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American Morning

'Paging Dr. Gupta'

Aired February 16, 2004 - 08:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Just how reliable are home pregnancy tests? Dr. Sanjay Gupta has got a look from the CNN Center with details, a new study that actually might surprise you.
Hey, Sanjay. Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, surprise you or scare you perhaps. A study coming out of the University of New Mexico, published in the America College of Obstetrics, sort of an interesting study, looking at 25 pregnant women, looking at the 18 most popular brands of home pregnancy tests and trying to figure out how well they actually work. Interesting sort of result.

First of all, a couple of things about these pregnancy tests. You are usually using urine. You are measuring the specific level of hormone in the urine that goes up after a woman is pregnant. That is what the test is predicated on.

How well do they work? Well, typically, within the first day of a missed period, when a lot women start to check, you get these sorts of result. Only one test, the First Response early result test, had a 95 percent accuracy. Now there was one other test called the Clear Blue Easy Test. This is on day one. It had about an 80 percent accuracy. But out of all the other brands, there were only about 60 percent accurate that first day after a missed period.

Days two, the numbers went up to about three of the 18 tests significantly better. Day three, eight of the 18 tests. And day seven, most of the tests were significantly better in terms of actually detecting that pregnancy.

So one week after a missed period, you're going to get a pretty good result. If you do it that first day, though, only that one test gives you any kind of reasonable effectiveness in terms of detecting your pregnancy -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: One would assume, Sanjay, that they're all essentially the same kind of test. So why would some be so accurate to give you a good results after the first day, and some you'd have to really wait until the seventh day to get a more accurate result?

GUPTA: Well, really simply, this hormone that we're talking about, HCG, really that first day after a missed period oftentimes is in a modified form. It's not a pure form. And this test that we talked about, the one that is so good at detecting, the First Response, is predicated on measuring the modified form of the hormone, as well as the pure form of the hormone as well, so it tends to give you a better accuracy.

Again, if you wait until a few days after the missed period, that hormone continues tends to convert into its purer form and is more easily detectable.

O'BRIEN: So, obviously, If you want a more reliable result, then part of your answer would be you should wait a little bit?

GUPTA: Yes, there are several tips, and this is the good news, there are lots of tips out there, if you are trying to make sure that you get the most effective pregnancy test. One of them is, obviously, waiting a few more days after the missed period. Also, testing with the same brand. You know, a lot of these tests come in twin packs, so you can test it once and test it again a week later. Check the insert. A lot of times they'll tell you at day one we're such and such accurate. At day three, we're going to be such and such accurate. So you get a sense of how accurate the test is by the day. And also a lot of them say wait about three minutes after you're actually looking at the strip. What this study suggested as well is that if you wait longer, like about 10 minutes, you're going to get improved accuracy as well, so some simple tips there.

O'BRIEN: All right, Sanjay Gupta for us at the CNN center. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 16, 2004 - 08:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Just how reliable are home pregnancy tests? Dr. Sanjay Gupta has got a look from the CNN Center with details, a new study that actually might surprise you.
Hey, Sanjay. Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, surprise you or scare you perhaps. A study coming out of the University of New Mexico, published in the America College of Obstetrics, sort of an interesting study, looking at 25 pregnant women, looking at the 18 most popular brands of home pregnancy tests and trying to figure out how well they actually work. Interesting sort of result.

First of all, a couple of things about these pregnancy tests. You are usually using urine. You are measuring the specific level of hormone in the urine that goes up after a woman is pregnant. That is what the test is predicated on.

How well do they work? Well, typically, within the first day of a missed period, when a lot women start to check, you get these sorts of result. Only one test, the First Response early result test, had a 95 percent accuracy. Now there was one other test called the Clear Blue Easy Test. This is on day one. It had about an 80 percent accuracy. But out of all the other brands, there were only about 60 percent accurate that first day after a missed period.

Days two, the numbers went up to about three of the 18 tests significantly better. Day three, eight of the 18 tests. And day seven, most of the tests were significantly better in terms of actually detecting that pregnancy.

So one week after a missed period, you're going to get a pretty good result. If you do it that first day, though, only that one test gives you any kind of reasonable effectiveness in terms of detecting your pregnancy -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: One would assume, Sanjay, that they're all essentially the same kind of test. So why would some be so accurate to give you a good results after the first day, and some you'd have to really wait until the seventh day to get a more accurate result?

GUPTA: Well, really simply, this hormone that we're talking about, HCG, really that first day after a missed period oftentimes is in a modified form. It's not a pure form. And this test that we talked about, the one that is so good at detecting, the First Response, is predicated on measuring the modified form of the hormone, as well as the pure form of the hormone as well, so it tends to give you a better accuracy.

Again, if you wait until a few days after the missed period, that hormone continues tends to convert into its purer form and is more easily detectable.

O'BRIEN: So, obviously, If you want a more reliable result, then part of your answer would be you should wait a little bit?

GUPTA: Yes, there are several tips, and this is the good news, there are lots of tips out there, if you are trying to make sure that you get the most effective pregnancy test. One of them is, obviously, waiting a few more days after the missed period. Also, testing with the same brand. You know, a lot of these tests come in twin packs, so you can test it once and test it again a week later. Check the insert. A lot of times they'll tell you at day one we're such and such accurate. At day three, we're going to be such and such accurate. So you get a sense of how accurate the test is by the day. And also a lot of them say wait about three minutes after you're actually looking at the strip. What this study suggested as well is that if you wait longer, like about 10 minutes, you're going to get improved accuracy as well, so some simple tips there.

O'BRIEN: All right, Sanjay Gupta for us at the CNN center. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com