Herd P, Higgins J, Sicinski K, Merkurieva I. The implications of unintended pregnancies for mental health in later life. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(3):421-429. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302973 Anyone using an intrauterine device, or IUD, must have it removed before taking mifepristone because it may be partially expelled during the process, which can be painful. While not as accurate as a blood test, the home pregnancy tests you have stashed under your bathroom sink are actually quite effective — 97 percent effective, in fact, according to OB-GYN Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG, director of perinatal services at NYC Health + Hospitals. Johnson S, Cushion M, Bond S, Godbert S, Pike J. Comparison of analytical sensitivity and women's interpretation of home pregnancy tests. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2015;53(3):391-402. doi:10.1515/cclm-2014-0643

If you get a negative result and still think you're pregnant, wait a few days and try again. Speak to your GP if you get a negative result after a second test but your period has not arrived. Continuing with the pregnancy Barnhart KT, Guo W, Cary MS, et al. Differences in serum human chorionic gonadotropin rise in early pregnancy by race and value at presentation. Obstet Gynecol. 2016;128(3):504-511. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001568 False results — either a false negative or a false positive — mainly happen due to using the test incorrectly. The main reason for a false-negative is testing too early. You might also get a false-negative if you use a home test incorrectly, such as using too much or too little pee. It’s important to follow the directions on your test kit to make sure you get an accurate result. Can a positive test be wrong?

A plus sign. Some tests may show the results with a plus or minus symbol. A negative symbol, means you’re not pregnant; but if you see another line cross the negative line to form a plus sign, this means you’re pregnant. You will also see another line in the control box which tells you the test worked.

Some people do this because they cannot access a clinic — particularly in states with legal restrictions on abortion — or because they have a preference for self-care,” said Grossman, who is also the director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, a research group that evaluates the pros and cons of reproductive health policies and publishes studies on how abortion affects a woman’s health.All pregnancy tests detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), which starts to be produced around 6 days after fertilisation. The aspiration procedure takes just a couple of minutes; then the person is observed for one to two hours until any sedation has worn off. We also monitor each patient for very rare complications, such as heavy bleeding. Jiang X, Deng CY, Sun ZY, et al. Pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization with or without ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: a retrospective cohort study in Chinese patients. Chin Med J (Engl). 2015;128(23):3167-3172. doi:10.4103/0366-6999.170280 A pregnancy test is a way to determine if you’re pregnant. If your pregnancy test is positive, it means you’re pregnant. If the test is negative, it means you aren’t pregnant. Pregnancy tests work by detecting human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone your body makes when you’re pregnant.