So, those of you who don't already know I am a POAS AHOLIC! I
have peed on so many sticks I can't count them all. I am only 10dpo and I know I’ve peed on at
least 50! I am a PROUD POAS AHOLIC though, I peed same day as the transfer! I bought 30 sticks to start and boy along the way.....LAWD knows! So, when I
pee on a stick I usually will mark them the days past transfer I am, so I will
know what days I am comparing. Yes, I keep them and compare!!! I will make a
suggestion though break out the end you pee on and throw it out if you keep
them! I watch the lines getting darker to reassure me that the HCG levels are
rising. It's not exact, but to some degree it offers relief. I am on my 4th
experience with pee sticks and would like to TALK pee sticks! The good, bad,
and indifferent.... I would also like to share some advice and do's and don'ts!
Let's start by
what brands are the best. It's no big secret and you can bet your bottom dollar
GOOGLE will always give you First Response Early Response (FRER)! They are
simply the best!!! Two thumbs up from MOST POAS experts! I would say next in
line is ANSWER, much cheaper and just as accurate at detecting early levels.
Dollar store brand is actually pretty good, but sometimes I worry too many have
evap lines. I just experimented this pregnancy with the Walmart brand and I
actually like these better than the dollar store for early on. Now those are
just your old school 2 lines test, let’s not forget the good ole no question
DIGI’s! CLEARBLUE all the way!!!! I am a BIG fan of Clearblue digital once you
have gotten your big fat positive on the lines test (BFP). The week’s estimator
is good as well. Most of the digital test no matter if it’s E.P.T, Walgreens,
CVS, or Clearblue they are all just as good. Moving along to test to AVIOD!!!
BLUE DYE TEST! I don’t care what brand they are do NOT buy them! They are a
waste of time and will never compare to any of the pink dyes. Well that was
easy! No need for a paragraph here! HAHAHAHA!
In my GOOGLING frenzy about which
test detected the lowest and highest HCG levels I found many different answers
depending on which link I clicked on, and some were just reposted from other
links I had already read. So instead of listing repeats of what I read, I want
to give you guys the most accurate information I have through my own experience. I have gained so much
more of an understanding this go around with home pregnancy test (HPT). I swear
at 10 DPO I realized the urge to pee on everything was getting out of
control!!! YIKES! It really takes over….
With the HCG in your system you also start peeing more so you find yourself in
the bathroom all day peeing on sticks and going to the store to stock back up!
One day alone, I took 10 test! Really, what I did I think was going to happen
in the 3 hours between tests, I have no idea. Below, I am going to list all the
test and important information beside them. I will post pictures as well with
DPO so you can see what they look like and the progression.
First Response Early
Results (FRER)- When you GOOGLE the sensitivity of this test most will say
25 Miu, but it is much less. I want to say 7 for a fact. I got my first FAINT
FAINT FAINT line at 3.5DP5DT. This test is a pink dye with two lines. I have
NEVER had an evap line on one of these. The lines also stay for several days
for you to compare. I have noticed the lines change after 3-4 days darker or
lighter, because the background starts to turn yellow.
Dollar Store Brand- I
have found that many women got their big fat positive (BFP) on this brand. This is the first cycle I can say that’s true!
I actually saw the faint line on the $store brand before the FRER. In my twin
pregnancy that took forever to finally give me a positive maybe 7-8dp5dt. They definitely
picked up lower than 20miu in this cycle. When you google and get a sensitivity
on this one you will get 20-25miu, but it is less. I would not suggest using
these early, but if you are a POAS freak then the dollar is worth it.
Answer- I like
this brand as well…. It is very close to the FRER. I would say this has a
sensitivity of 25miu. The line is a dark thick pick color which can help when
trying to figure out if that line is just in your head. I have never had an
evap line or any issues with this test. They are around 8.00 for two test, I think
it’s a great price.
Target brand- The
target brand is a blue dye test and we all know how I feel about those
MONSTERS. Pretty accurate around 25miu. The test lines get very light in color
overnight, so they are not good for comparing. They are usually 5.77 at target for
two test.
Walmart Cheapie- I
LOVE LOVE this test. For .88 you can’t beat it anywhere! It is a two line test
and picks up HCG around 20-25Miu. No evap lines. It seems because there is no
cover over the answer area the air turns it colors so it is not good to compare
test.
Dollar Tree
(NEW-VeriQuick) - 25Miu of HCG. This just like the old brand just new
company. I would say maybe even better I am getting darker lines on these than
I am the old brand. Not sure on evap lines as I just got them for the first
time this cycle. The answer area is changed within several hours after testing,
so it is hard to compare. Worth the dollar though.
Walgreens Cheapie- Detects
25Miu of HCG. Blue dye test so it’s not very dark and fades within 24 hours.
Not good to compare and it can be hard to know if it’s a line early in testing.
First Response Rapid
Results (FRRR) - I used this brand for this cycle and it detects levels
over 50Miu. This is good for later in testing maybe after your beta depending
on where your levels are or just to see how they have risen from previous
testing. No evap lines and much like the FRER.
Digitals (ALL BRANDS)
- Most of the digitals no matter what store or brand you get is around
25miu. I know some list say E.P.T id 40miu, Clearblue 25/50miu, or Walgreens
25miu. They all seem to be around 25Miu. I got a positive on the EPT digital
earlier than the Clearblue so there may be some difference there. These are far
more expensive than the two line test. I want to CAUTION you guys about the Clearblue
week’s estimator….. IT IS NOT EXACT SCIENCE! It is KNOWN for not switching
weeks like it should. I must say for me it did, but in my craziness before it
did I found so many woman that it caused grief for. I am not sure I will use it
to confirm later. I think the 1-2 weeks and the 2-3 might be a little better
than trying to get it to switch to the 3+ weeks. Just keep this in mind when
using it. 1-2 weeks needs at least 25/50 miu of HCG, 2-3 weeks 200Miu of HCG,
and 3+ weeks needs 2,000 miu of HCG! DO NOT put too much faith in this.
ACCU-CLEAR- I
read on all the list I found these were 100miu, but I am not sure I can confirm
nor deny that claim. I want to say it’s much less, but I did not have a beta
drawn the day I took these. These were blue dye test so the color fades within
24 hours and can make it hard to know if a line is there or not in early
testing. 7.47 for a test box of two.
So, I have tried to break each brand down into the question I
as a consumer/ POAS Aholic ask/wonder. I have spent the last two weeks GOOGLING
the hell out of GOOGLE! I wanted to share some of the information I have found
in research journals and hidden Gems! Below are some bullet points I hope
answer some questions or put your mind at ease:
- · DO NOT test before 3 days past transfer (3DPT). I thought I could handle the BFN because “It’s too early I just have to test!” Well it’s not that easy, even though you know it’s too early seeing those Big Fat Negatives (BFN) no matter when you see them is hard because you are looking for BFP! Just try to wait!
- · For many women first morning urine (FMU) is not always the best urine to use for the test. I myself can vouch and say second morning urine (SMU) was the best for me. I got the darkest line with it. I will say though I use the weeks estimator the day before and got 1-2 weeks with SMU when I was hoping for 2-3 weeks then I tried with FMU and got my 2-3 weeks the next morning. Even know my lines are always darker. It really depends on one’s body, but it’s something to keep in mind.
- · ALWAYS follow the test instructions! Even if you’re like me and think how hard can it be to pee on a stick k. It is important to turn the sticks the right way, use the right urine sample, and keep it in your urine for the right amount of time. No more no less.
- · If you are going to compare sticks which most of us do then you need to remember to test at the same time of day on each stick. Only compare sticks two days apart as it takes 24-48 hours for HCG to double so you may not see a huge change in 24 hours and it’s not worth the stress. The cheapies with no cover over the answer screen dry out and change the color as well as the blue dye test fade within 24 hours.
- · NOT all pregnancy test are created equal, even if they come in the same box. Each test has its own sensitivity and amount of dye in the test. So be careful when comparing. I know it’s hard, but pregnancy test are not made to track progression of HCG.
- · If you are going to test every day after transfer till ultrasound then buy smart get the cheapies they are just as good and accurate and won’t cause you to mortgage your home, LOL!
Okay, now I want to give you some of the information and tips
I have on BETAS and HCG:
- · DO NOT do early betas!!!!! I had my beta at 6DP5DT and seeing a low number makes everything so much more stressful, even though you know it’s early! It’s scary because you look at betabase.org and you compare to others.
- · DO NOT compare your betas to ANYONE else nor with any google results! Every woman is different and every pregnancy is different. If you compare you will be disappointed because no one will share the same results usually.
- · HCG levels usually start lower with frozen embryo transfers (FET) because they take longer to implant and grow. 5 day embryos also produce lower levels of HCG early on. I also just read that male embryo secret lower levels of HCG than female embryos.
- · If your BMI is >30 than HCG levels are usually lower.
- · Betas DO NOT have to double every 48 hours!!!! There is a range <1200miu it’s 48-72 hours and is considered NORMAL. >1200miu is 72-96 and >6000 is 96 hours. So don’t freak out because it’s not 48 hours exact because it doesn’t have to be,
- · There are less levels of HCG in your urine than your blood. So if the Clearblue weeks estimator for example is not switching to 2-3 weeks from 1-2 does not mean your levels are not at least 200miu it means that much is not in your urine.
I hope you find this information helpful furing your 2WW,
POAS craze, and BETA hell! STOP
driving yourselves crazy and just try to know the FACTS before freaking out! I wish I had found a list like this in
my craze, but I am hopeful someone like me will come upon this in the time of
need!
