There are two types of tests that can confirm that you are pregnant: blood pregnancy tests and urine pregnancy tests. All pregnancy tests look for the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is present only when a woman is pregnant.

The pregnancy hormone hCG is produced by the placenta right after the embryo begins implanting into the uterine lining. The hormone is released in the urine of a pregnant woman and can be detected by pregnancy tests.

Home Pregnancy Tests
Over-the-counter home pregnancy urine tests are easy to find in most drug and grocery stores. They differ in sensitivity, how urine is collected and tested and how the result is displayed. If used correctly, most home pregnancy tests claim to be between 97 and 99% accurate. Each test will come with specific instructions and many have a hot-line in case you have questions about the test or reading the results.

When using a home pregnancy test, it's important not to take it too early in your pregnancy or there may not be enough of the pregnancy hormone to produce a positive test. Most urine tests will give you an accurate result when taken around the time you are expecting your period. If your urine test comes back negative but a week passes and you have not gotten your period and/or are still exhibiting signs of pregnancy, take another urine test or consult your health care provider.

Taking A Urine Test
It's important to remember you should use midstream urine for the most accurate result. You should pee a little first and then either hold the test stick in your urine stream or collect urine in a cup and hold the stick in the cup for 5 – 10 seconds. If you are testing early, like right around the time of your missed period, remember to hold your urine for at least four hours before you take the home pregnancy test.

Once you have a positive result on a home pregnancy test, you should contact your healthcare provider to confirm your pregnancy with a blood test and a pelvic exam.

Blood Tests To Confirm Pregnancy
There are two types of blood tests that are available through health care providers. The quantitative blood test (also called beta hCG test) measures the exact amount of the hormone hCG in your blood. This test is very accurate and can pick up very small amounts of the pregnancy hormone in your blood. The qualitative blood test will give a positive/negative result, similar to a urine test and is not as accurate.

Blood tests can detect the hCG hormone much earlier than a urine test. A blood test can tell if you are pregnant six to eight days after you ovulate. Recently, some manufacturers have introduced urine tests that are more sensitive and can determine if you are pregnant as early as six days after you conceive.

About the Author
For more great information about expecting and parenting, visit MomRecommended.com, a site for moms by moms. Annie Valle is a freelance writer and has been designing projects for crafters over 15 years. For more information, great free projects and ideas, visit http://www.momrecommended.com.