In the olden days, women used to follow many homemade tests to confirm pregnancy. Different areas around the globe followed different testing methods.
With the introduction of OSOM pregnancy test, the medicine has gifted women a great method of testing pregnancy. The HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) hormone is rapidly released by the developing placenta into the blood and circulates all over the body of a pregnant woman.
The hormone is also found in the urine and hence, the quantity of the hormone present in the urine will help you confirm the pregnancy. The OSOM hCG Combo Test is a rapid immunoassay that makes a qualitative test of HCG hormone in serum or urine.
This is done as an aid to detect an early pregnancy. The test makes use of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to hCG.
Using OSOM is the professional way of testing for pregnancy in hospitals and clinical laboratories. You can even carry the device to your home to test it yourself.
Contents
The main intention behind this test is to find for hCG hormone levels in the urine to find if a woman is pregnant or not. This is actually a device, which exists in a solid phase and is designed in a sandwich format.
It makes use of immunochromatographic assay in order to determine the hCG hormone. As a sample, you can use either urine or serum of the patient and test it using this device.
A pipette is also provided with the package using which, you need to squeeze the sample and drop it in the testing area provided on the device.
The sample once dropped, will pass through the reaction pads. If HCG is present in the sample, then the pads bind to a monoclonal anti-hCG dye conjugate.
The sample then passes through the results window. Here, the hCG complex is captured at a line region that contains immobilized rabbit anti-hCG.
If any excess conjugate is present, it will pass through the test line area and gets captured at a control line region that contains the immobilized antibody which is directed against the anti-hCG dye conjugate.
If the result is positive, you can see two dark bands in the result window, one near the T (test) and the other near the C (control) area.
If the result is negative, then you will see the dark band only near the C-control region. If none of the lines appear, it means the test is invalid and you need to use another device to repeat the test.
The testing procedure is very simple and easy. The kit is made available by any pharmacy store. The kit is very small, light and handy. Hence, women can carry the kit home and make the test for confirmation.
The kits are generally very well packed to avoid any wear and tear of the device. If so, the device cannot assure you accurate results. The pack comes with one testing device, and a pipette using which you will squeeze the sample and drop it onto the testing device. Apart from these, you will still need other devices, which will not be provided in the pack. They are:
What is present in the kit?
What is the testing procedure?
What points should be noted while testing?
The OSOM hCG test devices should be stored at room temperature. 15 to 30 Degree Celsius is the appropriate range preferred. Ensure that it is kept out of direct sunlight.
Never freeze these devices and use them before they reach the expiry dates for accurate results. These devices can be believed to be stable only till the time they don’t reach their expiry dates.
Tip – Want To Get Pregnant In 60 Days ?
If you really don’t believe the old wives tales of testing the pregnancy through homemade testing methods, you can surely rely on the OSOM pregnancy kits.
The devices operate by undergoing chemical reactions with the urine or serum sample, and gives you genuine results.
The test does not tell you about the age of the fetus, but will surely let you know if you are pregnant or not. All you need to know is the usage and precautionary steps while using the kit.
Rinne Jacob is the founder of MoM-Health.com and is the mother of 2 charming daughters. During the day she’s a freelance health communication professional based in USA and has done her masters in health communication. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter. Feel free to engage and ask her any questions...