A late period always leads to a pregnancy scare. While large pharmacies and retailers sell expensive pregnancy tests, there are also cheaper avenues that offer the same accurate testing methods, but don’t come with the extremely high cost.
The Family Dollar pregnancy test is both affordable and accurate – it’s also just $1.
While most women won’t trust the results of a cheaper test, the error rates are the same as the higher-priced tests. Testing for a specific hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), all tests are virtually the same despite different aesthetics or instructions on how to use them. Otherwise, 99% of tests will work based on finding the hCG hormone.
How the Family Dollar Pregnancy Test Works
The hCG hormone is produced by the placenta when implantation occurs in a woman. When a woman isn’t pregnant, the hormone does not exist, so it is a very accurate method of determining if a woman is expecting or not.
Using a woman’s urine, the test available at Family Dollar is just as accurate as other tests on the market. A woman will urinate on the test, and it will display one of two signs:
- +: The “+” sign is displayed when the hormone is detected, and the woman is pregnant.
- –: The “-“ sign is displayed when a woman is not pregnant.
Blood tests can also be administered to detect the hCG hormone in the body, but this is often only seen in a physician’s office. Urine can be highly accurate, but it depends on the time of the test and the woman’s current state.
Negative Isn’t Always Accurate
All tests on the market have a relatively low rate of false positives. However, a test that is negative may also be inaccurate. Why?
- hCG needs to build up in the body.
- Urine can be diluted, causing a negative test.
Pregnancy tests need a sufficient level of hCG present to be triggered as positive. If implantation occurred a few days ago, chances are that the hormone level in the body is still very low and will not trigger a positive test even if you are pregnant.
The ideal time of testing is the first day after a missed period, according to doctors.
This will allow for enough time to have passed for hormone levels to be high enough for a test to come up positive.
Urine Dilution
Urine can be diluted by the liquids you consume. This can cause hormone levels to be too low to be detected.
The ideal time to take the pregnancy test available at Family Dollar is as close to possible to your missed period and first thing in the morning. Allowing the bladder to become full overnight will also allow enough of the hCG hormone to be present in the urine.
It’s important to note that when a test is positive, there is very little room for error. Positive tests have a high accuracy rate because hCG would need to be present in the urine for a positive test to be triggered. With that said, there are rare circumstances where a test may be incorrect.
If a test is positive, it’s always a wise decision to seek the guidance of a doctor to ensure you’re pregnant with 100% certainty.
Does the Test Work?
The biggest question is “does the test work?” After all, it is just $1, which isn’t much for a pregnancy test. The competition charges $5 to $10 per test, but most of the kits will come with 2 or more tests, while the ones from Family Dollar only include one test.
According to Dr. Christine Alexander, the Family Dollar pregnancy test is great. The doctor states that after reviewing all of the studies, the test is just as accurate as other brands on the market despite a cheaper price.
Dr. Alexander further states that testing must be done correctly and that a user must follow the instructions correctly. After examining the test, it was noted that the one from Family Dollar was a bit more cumbersome and will require a little more patience and attention from the user to achieve an accurate result.
Following the advice of Metro Health, if a test is negative, do not take an immediate re-test. Instead, wait a week before taking another pregnancy test for the best results. If during this time your period begins, you’ll know that you’re not pregnant. However, if your period does not begin, you have allowed enough time for the pregnancy hormone to build up in the body.
Note: Dr. Alexander conducted research on pregnancy tests originating from several different dollar stores.
When you suspect that you’re pregnant, the Family Dollar test will provide the same level of accuracy for a fraction of the cost. Just make sure you take the test at the right time to get the most accurate result possible.
