Have you ever heard about plano test? Although it may sound strange, it is actually plano test is a fairly common test, and can even be done by yourself using a pregnancy test kit ortest pack.
What is the function ofplano testand what are the typesplano test? Here is the review!
What is Plano Test?
Source: Freepik
Based on the explanation from Dr. Tabita P. S from Alodokter,plano testis a test method to confirm pregnancy by detecting the hCG hormone.plano testis a commonly performed pregnancy test.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. This hormone is also known as the pregnancy hormone.
In fact, everyone has small amounts of hCG in their bodies at almost undetectable levels.
However, when someone is pregnant, hCG levels will increase rapidly so that they can be detected withplano testor pregnancy test.
After fertilization occurs, the fertilized egg travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. The fertilized egg (embryo) implants (attaches) itself to the uterine wall and triggers the formation of the placenta.
The placenta also begins to produce and release hCG into the blood and urine.
Once the placenta begins producing hCG, it triggers the body to produce more estrogen and progesterone. Together with hCG, these pregnancy hormones help thicken the uterine lining and signal the body to stop menstruation or release an egg.
HCG is detected in a pregnant woman’s urine or blood approximately 10 to 11 days after conception. HCG levels then increase rapidly, nearly doubling every three days, during the first eight to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
The hCG level will reach its highest peak towards the end of the first trimester or at 10 weeks of pregnancy, then decrease throughout the remainder of the pregnancy.
What is the function of the Plano Test?
Source: Freepik
Confirming Pregnancy
Functionplano testThe most common is to confirm pregnancy. The hCG hormone can only be detected in pregnant women, so the resultsplano testcan state whether she is pregnant or not.
Checking for Abnormalities in Pregnancy
Besides being used to confirm pregnancy,plano testcan measure hCG levels and provide details about how the pregnancy is progressing.
In general, HCG levels are not usually checked more than once or twice during pregnancy.
However, if the initial hCG level is lower than average, your doctor will test your hCG levels again in a few days. Low or decreasing hCG levels can mean several things, including:
- Blighted ovum
- Miscarriage
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Miscalculation of last menstrual period
On the other hand, high hCG levels may indicate:
- Twin pregnancy
- Molar pregnancy, when the egg and sperm join incorrectly during fertilization and a noncancerous tumor forms instead of a healthy placenta
- Miscalculation of last menstrual period
- Abnormal growth in the uterus
Estimating Gestational Age
After being detected throughplano test,Certain hCG levels can indicate gestational age with the following references:
- 4 weeks: 0-750 mIU/mL
- 5 weeks: 200-7,000 mIU/mL
- 6 weeks: 200-32,000 mIU/mL
- 7 weeks: 3,000-160,000 mIU/mL
- 8-12 weeks: 32,000-210,000 mIU/mL
- 13-16 weeks: 9,000-210,000 mIU/mL
- 16-29 weeks: 1,400-53,000 mIU/mL
What are the types of Plano Test?
Source: Freepik
1. Urine Test
One typeplano testis a urine test. A urine test is a qualitative test, meaning it detects the presence of the hCG hormone in urine. Therefore, a urine test cannot detect or reveal the exact levels of the hormone.
Urine tests can be done with a pregnancy test kit (test pack) which can be used alone or through laboratory tests at the hospital.
No special preparation is required to perform a urine test. It simply requires collecting a urine sample.
Basically, the hCG urine test is done at home withtest packIt’s not much different from the test a doctor performs in a laboratory. Both have the same ability to detect the presence or absence of hCG in urine.
If you use ittest packAt home, there is a risk of getting a false negative result if you do not follow the instructions exactly.
You can also get a false negative result if the test is done too soon (under 10 days after conception) because the hCG level is not yet accurately detected.
If you get a positive result, it means the test detected the presence of hCG in your urine.
In very rare cases, you may get a false positive result.test pack. A false positive result means you are not pregnant, but the test says you are.
False positive results can occur if there is blood or protein in the urine. Certain medications, such as tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, hypnotics, and fertility drugs, can cause false positive results.test pack.
2. Blood Test
Blood tests are generally performed by doctors in a laboratory, but they are not used as frequently as urine tests. This type of test can detect pregnancy more quickly than a urine test using a blood sample.test pack, precisely starting from the 6th to 8th day after fertilization.
There are two types of blood tests for pregnancy, namely:
- Qualitative Test – Like a urine test, this type of test checks for the presence of hCG in the blood. Doctors often order this test to confirm pregnancy as early as 10 days after conception. Some can detect hCG even earlier.
- Quantitative Test – Measures the exact amount of hCG in the blood. Often called a beta hCG test, this test can detect even very low hCG levels and help detect problems during pregnancy.
To perform this test, a simple blood sample is taken from a vein, usually in the arm, through a procedure called a venipuncture.
Blood tests may be performed to:
- High-risk pregnancy
- Fertility treatment
- When the urine test is negative but the menstrual cycle has not come
- Confirming or ruling out the possibility of miscarriage or multiple pregnancy
- Diagnosing potential ectopic or tubal pregnancy, and other pregnancy complications
The Plano blood test is also subject to errors, just like the urine test. You could get a false positive or false negative result. Several factors can affect blood test results, including:
- Germ cell tumors, which are benign tumors that can develop into cancer and are usually found in the female reproductive organs.
- Pituitary organ disorders, if there is a disorder in the organ that secretes hormones into the pituitary bloodstream, it will affect a person’s hCG levels.
- Medications containing hCG, such as fertility drugs, can also increase hCG levels even if a person is not pregnant.
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In conclusion,plano testis a test method to determine the level of hCG in the body and is mainly used to confirm the presence of pregnancy and the condition of a person’s pregnancy.
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Indonesia
