Question for a friend about pregnancy kits

[Tweetie_bird]

ok, so I know nothing about pregnancy kits and all.....

A friend of mine mentioned that she "thinks" she may be mentioned although she knows she's being paranoid. She has been on "the pill" for a week now and feels that anything she may have done since....could make her pregnant. Note: she tells me there was no actual intercourse.

And i don't know anything about how these kits work. Can one use these pregnancy kits (what are they even called??) while somebody is on the pill? Does it ...void (?) the result?

From my MCATclass I remember that these kits look for HCG hormone, right? So in theory, being on the pill should not interfere with results from the preg. kit, I think..?

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[isidella]

Yeah, I have always heard, to be on the safe side, give the pill on month. But, if she started taking it sunday start after the period, I think there is some protection going on.

My old college roomate was on the pill, suspected she was prego, took an ept seven days after the missed period and well, well. . . it turned into a very long story. I think that the earliest you can take the test for an accurate result is a couple days after the first missed period. I know tests have gotten more accurate lately, so others need to chime in here.

If she was on BC, I assume she is not seeking children right now. I hope all turns out well.

 

[Jim Picotte]

Your friend would be fine if she's been on the oral contraceptives for a week. Remember, being on the "pill" allows it so you don't even ovulate (which would happen around day 14 of the 28 day pill pack, but doesn't really happen on the pill). It's advised to use a backup method for the first 7 days when starting the pill, but in reality after a few days, the likelihood of failure is extremely low.

The over the counter pregnancy test do test for beta HCG. It's pretty accurate as well, but remember that it takes about a 7-10 days AFTER implantion for the levels to rise high enough to be detectable in the urine, that means about 2 weeks after having intercourse in mid cycle, which corresonds to a day or two after a missed period.

If your friend is ever worried about pregnancy after an unprotected event, she should talk to a physician immediately as the morning after pills have a high success rate if used within the first 72 hours (the actually rate is much higher the earlier you use it, extremely high in the first 12 hours).

Oh, and the pills will not interfere with the test. And if your friend didn't even have intercourse, it's pretty tough to get pregnant.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Being on the OCP has no bearing on the results of a pregnancy test - whether OTC urine, or a blood test done by a physician.

What does matter is how long its been since the potential "exposure" (while you don't have to have vaginal penetration to get pregnant [ie, there are reports of women getting pregnant after a man ejaculated on their thigh], it is most likely in this case).

As Jim notes, the beta-HCG levels have to rise to a certain point to be picked up by the test. Now, the more recent OTC tests purport to be able to pick up a positive level by 1 day after conception. So it really depends on where your friend is in her cycle. However, if she is at all worried and has a reason to believe she *might* be pregnant, she should see her physician or the local Family Planning clinic for a "morning after pill" (or frankly, she can just do it herself, I believe the dose it 2 OCPs now and 2 more in 12 hours. This will likely make her nauseated so she should have some anti-emetic available as well.).

Best of luck

 

[DrQuinn]

The OTC preggo tests are very similar to the urine HCG test we do in the ED. The uHCG is sensitive for a pregnancy 24-48 hrs after conception.

 

[14931]

Originally posted by Tweetie_bird
ok, so I know nothing about pregnancy kits and all.....

A friend of mine..........

uuuhhhhhmmmm, a friend ?

 

[Annette]

You can get a negative HCG test and still be pregnant, especially early on! Also, I was told by a lab director for CYA reasons, always order serum pregnancy tests over urine. Supposedly they are assumed to be more accurate.

 

[edmadison]

Originally posted by QuinnNSU
The OTC preggo tests are very similar to the urine HCG test we do in the ED. The uHCG is sensitive for a pregnancy 24-48 hrs after conception.

Really? Can you give me a reference, because they told us in our OB/GYN rotation that the urine test will not detect any until 7-10 days after conception. Also, don't you have to have chorionic cells before HCG is produced? If I'm reading Hacker and More correctly you may mean inplantation instead of conception.

Ed

 

[me109cito]

Originally posted by Jim Picotte
Your friend would be fine if she's been on the oral contraceptives for a week. Remember, being on the "pill" allows it so you don't even ovulate (which would happen around day 14 of the 28 day pill pack, but doesn't really happen on the pill). It's advised to use a backup method for the first 7 days when starting the pill, but in reality after a few days, the likelihood of failure is extremely low.

The over the counter pregnancy test do test for beta HCG. It's pretty accurate as well, but remember that it takes about a 7-10 days AFTER implantion for the levels to rise high enough to be detectable in the urine, that means about 2 weeks after having intercourse in mid cycle, which corresonds to a day or two after a missed period.

If your friend is ever worried about pregnancy after an unprotected event, she should talk to a physician immediately as the morning after pills have a high success rate if used within the first 72 hours (the actually rate is much higher the earlier you use it, extremely high in the first 12 hours).

Oh, and the pills will not interfere with the test. And if your friend didn't even have intercourse, it's pretty tough to get pregnant.

I thought all you did was look at x-rays. Jk

 

[Tweetie_bird]

I made this post and completely forgot to come back to read for answers!

Thanks for the replies guys, this is good information even for me.

and immediatespring:
I'm naughty, but not THAT naughty.

 

[DrQuinn]

Originally posted by edmadison
Really? Can you give me a reference, because they told us in our OB/GYN rotation that the urine test will not detect any until 7-10 days after conception. Also, don't you have to have chorionic cells before HCG is produced? If I'm reading Hacker and More correctly you may mean inplantation instead of conception.

Ed

Sorry, can't give you a reference. This is what I was told by one EM attending (at a residency). He specifically said conception as well. I will admit I haven't looked it up, but I am sure its in one of those OBGYN Bibles like Drogenmiller. If you do find it, post it here, I'd be interested to know the truth and nothing but the truth so help me edmadison.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally posted by immediatespring
uuuhhhhhmmmm, a friend ?

my initial thought exactly

 

[Tweetie_bird]

Originally posted by Blitzkrieg
my initial thought exactly

come on guys! gimme a break.

 

[14931]

 

[::Seabass::]

Well, I was thinking the same thing too, but kept my mouth shut. But since we're sharing....

 

[Annette]

Don't tweety birds lay eggs, rendering the whole pregnancy test question mute?