At-home pregnancy tests that claim to be sensitive enough to detect pregnancy before the first day of your missed period must be able to identify more than one form of the pregnancy hormone hCG. These tests must be able to detect not only hCG but also a variant of the pregnancy hormone, hyperglycosylated hCG or hCG-H.
The cell that originates when a fertilized egg is implanted in the uterine wall initially secretes the pregnancy hormone variant hCG-H. As such, this hormone is actually produced in the earliest stages of pregnancy before the primary pregnancy hormone, hCG, which is produced immediately following implantation by a different set of cells.
The FIRST RESPONSE® Early Result Pregnancy Test and FIRST RESPONSE® GOLD™ Early Result Digital Pregnancy Test uses advanced patented technology that enables it to deliver highly sensitive results. The test is able to detect total hCG, which is hCG and hCG-H combined, at lower levels than some other at-home pregnancy tests, which allows you to know sooner.
The FIRST RESPONSE® Early Result Pregnancy Test and FIRST RESPONSE® GOLD™ Early Result Digital Pregnancy Test detects the pregnancy hormone five days before your missed period — with our most accurate results.1
In clinical research, FIRST RESPONSE® Early Result Pregnancy Test detected the hormone level in 69% of women four days before their expected period (which is five days sooner than the day of their missed period), in 83% of women three days before their expected period, in 93% of women two days before their expected period, in 93% of women one day before their expected period.
In clinical research, FIRST RESPONSE® GOLD™ Early Result Digital Pregnancy Test detected the hormone level in 58% of women four days before their expected period (which is five days sooner than the day of their missed period), in 80% of women three days before their expected period, in 90% of women two days before their expected period, in 94% of women one day before their expected period.
Factors Affecting the Accuracy of At-Home Pregnancy Tests:
Today's tests are highly accurate and unlikely to yield false results. False positive results can occur due to the following:
- There are remaining levels of hCG in your body due to a recent birth or miscarriage.
- You are receiving injections of hCG to induce ovulation.
- An ectopic pregnancy (a fertilized egg that implants outside of the uterus) has occurred. This may produce either a positive or negative result on a home pregnancy test and is a life-threatening condition. If you experience any abdominal pain or abnormal bleeding during the time when you think you might be pregnant, contact your health care provider immediately.
- In a study of pre-, peri- and post-menopausal aged, non-pregnant women, about 0.2% of the women (over age 47) had very low levels of hCG that gave positive test results only when using a digital pregnancy test.
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