Long gone are the times when women, after a delay in menstruation, waited a long time before going to the doctor's office to find out if pregnancy had come. Test strips appeared, which significantly facilitated the diagnostic task for the fair sex. But the pharmaceutical industry is not standing still, and now not only disposable strips, but also reusable tests are available to women.
What it is?
Reusable test system models can be used several times in a row. Having bought a test once, you will not need to purchase additional ones for repeated diagnostics. Today, only one test is considered reusable - electronic or digital. This device was created to more accurately and quickly determine pregnancy at the earliest possible date.
Outwardly, such a test system resembles a large USB flash drive, and, indeed, there are models that have a USB connector, so that the test system can be easily connected to a computer or tablet to get more detailed information.
But in most cases, simple functions are also enough - the pregnancy test shows even without switching with electronic devices.
The test consists of an electronic analyzer and a removable disposable cartridge. Tips must be replaced with each use, they are included with the device in the amount of 20 pieces. This means that a woman can do 2 dozen tests with one device.
The result is not displayed in the usual and familiar strips, their reusable test does not show in principle.
But the small compact display can show the result - "pregnant" or "not pregnant". If the device additionally has the function of determining the period, then it issues it in weeks - 1+, 2+, 3+.
Principle of operation
The principle of operation of the reusable test is no different from the principle by which all the other test systems known to date work - the removable tip contains an absorbent layer with a chemical reagent applied, which determines whether a special hormone is present in the urine, by which the onset of pregnancy is judged - HCG.
This hormone begins to be produced by the chorionic villi of the ovum about a week after conception, after the ovum is attached to the uterine cavity. If the implantation is successful, then the baby is connected to the mother's body by connecting the chorionic villi with the blood vessels, which are rich in the wall of the reproductive organ. Then the placenta will form at this place.
In order to keep the level of progesterone high, the content of human chorionic gonadotropin increases every two days, and within a week after implantation (that is, by the beginning of the delay), it is determined both in the blood of the expectant mother and in her urine.
When the reagent in the removable tip picks up the hormone, it sends a signal to an electronic analyzer and the test shows a positive result.
How to use?
Such a device is used quite simply, despite the apparent complexity of the modification. You need to turn on the device, remove the cap, bring the removable tip under the stream of urine or lower it into the previously collected urine, and then wait for the test to display the result.
It is believed that such devices today are one of the most accurate and informative, and even a few days before the start of the delay, they can inform women about the onset of pregnancy. This is achieved by a special technology for the production of reagent in caps, which allows reusable test systems to be considered one of the most highly accurate - the sensitivity threshold is high.
But despite this, it is still recommended to use for testing the first portion of urine after waking up is in the morning.
It is the most concentrated, dense, and it will be easier for the reagent to capture the content of the desired substance in it, even if its amount is still quite insignificant. It is permissible to start testing with an electronic system 3-4 days before the expected day of the start of the next menstruation.
It is quite convenient to use such a device - you can use it as an inkjet test or as a regular test. If at home it is not possible to carry out diagnostics with urine collection, then you can do the analysis anywhere, simply by using the device as an inkjet model.
After the onset of the delay, the level of the hormone in the urine is usually quite high, and the test can be performed optionally in the morning. Diagnostics is allowed at any time of the day or night.
After receiving the result, it is stored in the device memory for 24 hours. If necessary, you can make your loved one a pleasant surprise by demonstrating a result that even a man will be absolutely understandable.
There are, as mentioned, devices with the determination of the gestational age, and this is where the test can make a mistake. He calculates the period based on the average data on the amount of chorionic gonadotropic hormone in the urine, but its level in reality may be greater or less, and therefore the period can be determined by the device with a large error.
You will learn the most interesting by connecting the test to an electronic device... If it is positive, then, again based on the concentration of hCG, the program will show the approximate date and time of delivery. And if the test is negative, the program will show when there will be more favorable days for planning conception in the next menstrual cycle.
It is difficult to say for sure how accurate the results are. If everything is done according to the instructions and at the right time (when menstruation is already delayed), then the accuracy is higher than 97%, the earlier testing is started, the lower the accuracy - 4-5 days before the start of the delay it is unlikely to exceed 50-60%, however, already a couple of days before the start of the delay, the accuracy approaches 90%.
Could it be wrong?
Like any other test system, a reusable test system can give a false result. This is likely if a woman began to be examined too early, if she had late ovulation in the current cycle, or the baby was implanted later than the average dates. In this case, you can get a negative result, although there is actually a pregnancy.
A positive result in the absence of pregnancy can be obtained if a woman has received hCG preparations (this is possible with IVF or ovulation stimulation). And also the positive dynamics of the substance occurs without pregnancy in the presence of malignant neoplasms.
What a reusable test will not show its owner is a dubious result, which is often discussed by ladies. No weakly positive verdicts, no fuzzy second stripes.
Either the answer will be in the affirmative, or negative, there is no third. On the one hand, it is convenient, since there is no room for doubts. On the other hand, at an earlier date, a weak second strip can give a woman planning a pregnancy hope, and an electronic device will be merciless in its "no".
Where to buy and how much does it cost?
Today in the pharmaceutical market, the segment of reusable test devices is represented by the model Clearblue Digital, the cost of which starts from 500 rubles. You can find a model for 390 rubles, but for this you have to try - the price is different in different regions and pharmacy chains. Sometimes it exceeds 1000 rubles.
It should be noted that it is not so easy to find an electronic device for self-diagnosis of pregnancy, it is not very much in demand by women due to its high cost. Often, to become the owner of such a device, you have to order it on the websites of medical equipment suppliers - such devices are there quite often.
You should not buy such tests from hands, according to advertisements, in questionable online stores. Like any electronic device, the purchase is subject to replacement or refund upon detection of a factory defect, and there is no guarantee that questionable online retailers will make such a replacement or refund.
Reviews
According to the reviews of women who have already tested such devices, this option is more suitable for those who have been planning a pregnancy for a long time, are being treated for infertility, because they have to buy disposable devices almost every month. If you count the costs of these couples for disposable strips and flatbed inkjet models, you can easily understand that a reusable device is much more profitable.
Despite the accuracy, digital devices also have errors. They are usually expressed as a software glitch. Some women note that the test, in general, did not show anything, or with a negative result, for some reason, it was not clear where it came from the gestation period in weeks.
