Cheaper preg tests more reliable than expensive ones?

missamoo

I've not been feeling myself lately so have been taking pregnancy tests to see if that is the cause of the problem although I didn't miss my last and am in the middle of my cycle.

I've been using the cheap ones from Home Bargains where you get 3 for £1 and I can see the faintest of 2nd lines. At first I thought I was imagining it but I'm pretty sure it's there. Took a while to come up tho but I don't think its evaporation line as I've never seen this sort of result before and I usually take about 2 pregnancy test a month (what can I say I'm a worrier!)

Becauseof the unsurety of the lines I thought I'd try those expensive digital ones. They both came up 'not pregnant' but I can still see lines on the cheap3 for £1 ones!

Help am I going mad or should I stick with the digital result. I'm on medication and if I was pregnant I would have to come off it straight away but I need to be on it if I'm not!!!

chickaroonee

It's not the price of the test but the sensitivity you need to check - I think the digital ones can be a bit less sensitive than some of the others. Did the lines on the HB test come up within the time limit?

FWIW I did a test with a HB cheapie test which came up positive and I'm now 24 weeks pregnant

missamoo

I have just checked and the HB one is 25ml whereas the digital one is 50ml!
Sometimes I think I'm hallucinating the lines!
When I first started testing a few days ago the line appeared after the 10 min mark but today it appeared before the 10mins was up. But it is so incredibly faint i keep having to check it's there.

Dear_Prudence

If you're in the middle of your cycle it would be extremely unlikely to get a positive preg test even if you were pregnant. Especially with a cheapie you'd probably only get a positive from the day you missed your period, as that's when the HcG hormone starts to make enough of an appearance in your wee.

Also when you get a positive i think they tend to come up pretty quickly (my 2 came up within about 10 seconds when i found out) so it sounds like it could be an evap line... just wait and see if you miss your period and if you do then do another test.

LuceB84

When i first found out i was pregnant, i used the poundland stick tests, which came up with a very faint 2nd line, however when i used a more expensive test it came up as negative. From what i read the cheapie stick tests are more sensitive and therefore can detect it a little bit earlier

Dear_Prudence

From here:
http://www.babyhopes.com/pregnancy-test-sensitivity-comparison.html

Pregnancy Test Sensitivity Chart

Sensitivities checked with manufacturers in July 2008
Test Name Lowest hCG detected
AimStrip (aka AimStick) Pregnancy Test Strip 20 mIU Buy Here!
BabyHopes Generic Pregnancy Test Strip 20 mIU Buy Here!
AccuHome Midstream Pregnancy Test 25 mIU Buy Here!
Accuclear Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Answer Early Result Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Clearblue Easy +/- 25 mIU
Clearblue Easy Digital (1 piece, blue cap) 25 mIU
Clear Choice w/ Cup 25 mIU
Confirm 1-Step Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
CVS Early Result Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Dollar Store Brand (mini-strip, cassette, & midstream) 25 mIU
Early Detect 25 mIU
e.p.t. +/- Test 25 mIU
e.p.t. 1-Step Digital Test 25 mIU
e.p.t. Certainty Digital Test 25 mIU
Equate +/- (Wal-mart) 25 mIU
Equate Pregnancy Test (Wal-mart) 25 mIU
Fact Plus Midstream Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
First Response Early Result Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
One Step Be Sure Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Right Aid Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Target Brand Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Walgreen Midstream Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Walgreen Digital 25 mIU
Fact Plus Cassette 40 mIU
Clearblue Digital 50 mIU
CVS "Early Result" Cassette Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
Drug Emporium Brand Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
early Pregnancy test 50 mIU
Walgreens Cassette Pregnancy Test 50 mIU

HTH!!!

Ladyhawk

I was convinced last year that I was pregnant... threw up twice in 10 days for no reason whatsoever. I took myself down to the clinic and was told to go and buy a cheap test to make sure as they wouldn't run any tests until then. The doctor/ nurse lady (can't remember!) said that they have to be reliable because they would be sued if they got it seriously wrong. Happily I wasn't pregnant... phew... dodged a bullet there!

kindofagilr

I bought cheap tests off ebay they were 10 miu and they picked up a very fant line, I did those for like 4 days, then did a sainsburys one and it came up faint too (I was on holiday at the time) came home a week later and got a digtial one and it was pregnant I am due babybean on March 8th

mumslave

sometimes the very cheap tests can pick up on your ovulation surge. With this pregnancy i actually got my first positive on an ovulation stick. The hormone is very similar. I wouldnt worry about it just now, just test again when your period is due.

Curious_George_2

if you take apart some of the supermarket own brand tests (cost £3 -£6) and even the named ones then all you will find inside the plastic casing is exactly the same test that you can purchase 10 of for about a quid on ebay!
i used them and they showed a VERY faint line for a few days... so i upgraded to a first response and that also gave me the same faint line (waste of time) so for a definate answer (so we could stop hoping and start celebrating!)
i upgraded again to a clear blue digital and.......




i used these people http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/fertilityplan
they were cheap, reliable and very quick with postage
and even better some of their auctions are listed as private so nothing about fertility plan will show up in your feedback (just incase you dont want the world to know what your up too! lol)

the little person who made those faint lines and made me throw up for months is currently 2 years old and trying to bargain a later bedime by being cute

dianetheartist

If you are worried about being pregnant shouldnt you be using some form of contraception,rather than nervously checking every month!