How to Use an HCG Pregnancy Test

An HCG pregnancy test is a fairly common type of pregnancy test utilized by consumers and medical professionals alike. While many types of pregnancy tests are available, the HCG test is often the preferable one simply because of how quick and easy it is to use. As its name implies, an HCG test looks for the level of HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) hormone in urine. In pregnant women, the level of HCG is elevated. HCG increases as pregnancy does; and today's pregnancy-detection tests are capable of detecting elevated levels of HCG within days of conception.

Using this type of pregnancy test is fairly simple. Purchase your choice of an individual test or a pack of two or three. Use the included collection cup to collect your first urine of the morning. While you can use any urine, the morning's is best since it is the first one of the day and thus will contain a higher amount of excreted HCG.

After you have collected your urine, use the dropper included with the test to collect the required amount of drops of urine, and then carefully place those in the small well in the test itself. Wait the specified amount of time -- typically two to three minutes -- and then read your result. Rarely do modern HCG tests produce false negatives or false positives, but if you have questions you should follow up with your doctor.