In the past, a woman’s pregnancy was determined by the growth of the grain she was pollenising, but now pregnancy can be detected with a high degree of certainty less than a week after conception.
Even the ancient Egyptians
Even in ancient Egypt, it was considered important to know well in advance whether a woman was pregnant. According to their empirical science, if the ladies urinated on cereal grains, the urine caused them to germinate. In modern times, this has been proven to be true, because it has been shown that increased levels of oestrogen and the presence of sex hormone in the urine can indeed trigger seed germination. Although the Egyptians believed that if wheat grew as a result of the prospective mother’s urine, a girl would be born, and if barley was the seed, a boy would be born, this was not true.
The frog tests are here
In the late twenties, two German researchers injected female urine into rats, mice and rabbits, and after dissecting them, tried to deduce the woman’s pregnancy by examining their ovaries – with mixed results. However, it has been discovered that the so-called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG hormone, may be involved in pregnancy and its detection. In the 1930s, a British biologist discovered that South African clawed frogs were sensitive to hormones. He and a fellow animal geneticist later experimented with using frogs as a pregnancy test: they found that if a pregnant woman’s urine was injected into the back of a female frog, it would lay an egg within a day. The method worked, produced excellent results and was used until the 1960s.
But then the first home pregnancy tests appeared. The first one was made by Margaret M. Crane in 1967, who patented the process. True, at that time you had to wait two hours for the result. And the introduction and uptake of rapid tests will take at least another decade, due to strong resistance.
The messenger of important decisions
In the last decades, these tests have become popular all over the world, including Hungary, and they can be used to determine with almost absolute certainty whether a woman is pregnant or not within a quarter of an hour in the comfort of her home. They have the great advantage of being able to prove the pregnancy status even before the initial pregnancy symptoms appear. They are simple to use, as the test can be performed from a urine sample or a collected urine sample with high accuracy. There is no need for any laboratory tests, you can get the results in your home.
Such a test is in fact the messenger of important decisions, whatever the outcome. A positive result with two stripes or a negative result with one stripe can mean both joy and sorrow. They can be of great help in family planning, but they also give early warning in the case of an unplanned pregnancy, so that in the days and weeks following a positive test, you can make responsible decisions about your future plans and commitments.
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Sensitive, reliable
Rapid pregnancy tests are based on the detection of the hormone HCG, which researchers have rightly linked to fertility for almost a century.
After a few days of migration, the fertilised egg travels from the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it becomes embedded in the lining of the uterus. This hormone starts to be produced in the female body from the time the egg is implanted, in the cells of the developing tissue structures and later in the placenta. The implantation usually takes place 6-10 days after ovulation. day of the week. HCG hormone levels increase steadily and sharply for 10-12 weeks after fertilisation, so detecting pregnancy using a test is a simple and reliable method.
The more sensitive a test is, the sooner it will show that a pregnancy has occurred. In the past, it was recommended to do the first tests after the first missed menstrual period, then at the time of expected menses, and as the quality of the tests has improved, they have been recommended for the days before menstruation.
The previous detection limit of 50 IU/l has been reduced over the years to a level of 10-25 IU/l. The majority of tests today can detect HCG hormone in this range. In 2022, however, the premium Austrian-made viola® Extra Early Pregnancy Test will be available, giving reliable results from as low as 5 IU/l.
Even a small rise in hormone levels is a sign
Healthy, non-pregnant women have an average HCG hormone level of 3 IU/l, so the viola® Extra Early Pregnancy Test detects very small increases in hormone levels before the egg has implanted. This means that it can detect pregnancy with a high degree of certainty from the eighth(!) day of conception until the next menstrual cycle!
Needless to say, a test with high sensitivity and the ability to detect pregnancy as early as possible can be of huge importance to women and their families. Because couples find out the news early, they have more time to protect the health of the new mother and to make lifestyle changes. For a woman working in a dangerous workplace, it is particularly important to find out about her pregnancy as early as possible so that she can protect her foetus at an early stage when it could be at greatest risk. There will also be more time to carefully prepare for the baby’s arrival. And if pregnancy is not wanted, there is also time to think about further options.
Tests for informed family planning
The manufacturer is CARE Diagnostica GmbH, an experienced Austrian company with four decades of experience in the research, development and manufacture of rapid diagnostic tests for professional and home use. He has also created useful tests for women (chlamydia, urinary tract infection, vaginal PH), including the viola® Ovulation Test, which, combined with the Extra Early Pregnancy Test, can be an ideal tool for couples planning a baby.
