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Staying Positive – Why those two lines aren’t always helpful.

Staying Positive – Why those two lines aren’t always helpful.

Family

by  |  on October 23rd, 2012  |  9 comments
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We live in a society where we are surrounded by technology. We are able to do things that people never imagined. We can e-mail a long lost friend that is delivered to them instantly, video call a family member via the computer anywhere in the world thanks to Skype, and connect with a friend instantly via text on a cell phone. Its amazing to see the changes over the last 5,10,15 years. We are experiencing and seeing so much more then even our own parents ever did at our age.

Something else we now have access to? We can find out 5 days sooner if we are pregnant or not. Its amazing that we don’t have to wait a whole cycle to find out our exciting news. Or is it?

I was always a believer in the 5 days sooner test. I always thought it was great that we could test sooner then ever before. Admit it, its a long wait from cycle to cycle so if we can cut the wait at all, I am all for it. I have invested a lot of money in to them as well, hoping over the years that I would have some good news to share with my family.

My first experience with the 5 days sooner test was when I was pregnant with my son Carter. I was so excited to find out if we were pregnant or not and decided to test 4 days before my expected period. It came back negative. I was disappointed, but hopeful that we would some day start a family. That was until my period was a week late. I took another test and it came back positive. I was pregnant!

I was a bit shocked that the the first test came back negative. It added a bit of stress that had I waited to test, would never had been there. According to packaging Clearblue states that the following is true based on clinical testing >> 4 days sooner= 56%, 3 days sooner= 88%, 2 days sooner= 97% and 1 day sooner= 98%. I was aware of the statistics but was hoping they would be in my favor.

My experience with these ’5 days sooner tests’ have been mostly negative. I have fallen in to the category of not being accurate on numerous occasions. I have had the false negative, I have had a false positive, and I have experienced a miscarriage that had I not tested early might never have been known. I understand that the statistics are printed for a reason, but I was hoping they would be on my side when I was testing and I am really surprised how often they have been wrong for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I think its great that we have this technology today. It can help women in different situations.  I just caution women to not rely on them 100%.  Everyone should be aware of the statistics and understand that they could be inaccurate.  I also encourage women to just enjoy the process and avoid the stress that can often come with trying to conceive.

Not long ago, women waited until they missed their period, and then went to their Doctor to confirm the pregnancy. They didn’t know any better, because there were no other options. They were either pregnant or not with no second guessing, testing multiple times, or early testing.  At times I have wished it was still this way.

I feel like over the last few years I have dealt with a lot of sadness, disappointment and stress that I didn’t need to go through. We want the results as soon as possible, but is it worth the heart break that could happen. Is having these tests available helpful or a hindrance?

Have you had similar experiences with testing? How did you feel? What do you think of testing sooner? For those who had babies before at home pregnancy tests were available, what stresses did you encounter?

 
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Comments (9)

  1. Erin Campbell Tuesday - 23 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    I'm not impressed with pregnancy tests I didn't have a positive test until I was over two months pregnant I took three tests before that all negative!
  2. Tricia Tuesday - 23 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    Oh wow, that's crazy it didn't show up sooner. Its amazing how many people are negatively affected by pregnancy tests.
  3. Jane Tuesday - 23 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    I always had good luck with the 5 days sooner tests-I even used them 6-8 days before my expected period and got accurate results. With my 4th child I was too cheap to buy the early tests (admit it-even when you get a + you still test a few more times because you're in disbelief). So I bought a $2 test at a discount store, there were 2 tests in the package and both were + before me period was expected. I wonder if some of us just have increases HCG levels from the start and some don't !
  4. Angela Tuesday - 23 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    early testing is what helped drs when i had repeated miscarriages, 7 in total. it helped distinguish miscarriages from infertility. now i am happy to be mommy to 2 little boys but those tests helped me a ton!
  5. Erinn Tuesday - 23 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    I did not have a good experience myself with the 5 days sooner testing option. I had a positive result only to get my period several days later. As you mentioned above, the doctor thought I likely suffered a very early miscarriage. This would likely not be something I would have known if I hadn't tested early and waited until I was actually late. This was very stressful and disappointing. I didn't make that mistake this time and chose to wait several days after my period was expected. Great news, we're pregnant! Hard to wait that long for sure but felt much better about the situation. I'm sure everyone is completely different but that is just my experience.
  6. Tricia Wednesday - 24 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    Thanks for all the great comments ladies. They have all been very encouraging. I am glad to hear that not everyone has had negative experiences and that they have been helpful for some of you.
  7. Amanda Dixie Wednesday - 24 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    My experience with pregnancy tests was also similar. For a whole month I was constantly using the "5-day early" test strips convinced I was pregnant. They kept giving me negative results. Unfortunately it didn't help when my menstural cycles were always inconsistent. On top of all that I rarely kept track as Mike and I were not trying to prevent a pregnancy anyway. Going with your gut always works best. In my heart I knew I was pregnant (as cheesey as that sounds!) Finally at the end of the month I went to the hospital and took a pregnancy test there. Their strips must be more accurate or something, because sure enough I was almost exactly one month pregnant!
  8. Amanda Dixie Wednesday - 24 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    ..I forgot to mention that I was also going to the Health Unit every week on top of using my own tests and they were also all negative!
  9. Tricia Thursday - 25 / 10 / 2012 Reply
    Thanks for sharing Amanda. Its strange that some of us have this problem, while others don't. Like you said though, you do get this "feeling" when you are pregnant. I remember having it with my son. :)

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