An hCG Pregnancy Test is a test used to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant.  An hCG Pregnancy test detects the chemical hCG in blood or urine.  HCG is a chemical produced in a woman during pregnancy.  This chemical is released into the blood stream or urine after implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterine wall.  Most hospitals or doctors’ offices will use a hCG blood test to verify a pregnancy.  Blood is slightly more reliable because urine is easily diluted by drinking too much water, which causes the hCG to be hard to detect.  HCG Urine test are more common.  These are usually used at home. 

One important fact to realize when using an HCG pregnancy test is that there is no such thing as a false positive.  You can only have false negatives.  If hCG has been detected there is no doubt that you are pregnant.  However, if you test too early or if your urine is too diluted the hCG test may not detect the hCG chemical even if you are pregnant.  This leads to a false negative. 


 
HCG Urine Pregnancy test can be purchased almost anywhere, Drug Stores, Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Target, or even some gas stations.   HCG Blood test have to be requested at the hospital or at your doctor’s office.  
 
You should use an HCP Pregnancy Test if you have missed your period and have been sexually active.   Many pregnancy tests can detect the pregnancy as early as 5 days prior to the missed period.  However, hCG levels are lower prior to the missed period, so false negatives are more common.  Many pregnancy test are only 53% reliable when taken 5 days prior to the missed period, whereas, the reliability of the test increase to 99% reliable on the day of the missed period.  HGC levels double every 2-3 days so, the closer you are to your missed period the better the chance of detection.