheap test, you should be prepared to get an unreliable result, just because some manufacturers are trying to save on the quality of the chemical reagent. That is why well-known brands that have their own quality laboratories and whose systems are much more expensive make mistakes a little less often.
But in the case of inexpensive strips, you can buy several of them, and choose from different manufacturers in order to check and double-check the results obtained, if necessary. To increase the chances of reliable data, do not test too early, it is permissible to do it 2-3 days before the start of the delay - this is the earliest time, but it is better to wait a little and make a diagnosis after the start of the delay. Repeat the test after two days, during which time the level of the hormone will increase significantly.
You should not experiment with inexpensive tests in the evening and during the day - it is better to do them in the morning. If you get a questionable result, you should repeat the test with a strip of another company or wait until the delay is a couple of weeks and visit a doctor.
Review overview
Cheap diagnostic systems are in great demand as they are available to all women (with any income). Naturally, the reviews about them are the most. And there are both positive and negative. The latter usually claim that the strip gave a false result, without specifying, however, whether all the conditions for obtaining the most reliable answer were met. Often women complain that inexpensive systems are of poor quality: the strip quickly gets wet and loses its appearance. And even such a positive test looks unpresentable; giving it to a future dad in a box is not the best option.
Often women emphasize that the stripes of inexpensive systems are not very clear.
For information on which pregnancy test to choose and whether it is worth overpaying, see the next video.
