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The British Journal of Sociology Jun 2020Is the test result positive or negative? Tests that occur in labs and doctors' offices pose specific questions to try to obtain specific information. But what happens in...
Is the test result positive or negative? Tests that occur in labs and doctors' offices pose specific questions to try to obtain specific information. But what happens in the social world when these tests never see the inside of a lab or doctor's office, and instead they are used in a house, in a Walmart bathroom, or in a dormitory bathroom stall? Putting the diagnosis aside, what does the presence of these tests do to social life? This paper examines one such test, the home pregnancy test, and specifically, its use in contemporary intimate life of people who do not want to be pregnant. Pregnancy tests test for pregnancy. But what else is the pregnancy test putting to the test? To investigate this, I spent 8 years studying American pregnancy tests using a qualitative mixed methods approach. This paper draws on some of my research materials, specifically, 85 life history interviews. Each participant was asked to recall, in full, all of their experiences with home pregnancy tests throughout their lives, resulting in well over 300 narratives of home pregnancy test usage which I qualitatively analyzed. I find that more than just a test for a pregnancy, the use of the home pregnancy test is a test of roles, relationships, and responsibilities in social life. These findings suggest implications for social life as more biomedical tests move out of the purview of the medical establishment.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Middle Aged; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests; Qualitative Research; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Partners; United States; Young Adult
PubMed: 32323866
DOI: 10.1111/1468-4446.12758 -
Pediatrics in Review Sep 2022
Topics: Adolescent; False Positive Reactions; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests
PubMed: 36045157
DOI: 10.1542/pir.2020-004896 -
Theriogenology Jan 2024Primiparous and multiparous dairy cattle were evaluated for pregnancy using both transrectal ultrasonography and a point-of-care pregnancy test (Alertys OnFarm Test),...
Primiparous and multiparous dairy cattle were evaluated for pregnancy using both transrectal ultrasonography and a point-of-care pregnancy test (Alertys OnFarm Test), which measures pregnancy-associated glycoproteins through lateral diffusion, between Days 28-34 of pregnancy results were compared. A total of 637 animals were included in this study. Pregnancy was confirmed via manual palpation between Days 57-64. Data on parity, calving, and time of artificial insemination (AI) were also collected and evaluated. Overall the accuracy of the lateral diffusion test was 93.1% with 98.9% sensitivity, 88.7 % specificity, 86.8 % positive predictive value, and 99.1% negative predictive value. In heifers, the Alertys OnFarm Test had 100% sensitivity and 81.6% specificity. In contrast, the test had a sensitivity and specificity of 98.5 and 89.5%, respectively for multiparous cows. The pregnancy loss between early diagnosis and confirmation increased with parity. Heifers suffered losses as low as 2.6%, whereas animals in the third parity had significantly more losses (17.9%). Season also affected losses with spring pregnancy losses being considerably higher than autumn losses. The veterinary workload was also evaluated. Using the combined method of pregnancy testing, animals were first tested with the lateral diffusion test; then, the test-negative animals were scanned again, and the number of scanned animals was reduced. The results ranged between 3274% on farms. We concluded that veterinary workload could be reduced by using the point-of-care test. However, farm-level differences may have affected the results of the present study.
Topics: Pregnancy; Cattle; Animals; Female; Point-of-Care Systems; Abortion, Veterinary; Parity; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy Tests; Insemination, Artificial; Lactation; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 37897849
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.10.014 -
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory... Oct 2021
Topics: Chorionic Gonadotropin; Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; False Positive Reactions; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests; Syndrome
PubMed: 34118798
DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2021-0533 -
Tropical Animal Health and Production May 2020The early pregnancy diagnosis allows optimizing production and timely management correction, with a greater reproductive output of livestock. The Idexx Rapid Visual...
The early pregnancy diagnosis allows optimizing production and timely management correction, with a greater reproductive output of livestock. The Idexx Rapid Visual Pregnancy Test® consists of an ELISA for visual reading which does not require the use of readers in the laboratory, with satisfactory pregnancy diagnoses at 28 days of pregnancy in cattle. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate this rapid test and to verify the most appropriate day for the diagnosis of pregnancy in the ovine species. For this purpose, 98 serum samples from pregnant sheep and 36 from non-pregnant were used, with duplicate samples, and diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasound examination, used as the gold standard. The numbers of positive samples obtained at 26, 28, and 30 days of pregnancy were 26, 27, and 45, respectively. The Rapid Visual Pregnancy Test correctly identified 100% of the samples as positive at pregnancy of days 26, 28, and 30. The sensitivity and specificity of the test were also 100%. The Idexx Rapid Visual Pregnancy Test, initially indicated for cattle, is effective for the detection of pregnancy in the ovine species, enabling diagnosis of pregnant sheep from the 26th day of pregnancy.
Topics: Animals; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Female; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests; Pregnancy, Animal; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sheep
PubMed: 31811509
DOI: 10.1007/s11250-019-02130-7 -
Lancet (London, England) Apr 1980
Topics: Cost-Benefit Analysis; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests; United Kingdom; Urine
PubMed: 6103226
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)91369-0 -
Contraception Jun 2022We assessed whether a low-sensitivity pregnancy test is effective at identifying ongoing pregnancy after medication abortion at 64 to 70 days of gestation. (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
We assessed whether a low-sensitivity pregnancy test is effective at identifying ongoing pregnancy after medication abortion at 64 to 70 days of gestation.
STUDY DESIGN
From October 2018 to March 2020, we performed a prospective observational study of participants in England and Wales undergoing medication abortion. Participants were scheduled to return to the clinic 14 ± 3 days after mifepristone administration to perform a low-sensitivity pregnancy test (human chorionic gonadotropin threshold of 1000 mIU/mL) and symptom checklist, and state whether they thought the abortion was complete. Clinicians also assessed the low-sensitivity pregnancy test and performed an ultrasound to determine abortion status. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive value of the low-sensitivity pregnancy test (with and without a symptom checklist) for detecting ongoing pregnancy.
RESULTS
We enrolled 757 participants. Thirty-one did not progress to abortion and 558 (76.9%) completed follow-up. Most (79.6%) attended per-protocol; 22 (3.9%) attended earlier than 11 days and 92 (16.5%) later than 17 days. Thirteen participants (2.3%) had an ongoing pregnancy. The low-sensitivity pregnancy test correctly identified all the ongoing pregnancies (sensitivity = 100%; specificity = 84.8%; negative predictive value = 100%; positive predictive value = 13.5%). The symptom checklist alone had a sensitivity of 76.9% and a negative predictive value of 99.4% for identifying ongoing pregnancies. Participants and clinicians agreed on the interpretation of the low-sensitivity pregnancy test 94.6% of the time.
CONCLUSIONS
Patient self-assessment of a low-sensitivity pregnancy test after medication abortion between 64- and 70 days' gestation has high sensitivity and negative predictive value for identification of ongoing pregnancy.
IMPLICATIONS
Patients can be offered a low-sensitivity pregnancy test to assess for ongoing pregnancy after medication abortion up to 70 days of gestation thereby reducing the need for in-person visits. Services should be prepared to provide in-person assessments after positive or inconclusive results to ensure early identification of abortion complications.
Topics: Abortion, Induced; Abortion, Spontaneous; Female; Humans; Mifepristone; Misoprostol; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests
PubMed: 35259410
DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2022.02.005 -
Lancet (London, England) Nov 1952
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests
PubMed: 12991677
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(52)92236-8 -
Journal of Pediatric Urology Oct 2022Our primary aim was to determine the prevalence of positive over-the-counter (OTC) pregnancy tests among pediatric female and male patients who had undergone...
PURPOSE
Our primary aim was to determine the prevalence of positive over-the-counter (OTC) pregnancy tests among pediatric female and male patients who had undergone augmentation enterocystoplasty. A secondary aim was to determine whether patient factors or urinalysis (UA) results were associated with false positive OTC pregnancy test results in patients with a history of augmentation enterocystoplasty.
METHODS
Patients at a tertiary pediatric hospital who had previously undergone augmentation enterocystoplasty, Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy only, and age- and sex-matched controls were prospectively recruited. Urine samples were obtained, and two OTC pregnancy tests were conducted - OTC Test A reported the ability to detect pregnancy at hCG levels as low as 9.6 mIU/mL, while OTC Test B reported positive pregnancy test results at hCG levels ≥25 mIU/mL. A point of care (POC) pregnancy test and UA were also completed. Mann-Whitney U tests and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess whether patient factors or UA results were associated with false positive pregnancy test results.
RESULTS
Fifty pediatric patients were enrolled, including 20 with augmentation enterocystoplasty, 20 age- and sex-matched controls, and 10 with Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy only. Among the 20 patients who had undergone augmentation cystoplasty, 15 (75.0%) had positive pregnancy test results on OTC Test A, including 11/13 (84.6%) females and 4/7 (57.1%) males. No control patients or patients with Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy only had a positive test. No patients had positive pregnancy test results on OTC Test B or the POC test. While patients with augmentation enterocystoplasty were significantly more likely to test positive for blood (p = 0.01), nitrate (p = 0.03), and leukocytes (p < 0.0001), these factors were not significantly associated with false positive pregnancy results. No patient factors or UA results were associated with increased likelihood of false positive OTC pregnancy test results.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that sensitive OTC pregnancy tests that detect low quantities of hCG in urine may result in false positive results among patients who have undergone augmentation enterocystoplasty. Female patients of reproductive age with bladder augmentations should be counseled regarding appropriate pregnancy testing options. Additional research is needed to determine the mechanism responsible for false positive pregnancy tests in this patient population.
Topics: Pregnancy; Child; Humans; Male; Female; Urologic Surgical Procedures; Pregnancy Tests; Anastomosis, Surgical; Intestines; Digestive System Surgical Procedures
PubMed: 36171166
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2022.09.008 -
British Medical Journal Mar 1972
Topics: False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests
PubMed: 5015336
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.1.5802.747-b