UPT

A pregnancy test (urine) or urine pregnancy test (UPT) is a urine test done for detecting pregnancy. A pregnancy test is taken to determine whether a female is pregnant or not. This is done by assessing whether or not Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone, is present in the woman’s urine. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is produced by the placenta, which is the organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It appears shortly after the implantation has occurred, that is, the embryo attached to the uterus’ wall. HCG is detectable in the blood about 1 week of conception The pregnancy test is prescribed: To determine whether she is pregnant, To diagnose abnormal conditions that may cause HCG levels to go up. Less often, the pregnancy test can be used for the following purposes: To identify or rule out an ectopic pregnancy, a condition when a fertilised egg attaches or implants in an abnormal area of the female reproductive system and causes problems, To check for pregnancy before surgery or any other medical treatments, As a part of prenatal screening to check for Down’s Syndrome (a genetic condition), To monitor a pregnancy that may have high chances of a miscarriage, To help diagnose and look for pregnancy-related tumors.