Can You Reuse a Pregnancy Test at Home?

Pregnancy is a wonderful time in a woman’s life. It’s the advent of a new life that is being nurtured and waiting to be welcomed into this beautiful world. However, to find out if you’re pregnant, you might use a home pregnancy kit, which is what a lot of women do. Sometimes, to be sure, you might be tempted to reuse a negative first-response pregnancy test to make sure of the results. At the same time, you might wonder if it will be accurate since you have already used it. Is it possible to reuse a pregnancy test kit? Should you always use new pregnancy test kits? Can you reuse a digital pregnancy test kit? Let’s read more to find out the answers to all these questions.

How Does These Pregnancy Test Kits Work?

Although the exact mechanism by which HPTs detect hCG is a trade secret, we do know that they all operate in a manner akin to one another: by causing a chemical interaction between your urine and the hCG antibodies in the test strip. This response can only happen once; it cannot happen again.

The same holds for digital ones. It’s integrated into the test, even if you can’t see a colour-changing strip or lines filling with blue or pink dye. The digital element merely “reads” the test strip on your behalf and displays the results on a digital display screen. So, you also cannot reuse digital testing.

In general, you shouldn’t retrieve a pregnancy test out of the trash can an hour after you POAS (pee on a stick, in TTC-speak) or dip it in urine; instead, you should read the findings of a pregnancy test within 5 minutes of doing so. At that time, evaporation might have produced a second line, which could have resulted in a perplexing and painful false positive.

Can You Reuse a Pregnancy Test Kit?

The answer to the question, ‘can you use a pregnancy test twice?’ is No. But it might be easier said than done if you want to reuse a kit and expect accurate results. Many factors go into making a pregnancy test kit, and reusing it may not be the best way to determine proper results. Either way, pregnancy tests are very affordable, and there is no need to reuse a test kit.

Why a Used Pregnancy Test Does Not Work for the Second Time?

A lot of women, unfortunately, believe that they can reuse a pregnancy kit just to ensure the results they got the first time around. This is not recommended because the test kits for home usage are made in such a way that they give you the best and most precise results. The kit is simple, yet highly sensitive, which means that once it is peed on, the chemicals react with the urine if there is one thing we have learned in chemistry class, its that when two agents combine and form a reaction, it is not possible to conduct that reaction for a second time, accurately. New agents must be used so that the results are accurate. Once you have used a pregnancy test kit, discard it and open up a new one.

What if You Get a Positive Result From Reusing The Pregnancy Test?

There are reports of women getting a positive result when they pee on a pregnancy test twice but these are nothing but false positives. When a home pregnancy test dries up, it forms an evaporation line. This line is colourless, but as you add more water to it by trying to wash the stick, the dye can settle in the line, which appears to be positive. This is a very fine line to walk because it can cause a lot of mental anguish. A completed test is considered to be a finished test and a new test stick must be used in order to be absolutely sure of the results. Reusing test kits can provide you with incorrect information and this leads to a lot of misinformation and unnecessary stress, which could be avoided just by buying multiple tests.

Is There Any Pregnancy Test Kit That Can Be Reused?

It might provide you with some sort of comfort thinking of a pregnancy test that can be reused because all of us would like to be reassured when it comes to life-changing events like that. Unfortunately, no test kit can be reused. The test kits use HCG strips which can only be used once. The HCG strip can react even if it comes in contact with moisture in the air and that is also considered as a used test that cannot be used by any woman. The only way to reuse the stick is by going to the nearest pharmacist and buying a new test kit.

Can a ‘Digital Pregnancy Test Kit’ Be Reused?

A digital pregnancy test kit can help find pregnancy from even before you miss your period and after. It detects pregnancy hormones and alerts you. Some women think these kits can be reused and try to pee on them twice to confirm their results. Unfortunately, this action has no scientific backing and cannot be done. A digital test kit does not give lines as indicators of pregnancy but rather, shows a digital sign that you have to read. Additionally, both test kits use HCG and cannot be reused.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time in any woman’s life and when you find out, you must be responsible and ensure that you conduct the pregnancy test two or three times round before going to the doctor. Instead of reusing, please go to the nearest pharmacy and pick up a couple of tests. The cost of these tests have been made affordable. Reusing a pregnancy test kit will not give you a definitive answer. Rather, there is a higher chance of you going on an emotional rollercoaster as the test changes its results due to reuse. Therefore, the next time, just buy a couple of tests so that you can use new ones and do have to depend on reused ones for accurate results.

Factors That Affect the Accuracy of Pregnancy Test

Several factors, in addition to reuse, can impact a pregnancy test’s accuracy. They comprise:

• Pregnancy tests have expiration dates, so be sure yours is current to ensure a proper chemical reaction.
• Always check your test results near the time indicated on the box when you review them. The outcome can be wrong if you wait too long.
• If the test kit becomes wet, such as if you splash your test with water, a chemical reaction may occur that will reduce the test’s accuracy.
• If you take a pregnancy test too soon, a test may take a few more days to identify hCG, typically produced six days after fertilisation. You could receive a false negative result in such a case. The recommended course of action is to wait a few days before trying again if you suspect pregnancy.
• According to the NHS, some medications may have an impact on the outcomes of pregnancy tests.

FAQs

1. Is Morning the Best Time to Take a Pregnancy Test?

A pregnancy test is available every day of the week. But, if there’s a chance you might be pregnant, take the test in the morning when your pee is at its most concentrated so the test can pick up the HCG hormone more easily.

2. Where Can I Buy Pregnancy Test Kits?

In a drugstore, pregnancy test kits are easily accessible. These are available without a prescription. For accurate results, don’t rely on repurposed pregnancy test kits. Pregnancy kits are affordable. So, purchasing a new pregnancy test kit is wise to prevent spreading misleading information about pregnancy.

3. How Digital Pregnancy Kit Is Different From a Non-Digital Kit?

The digital kit does not provide a colour indicator, which is how it differs from non-digital pregnancy tests. Instead, it displays a readable digital sign.

4. How Long You Can Keep Used Pregnancy Test?

During two to three years, most pregnancy tests are effective. However, this does not necessarily imply that a test will remain valid for that long after purchase. Every test has an expiration date stamped on the package, although that date is often two to three years after the test was created. There is no reusable pregnancy test, so it can be used only once.

Also Read:

Do Expired Pregnancy Tests Works?
What Is False Negative Pregnancy Test
What Does Faint Line on the Pregnancy Test Kit Mean?