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Pregnancy is a major life event, and there is no question that you will want to know if you’re pregnant as soon as possible. There are a lot of ways to test for pregnancy though! Is it better to dip or pee on a pregnancy test? Some think it is better to pee on the test while others are adamant you should dip it in urine instead. This article is going to break down both of these methods and explain why each method might be best for you, depending on your personal preferences.
For a midstream test stick, you either pee on the stick or dip the stick into a collected urine sample. For a test strip, the strip is dipped into a urine sample and then read from there. Whether you dip or pee on a pregnancy test – neither is better than the other for testing, so choose the method that you are most confident to use. It is important that you follow your test’s instructions carefully.
Does it matter how you pee on a pregnancy test? Can you do it wrong?
Pregnancy tests need a precise quantity of urine – it matters that you follow the instructions and do it right! When you use a pregnancy test stick, you need to insert the absorbent tip into the urine flow. If you don’t have enough urine in your bladder to pee on the stick, you won’t have enough to test with.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, but most mid-stream tests are used by following these steps:
- Remove the pregnancy test stick from the wrapper.
- Remove the cap to expose the absorbent tip, without touching the absorbent end.
- Hold the pregnancy test at the solid enclosed end and position the absorbent tip downward. Urinate onto the absorbent tip for the specified period of time. (It should be saturated, but only just)
- Put the cap back over the absorbent tip, and lay the test stick down on a flat surface with the result window facing up.
- Wait for the designated result time before interpreting the results. Do not interpret results after the designated time has passed.
- Dispose of the test after a single use, or preserve it as a keepsake. This test cannot be used again.
Can too much pee on a pregnancy test make it negative?
When you have an abundance of hCG in your circulation or urine, you may experience something known as the hook effect. The high quantities of hCG overwhelm the pregnancy test and prevent it from bonding properly, or at all. Rather than two lines that read positive, you get a single line that reads negative because of the excessive amounts of hCG.
Can you use pee in the toilet water for a pregnancy test?
It’s not a good idea to put a pregnancy test in the toilet. Because the water in the toilet will dilute the urine, it may not detect any hCG (pregnancy hormone) that is present. Even if you are pregnant, this means you could get a negative result!
If toilet water, or any other contaminant becomes part of the urine sample you wish to test, dispose of this sample and collect a new one. Unless you have the correct amount of uncontaminated urine to test, there is no guarantee you’ll get an accurate result.
What happens if you hold a dip pregnancy test in urine too long?
If you hold a dip pregnancy test in urine for too long, there is some risk of getting inaccurate results.
The absorbent tip is designed to soak up the urine and deliver it into the testing area where it can interact with an antibody strip under specific conditions. If this process is interrupted or altered by excess exposure time to the urine, then the test is invalidated.
What if I accidentally pee on the pregnancy test result window?
While the result window on most tests is covered in a film, it is not waterproof. Home pregnancy tests require you to use them in a specific way – the saturated absorbent end evenly distributes the urine through the stick or strip over to the result window, making sure the correct amount of urine is used for testing.
If you accidentally pee on the result window, you can try dabbing it dry with a tissue or wiping gently to remove the urine. Keep in mind that you may not get accurate results if you test incorrectly, so you may wish to do a second test. If you repeatedly pee on the test window, you may consider using a dip test instead.
Can a dirty cup affect a pregnancy test?
If you are choosing to dip the pregnancy test into a collected urine sample, make sure you use a clean cup. If the cup is dirty, it may contaminate your urine sample and influence the results of a pregnancy test.
This is especially true if you have collected a sample for a previous pregnancy test – residual hormone left in the cup is more likely to get picked up by a new test.
To ensure accurate results, and to avoid having to clean and sterilise collection cups, consider purchasing pregnancy tests that come with collection cups, like MomMed Pregnancy Test Strips – you get a new collection cup with each test strip, and can dispose of each one immediately after use.
- MORE HCG TESTS IN ONE PACK - No more frequent trips to the drugstore. Our pack contains 55 sets of home pregnancy test strips. That is twice more than what other brands have to offer.
- FREE 55 COLLECTION CUPS - We included clean, dry plastic containers to make urine collection a lot easier for you. There is a dedicated cup provided for each pregnancy test kit inside the box.
- QUICK & EASY TO USE - Collect urine in the cup provided, dip the strip with the arrow pointing down, below the max line. Take it out after 5 seconds, lay it flat, and read results in 5 minutes.
- SAFE & INDIVIDUALLY PACKED - Each of the pregnancy strips is carefully placed in sealed and sterile packaging. They are lightweight and small enough to fit inside your purse or pocket.
- CLEAR & ACCURATE RESULTS - These pregnancy test strips are sufficiently sensitive to detect HCG levels, even as low as 25 mIU/ml, in urine. Our test kits have an impressive 99% accuracy rate.
Last update on 2023-12-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
How much urine do you need for a pregnancy test?
How much urine you will need for a pregnancy test will vary by manufacturer and whether you’re doing a mid-stream or dip test. You will need a consistent urine stream of more than 5 seconds when peeing on a mid-stream test stick, and around 1.5oz (~50ml) of collected urine for a dip test.
If you are concerned you might not have enough urine for accurate results, consider collecting your sample in a collection cup and using your test strip or test stick with this sample. If you do not have enough to test, you will not have wasted a mid-stream test stick, and can simply try again later.
In conclusion – whether you dip or pee on a pregnancy test will depend on personal preference
Whether you dip or pee on a pregnancy test is really up to personal preference. Both methods will work, but there are some pros and cons for each that may make one more advantageous than the other depending on your situation.
For example, if you’re someone who is always running late in the morning then it might be easier for you to use a mid-stream test – those take less time and require less equipment to provide the test with the urine sample.
If accuracy is a concern, any home pregnancy test can be dipped in urine in a collection cup – just remember not to contaminate the cup with dirty hands or anything else that might affect results, and follow the instructions carefully.
