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Review: First Response Early Pregnancy Test Kit

If you can't wait to find out if you're pregnant or not, a First Response kit can tell you up to six days before your period is due

Posted: 2 September 2008
by Laura Lee Davies

First Response Early Pregnancy Test Kit

You can use a First Response kit and get reliable results six days before your next period is due
Not much to fault!
Features: You can use the test with a urine sample taken any time of the day; has a 'window' in which the appearance of two pink lines means you are pregnant and one line means you are probably not
Price: from £8.25
Contact: www.firstresponsefertility.com

First Response Pregnancy Test Review ThinkBaby

The concept
First Response is one of the leading brands in fertility testing kits and pregnancy home test kits, especially in the United States. The choice of test kits can seem mind-boggling (see our Buyer's Guide to Pregnancy Test Kits for more information), but ultimately, almost all now give reliable (more than 99 per cent) results. The key is in finding one where the test is easy and convenient to do, the results are easy to read, and in most cases, one which you can trust to give you pretty accurate results as soon as possible.

First Response are extremely reliable earlier than many other brands – as early as six days before your regular period would be due. Given that until quite recently, almost all kits were not recommended for reliable results until at least a week after your period should have started, the First Response kit really has brought the nail-biting wait down!

Why can First Response kits be used so early in pregnancy?
Pregnancy tests work by detecting a certain hormone (HCG) in your urine (wee). This hormone is released as soon as you are pregnant and the amount of it in your body doubles every two days, which is why previously, the amount in your system by the time your next period was due made the test easy to detect.
Now, kits like First Response can detect much lower levels of the hormone, hence their ability to give you a reliable result earlier on in the days after you conceive.
Although some kits recommend only testing using the first urine sample of the day (because this is when the HCG level will be most concentrated), you can use First Response kits with any urine sample through the day. This is more convenient if you are half-awake in the morning and balancing test kits etc is all a bit much for you!

In action
Unwrap the test stick and get it ready as you go to the loo. Hold it under the stream of your urine for a few seconds. By the time you have finished going to the toilet, you will see a pink colour moving across the top of the stick (the 'window'); this shows the kit is working.
After 3 minutes, you can read your result: two lines indicate you are pregnant, one line indicates you are not pregnant. The positive read-out will last for about 48 hours, but the negative read out may disappear after about 10 minutes so do not leave your test for more than a few minutes before taking a reading.
It is important to note that whilst the kits are more than 99 per cent accurate, sometimes a pregnant woman might not yet have enough HCG in her system to confirm the pregnancy and she might get a negative result. If you have reason to think you are pregnant but the test is negative, check your period due date and try another test in a couple of days' time. (In the meantime, treat your body as if you may be pregnant and avoid alcohol, smoking etc.)

If you get a positive result, you still need to see your GP to get the pregnancy confirmed as then you will be able to book in with a midwife and get the ball rolling. For more, check out I'm Pregnant! What Now?.

The ThinkBaby verdict

A reliable pregnancy test that you can do as early as six days BEFORE your period is due
Usefulness: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Value: 5/5
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Discuss this story


LHutch & Pink Pumpkin Grace

Hi...I got one of these free to trial & review...although I got a negative result, the actual product itself was really easy to use & I cannot fault it in any way!! Result came up really quickly and was very clear (although a negative usually is i suppose!)

It would be a great test for all the ladies out there that find that 2ww really painful & slow...you can test with this up to six days before ur expected period, so it cuts down on that waiting time (if ur impatient like me then u'll love this!!) I used it 4 days before & so will be testing again if my due day comes & goes.

Anyone else get one of these?? What did you think??

Laura x


Posted: 07/10/2008 at 20:20


janetr

I got one of these too. I used it 1 day before my period was due. It was a negative result but as my period has still not arrived, I don't know if this is a true result.

The result did come up quickly & it was easy to use..

Although you can test up to 6 days early, I don't think it cuts down the waiting time for a lot of women as they are still likely to get a negative result & still not know for sure.

I think the other problem with tests like this where you can get an early result is that they are more likely to pick up a chemical pregnancy.

I would use it again but not to test early.


Posted: 10/11/2008 at 01:18


dons
i also done this 1 x-mas eve and x-mas day both negative! but 3 days later i brought a boots 1 and it came out positive! so iam pregnant and due 5th sept 09 x

Posted: 09/02/2009 at 13:46

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