Do you feel you are pregnant? And decided to take the pregnancy test to confirm it. You just open the table drawer, take out an old pregnancy test, and rush to check your pregnancy. Usually, it happens with women who are expecting a second time but don’t want to be pregnant at this particular time.
Due to a panic situation, they don’t prefer to go to the chemist. First, they think of searching for a pregnancy test at home. And as they found immediately use it without noticing their expiry date. Even many people think pregnancy tests don’t expire, but they expire.
Pregnancy tests expire the same way our food items, medicine, and other things expire. The old pregnancy test will surely give you false results. It happens. I also faced that kind of situation during my second pregnancy.
The post contains all the valid points about the accuracy of the 3-year-old pregnancy test. Stay tuned till the end line of the article about how you can get invalid or false results through the old pregnancy kits.
Do Pregnancy Tests Expire?
The plain answer is yes. Every pregnancy test has an expiration date also mentioned on the pack. But in most cases, women usually don’t notice the expiry date when purchasing or using it.
As a result, there are high chances of getting false results. And we know how stressful a false pregnancy test for a user is? So, always check the expiry date of the old pregnancy test before using it to get the most accurate pregnancy results.
Why Do Pregnancy Tests Expire?
Quickly understand that all pregnancy tests, whether home pregnancy tests or digital tests, can tell you pregnancy results by detecting the presence of hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in your urine. The hCG begins to build up in a pregnant lady after the 6 to 12 days of fertilization. Gradually, the level of hCG starts to increase in your urine.
The main task of the pregnancy test is to detect the amount of hCG in your urine. A chemical paper has installed in the pregnancy kit to detect the hCG amount in the urine. Chemical paper has a shelf life. After the expiry date, the chemical paper becomes less effective and can give you false or invalid results.
Long story short, all pregnancy test has an expiry date. Once the date passes, it may give you inaccurate results.
When Do Pregnancy Tests Expire?
Usually, pregnancy tests expire for 2 to 3 years, but it also depends on the brand or company. Moreover, the expiry date is written on the pregnancy test pack. Some tests expire within a few months or 1 year.
Mostly the cheap pregnancy tests last earlier than the expensive tests. The most important thing is checking the expiry date before purchasing the pregnancy test. Moreover, you should take the pregnancy test as per the steps mentioned on the pack to get the correct pregnancy result.
Can A 3-Year-Old Pregnancy Test Give You An Accurate Results?
The 3-year-old pregnancy test is almost near the expiry date of any pregnancy test so you may get inaccurate results. If you are using the expired pregnancy test, there is a 90% chance of getting false results, but a 10% chances are there you may get accurate pregnancy results.
Medical experts suggest not using the old pregnancy test; sometime inaccurate results may put the expecting under severe stress. Moreover, if you are pregnant but get the pregnancy test negative, it is also not good for you and your unborn baby’s health.
Why make things so confusing for you and your partner using outdated pregnancy test? Whenever you plan to take a pregnancy test, don’t panic. It is up to you to decide about your pregnancy, but getting an accurate result is good for you in any way.
Take a wise decision, and buy a new pregnancy test whenever you need to take a pregnancy test or should check the expiry date of the pregnancy test.
What Happens If You Use An Expired Pregnancy Test?
The expiry pregnancy test lost its ability to determine the hCG level in your urine. The kit may not work, and you see the blank window of the pregnancy test after put urine in the testing area. You may get false pregnancy results means you are pregnant, but the pregnancy test is showing a negative result.
But if you are 2 or 3 weeks pregnant and using the old pregnancy test in that case, you may get accurate results. Around the 2 weeks of pregnancy, the hCG level is too high to detect so that you may get the correct result.
It is always advisable to avoid using the expiry pregnancy test.
Conclusion
Using the old pregnancy test makes you muddled up with invalid or false pregnancy results, so always remember to check the expiry date before using it. If you don’t take the pregnancy test properly, you may also get false results.
The best idea is to take the pregnancy test calmly, reading all the steps mentioned in the pack. Some women think they can reuse the pregnancy test for more confirmation about their pregnancy. But using the pregnancy test also gives you invalid and false pregnancy results.
FAQ’s
Women have so many questions about using outdated pregnancy tests. Here are the answers to some of these questions:
Q. Can I rely on the old pregnancy test?
A. No, you can’t rely on the result of the old pregnancy test. First, you need to check the expiry date of the test. The best idea is to avoid storage of the pregnancy test in bulk.
Q. Is it okay to purchase a box of pregnancy tests when I am trying to conceive?
A. Yes, it is okay to store the pregnancy kits or strips in advance but only for a few weeks or a maximum of 1 year. Then also, you need to check the expiry date of the pregnancy test kit.
Q. Can expiry home pregnancy test detect the pregnancy?
A. Mostly home pregnancy tests are reliable and accurate, but in the case of old or expiry pregnancy tests, there are chances to get invalid results.