Urine Test or Blood Test: Which is a more accurate pregnancy test?
When a woman becomes pregnant, her body begins producing a specific hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). It is the presence and rapid increase of hCG that causes pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and fatigue. There are two types of pregnancy tests that diagnose a pregnancy by detecting the hCG hormone in your system: a urine test and a blood test.
The most common is the urine test. This can be done at any doctor’s office or urgent care facility, but the simplest and quickest way is to purchase a pregnancy stick test at any pharmacy or grocery store. The stick urine test is an at home test that is very simple to use, but be sure to follow the instructions in the box exactly. The urine test and home pregnancy tests are over 95% accurate when done correctly. An inaccurate reading would result if it was taken too early or done incorrectly. Most doctors will advise you to wait until after you’ve missed your period before taking a urine test to ensure a more accurate result.
A blood test for pregnancy can detect a pregnancy earlier and also measures the hCG hormone in your system. However, it must be done in a doctor’s office or urgent care facility, it is more expensive than a urine test and the results take longer. This test is generally only given when multiple urine tests have come back with conflicting results, or if urine tests continue to come back negative but there is valid reason to believe you are pregnant. For some women, the hCG takes longer to build up and be detected in the urine. Both urine and blood tests have about the same accuracy.