Are very early pregnancy tests a good thing?

[mummycake]

Hi all I have recently had a very early silent miscarriage which I probably wouldnt have known anything about if I hadn't done 2 pregnancy tests six days before my period was due!!

I basically found out very early on, lost the baby (maybe within days of getting 2 positive pregnancy results) had a bleed 6 weeks later went to the hospital where they did another 2 tests only to be told these were negative, I probably had a silent miscarriage without blood or pain and I was having a normal/very late period because of this.
This caused me a lot of distress and almost unneccessary suffering as if I hadnt jumped the gun and found out so early on then any later pregnancy tests would probably had been negative and I would have been none the wiser.

I just wonder sometimes if finding out you are pregnant so early on can cause problems as it wasnt like previous generations where the majority of woman missed two periods before finding out!

What do other people think??

[Lonnie]

Truthfully I think we have to much money to spend when we go out and buy such early pregnancy tests..

I guess I would say I think it is the consumer whom is unresonable in buying the brands that early hence making the market for them.. the manufactor well they are in business it is up to us if we buy them

[BouncingTurtle]

I think YABU... you may be on medication that is not safe during pregnancy, or have other reasons why you need to know early. I'm currently on medication that is harmful during early pregnancy.
Sorry about your m/c though

[SloanyPony]

Sorry for your loss, but I dont think if the technology is there that they should be banned to save the feelings of those who suffer early miscarriages.

[minipie]

Actually I don't think the OP is suggesting that early pg tests should be banned... I think she is just saying there can be downsides so maybe people should think carefully before doing one.

If that is what you are saying mummycake then YANBU.

[glasgowmandy]

so sorry chick ive just gone through the same.. i think! i was having faint positives for a bout 2 3 days on very early tests, now im testing nothing and i have light spotting today, im putting it down to a chemical pregnancy, ill never buy these tests again, not only has it caused me heart ache and lack of sleep but a bloody fortune! i think they should be banned and the next time i think i may be pregnant im going to just use clear blue digital, they detect levels of hormone from 50ml, the early ones i was doing were from 10ml, at least digital will give you it spelt out instead of all this.. is it a line? isnt it? sorry for your loss i really am, hope it gets easier x

[ShowOfHands]

They're pretty cheap (you can get 10 for £1.50) and reliable and serve a purpose for some women who need to know asap.

But, they do show up chemical pregnancies which are very, very common and wouldn't usually be picked up otherwise.

It's like everything really. Up to you to self-monitor.

A chemical pregnancy IS devastating and I wouldn't underplay it but they don't negate the need for early testing in some circumstances.

Test when late is the rule if you want to avoid it to some extent I suppose.

[Kaloki]

I think finding out too early can backfire. I do see the temptation, but have been resisting the urge so far. I have a feeling that a few months ago I had a very early miscarriage, but am grateful I didn't test before, I don't think I could stand that knowledge. And so hope you are doing ok OP.

Obviously no one should be banned from testing early, but I can see more advantages to waiting. I don't like the risk of heartache.

I'm now trying not to test before I'm 2 weeks late.

[peachsmuggler]

Sorry to hear that mummycake.

I do agree with you. I think a lot of people miscarry very very early and don't know because it just appears like a normal period, and you can save yourself a lot of heartache by just not knowing. For that reason I wouldn't do a test myself till I had at least been a day late.

However, it is really up to the individual. As someone has pointed out, you might have a particular reason for knowing, e.g. medication.

Personally, I can't imagine wanting the anxiety of the first few weeks to be any longer that they already are!!

Hope you feel better soon

[SloanyPony]

Sorry, god knows how I read that into it, if you are saying they should be carefully considered, then YANBU

[MumNWLondon]

Sorry but you have too much money if you are doing pregnancy tests before period is due.... they are available as the companies making them know they have a captive market, but I didn't test until AF was 2/3 days late... hence no wasted money each month.

re: medication, you shouldn't be taking it if you are ttc anyway...

[paisleyleaf]

I think that if you're in a position where you want a baby and are maybe in a position where you're trying to conceive (not on medication etc), then you might as well wait.
If there are choices to be made, I can see that knowing early might be useful.

[Morloth]

I don't use them very early for just this reason. Had a miscarriage a couple of years ago that I wouldn't even have known about. Now I wait until at least a week after I am expecting my period.

MumNWLondon not all pregnancies are planned and you can't freeze your life when TTC.

They are neither a good thing nor a bad thing, just a tool that is available that we can choose whether or not to use.

[ShowOfHands]

MumNWLondon, £1.50 for 10 tests isn't a huge amount. And some women do need to remain on certain medication as long as possible before stopping it. And there are those that need to take certain medications once they are pg, so early testing for them is also important.

Drs also use early tests when prescribing antibiotics for example. I needed some for a kidney infection, the ones most effective were contraindicated in pregnancy and I was 2 days pre-af. It was important they checked.

They do have a use but yes, it's difficult when desperate women have them advertised in front of them with all sorts of stats and promises.

[majafa]

I lost my 1st pregnancy at 5 weeks, I didnt need to take a pregnancy test, as we were activley trying to conceive, my periods after stopping taking the pill, were always on time, lucky me.
I just knew I was pregnant, I had a funny metalic taste in my mouth & my body, well the only way I can describe it, is that it 'buzzed' even in those early weeks.
What I didnt know at the time, my Doctor told me this, was apparently most 1st pregnacys end in miscarrige.

[AliGrylls]

mummycake, I think you really do have a point. With DC I found out after about 2 weeks. I remember feeling really conscious and getting anxious early on (I MC'ed once before). It didn't help that DH was also really anxious about the pregnancy. It made the 9 months feel really long and in many ways I would have preferred not knowing for an extra couple of weeks.

Fast forward to this pregnancy - I wasn't having periods due to BF'ing DC and didn't think I could be pregnant due to lack of action (probalby too much detail). When I actually found out I was nearly 9 weeks gone - it was a surprise to find out at that stage but I actually felt happier about it just because I didn't have the anxiety about miscarriage.

It also makes it easier that because you don't know you can't tell anyone (I find it really hard keeping my mouth shut).

[RubyBuckleberry]

I had a chemical pregnancy and if i hadn't done a test i wouldn't have known i was pregnant as my period came on time

i won't bother with early pregnancy tests again - waste of money unless, like someone said earlier, you NEED to know for medication reasons...

[Rockbird]

What an odd post Lonnie. Not sure what that's got to do with anything.

[lovechoc]

But for those who's period is late each month (irregular!) it is unclear whether you could be pregnant or not so testing 'early' (or what you think may be early) isn't really all that unreasonable. Or maybe that was just me....

If you have periods like clockwork (every 28 days without fail) I'd struggle to see the point in using early testing because you know exactly when your period is going to show up.

OP sorry for your loss, it's so difficult when you are TTC and you hope each and every month that this is it (have been there and it's devastating).

[ShowOfHands]

Very cheap and reliable. I have tested positive 6 days early with 2 pregnancies (knew I was pg anyway, morning sickness started about 3 minutes post conception). P&P quite high, but cheaper from other sellers. My GP was astounded that I had the same tests he has.