On 1/3/12, I received a 10,000 mIU/ml shot of HCG, the same hormone that a pregnancy test is designed to test for.  It's purpose is to trigger my ovulation in an effort to make it easier to time things better for conception.  One of the "perks" of a HCG shot is that it will give you a false positive pregnancy test until it leaves your system. In order to know when and if I get a true and real positive test, I test routinely so that I can know for sure when the trigger shot HCG is gone and hopefully the HCG produced is because a baby is on board.
In the last cycles that I did this, I used simple cheap test strips and watched the lines get lighter and lighter until they eventually were negative.  While this approach works in theory, it was mind numbing to use a qualitative (yes/no) test to try to tell me a quantitative result (how much or how little HCG was in my system). 

So when I came across the Detect5 Progressive Home Pregnancy Test, I was in shock and awe at what this little pee stick could tell me!  It is designed to tell more than just IF you are pregnant!  It tells you, within a range, how much HCG is in your urine.  For many people a simple yes or no will do, but for anyone that has had a miscarriage, lived with infertility, or needs reassurance that a pregnancy is progressing, this test is worth every single dime. 


When the box arrived I could hardly wait to tear into it and start testing.  I opened the box and saw not only the Detect5 pregnancy tests, but cards that very clearly showed how to interpret the results of the test.  There were even disposable pee cups in the package 'cause if there is one thing that POAS (peeing on a stick) has ever taught me, it is clearly label your pee cup or hide it well!  Finding a family member rinsing their mouth out with a pee cup is not cool!  These totally eliminate (no pun intended) this as an issue.


I am pleased with the actual size and width of the test.  Each strip is a thick test strip (not the super skinny difficult to see ones) and the case was easy to handle and use comfortably.  There is a plastic window that helps to prevent the issue of evaporation lines.  Overall, a very well built and quality product!  I dipped the test the full 15 seconds it recommends and waited for the results.  The instructions say to read the test at 5 minutes after the control line showed up but the test was not done processing to interpret the results until closer to 10 minutes.  At 15 minutes it was even easier to see the lines and to see that they had color.  At 60 minutes (well after the time limit) the lines looked nice and dark but there was a questionable line now at the 500 mark. Several hours after the test had been dipped, the line was clear at the 500 mark.  So... I recognize that the directions say to read it 5 minutes after the control line shows up but the results are so different now that the test has dried. Watch the slide show to see what I mean!

Detect5 Home Pregnancy Test - Slideshow

Even with the varied results that sort of evolved over time I am still in love with this test!  I love that I can get a much better idea of where my HCG levels are.

I will be using a new Detect5 test every 2-3 days to see the HCG going and then hopefully... coming!  Just for consistency's sake I will take pictures at the 60 minute mark so that the lines will hopefully be easiest to see.  Please note that this is not when the test is designed to be read but, I am kind of a free spirit when it comes to pee sticks!

1/7/12

1/9/12

1/11/12

1/13/12

I think it is safe to say that today's test is negative!  Anything from here on out I think we can call a true positive.  I have loved watching the trigger leave using these tests.  They have been able to definitively tell me that the hcg level was going down.  Hopefully in a couple of days they can also tell me that it is going up!  To Be Continued....

1/15/12

I will be posting my test pictures as I use them over the next week and a half and adding them to this post so check back to see the progression!  In the meantime... how would you like to try these tests out for yourself?!

If you are eager to get your hands on them right away Buy Them Now!

Feeling Lucky?  Two (2) lucky winners will win three (3) Detect5 Progressive Pregnancy Tests.  That is a $53.85 value!  This giveaway IS open world wide and Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com is going to pay for shipping* too!  Giveaway ends 1/22/12 so don't wait!

*If you are outside of the US you WILL be responsible for paying any duty that your government might apply to the shipment, but still... pretty awesome if you ask me!!!  

**Disclaimer** I was provided these tests at no cost for my review.  This did, in no way, sway this review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

Tweet

There is no greater moment than when you get that second line on a pregnancy test.  Your heart jumps, your mind races to thoughts of names and genders, and you start planning your nursery!  And then, there is the others.  These are the people who like the two lined test, and while they have instantaneously fallen in love with the new life within them, they are skeptics.

Whether it is because you have a history of losses or an undying love for peeing on things (I'm guilty of both), one test is never enough.  Even if you have the big bold word pregnant staring back at you, it isn't real confirmation.  Women all over the world have figured out that there is a such thing as just a little bit pregnant, a little more pregnant, and super pregnant.  All of these determinations are made by the darkness of a little pink, or sometimes blue, line.   Then, when we have peed on a couple of different tests we do the line up.  Are they darker?  Am I a little more pregnant, a little less pregnant?  Am I going to miscarry?  Are you ready for some answers? 

Should pregnancy test lines get darker?
The short answer is yes.  A pregnancy test is designed to test for the presence of HCG in your urine.  I am sure it comes as no surprise that the more HCG you have in your urine will determine how dark the line on the test is.

My line isn't any darker.  Am I miscarrying?
There are a number of things that could impact results of any one individual test result.  First is diluted urine.  The amount of liquid you have consumed in the hours preceding a test can affect the results of a pregnancy test.  In addition, caffeine consumption and salt intake can also alter the concentration of the HCG in your urine.  Another thing to consider is that not every test is created equal.  Minute differences, such as the amount of dye in each particular test, can vary.  This, of course, will affect how dark either the test or control line will appear.  Also, any one test only has a certain and finite amount of dye in it.  While our HCG is doubling every 48 hours, the dye in the test can't continue to get twice as dark otherwise it would run out of dye in a hurry.  If you have ever done the experiment with a piece of paper and folding it in half over an over again, no matter how big the piece of paper, it can only be folded in half 8 times.  Same concept.  So even if your HCG is rising adequately, the line may only be slightly (or very very slightly) darker. 

I realize that testing at home isn't going to tell me anything scientific but I want to test anyway.  Any tips?
There are a few things you can do to help you keep your sanity when scrutinizing home pregnancy test lines.

1. Test no more frequently than once a day.  Any more than that and you will drive yourself crazy and waste a ton of money and tests!
2. Test at the same time of day or use the same "pee of the day."  If you test with your first pee of the day then be consistent.  Personally, I prefer to use my second pee of the day.  It has seemed to give me better and darker results than my first morning urine.  
3. Tests tend to get darker as they dry.  I have seen too many women (myself included) cry buckets of tears because their test today isn't as dark as yesterdays.  That is because yesterday's test is dry!  Take pictures of your tests 10 minutes after peeing on them or dipping them and compare pictures side by side.  Also, whenever possible try to use the same background for you picture (i.e. same bathroom counter, paper towel, flooring, etc.) and from approximately the same distance.  That is a much more accurate representation of if the line is darker.

I have done what you suggested and my lines don't seem to be progressing.  This doesn't look good, does it?
Well, maybe.  Maybe not.  Because there are so many variables with pregnancy tests the only way to get a real, scientific, and most accurate picture of what is going on in there is a blood test.  Call your healthcare professional and ask them if they will order a HCG beta series.  You can explain that you are concerned that this pregnancy isn't progressing and the blood tests could really help put your mind at ease one way or the other.  This doesn't guarantee that they will order the tests but it is worth it to ask.  If they do order the tests, please keep in mind that one test doesn't mean a whole lot.  It is the second test that tells you if things are headed in the right direction.

I am cramping and spotting and my lines don't seem to be getting any darker?  What do I do?  
Please see this post where I explain in detail what you should do if you are spotting or bleeding during an early pregnancy. 




Tweet