Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Tests: Reliability, clarity, peace of mind

When you’re looking for a pregnancy test, accuracy is probably the first thing on your mind — after all, you want a result you can trust! Since pregnancy tests work by detecting a very small amount of the pregnancy hormone hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in your urine, the test should of course be accurate in its performance. If the test is also easy to use (both how to take it and how to read the results), it may help give you peace of mind during a potential time of uncertainty.

Let’s explore some of the benefits of using a digital pregnancy test, and why you might opt to use one.

Why choose a digital pregnancy test?

When choosing a home pregnancy test, it’s important to consider what benefits you’re looking for.

Of course, accuracy is essential — and fortunately many home pregnancy tests state that they’re more than 99% accurate.¹ But keep in mind that the right test for you is also a matter of personal preference. For many, a digital pregnancy test (which runs on a small internal battery and displays results on a screen, in contrast to a visual test, which displays a result as one or two lines on a strip) gives them the clarity and peace of mind they’re looking for with an easy-to-read digital “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant” result in words. Let’s explore some common questions you might have about using digital pregnancy tests.

Some essential terms to know when choosing a home pregnancy test

When you’re reading about pregnancy tests, you’re likely to come across very specific terminology about accuracy, sensitivity and early pregnancy detection rate. It’s good to have those definitions in mind, so here’s a quick refresher on how Clearblue® defines three of the most important terms:

• Pregnancy test accuracy: This measures how often the pregnancy test provides the correct result in laboratory testing (correctly calling a negative ‘Not Pregnant’ and a positive ‘Pregnant’). All Clearblue® pregnancy tests are over 99% accurate from the day of your expected period.²
• Pregnancy test sensitivity: This describes the concentration of hCG hormone at which a positive test will be returned to the user over 99% of the time; for example, the Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown has a sensitivity level of 25mlU/ml.³
• Early pregnancy detection rate: This is the percentage of pregnancies detected in laboratory testing using early pregnancy urine samples in the days before the missed period. The early pregnancy detection rates for the Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown were as follows: >99% one day before the expected period, 98% two days before the expected period, 95% three days before, and 75% four days before (which is 5 days before your missed period).⁴

How accurate is a Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test?

There are a few best practices to keep in mind for taking a pregnancy test. Always follow your test’s instructions carefully and try not to drink too much liquid beforehand. Home pregnancy tests work by detecting hCG in your urine, and drinking a lot of excess liquids can dilute it. Also, if you’ll be testing before your expected period, use the first urine of the day. If you’re testing after you miss your period, you can test any time of the day.

As noted above, in lab testing, the Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown is over 99% accurate at detecting pregnancy from the day you expect your period.²

How early can I test with a Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test?

The Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown can be used 5 days before your missed period (which is 4 days before your expected period).⁴

By testing later, you’ll be giving your body more time to produce human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). An embryo will begin producing hCG at an increasing rate following fertilization. Generally, hCG levels tend to double about every two days during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.¹

Can a digital pregnancy test be wrong?

All Clearblue® Pregnancy Tests are over 99% accurate from the day you expect your period.² When using any home pregnancy test, there are a few reasons you may get a false positive or false negative result.

A false positive is rare. False positives can occur if you’ve recently had a birth, miscarriage or termination, if you’re taking fertility medications that contain hCG or if you have a rare medical condition. It’s also possible to get a positive result and then experience early pregnancy loss.

You might get a false negative if you don’t have a detectible amount of hCG in your system yet, or if the hCG in your urine is too diluted to detect (which can happen if you drink too much water before testing, for example). Or you may have miscalculated the due date of your next period. False negatives also can occur if you use an expired test or store it improperly.

If you think you’re pregnant and the test is negative, it’s a good idea to wait and test again. If you hadn’t hit your expected period date when you used the test, test again on the day you expect your period. If you’d already reached your expected period date when you used the test, test again three days later. If the results are still negative after testing again but you think you may be pregnant, talk to your doctor.

Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test instructions provide clarity

It’s perfectly normal to feel a little nervous when taking a pregnancy test — and complex or unclear instructions don’t exactly help. Taking a Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown is simple (and you can always read or download the Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown instructions.

To take the test, simply remove the foil, take off the cap and use the test immediately. Place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for five seconds. Or instead, place the absorbent tip in a sample of urine collected in a clean, dry container for 20 seconds.³ Replace the cap and lay the stick flat.

The Smart Countdown will be shown on the display, so you know the test is working. Each segment will appear (flashing) in sequence to show the test is progressing.

If you prefer video tutorials, you can see how easy it is to use one in this short video on how to use a Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test:

Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Tests can give you peace of mind

Clearblue® has a novel progress indicator that counts down to the result while you’re patiently (or perhaps impatiently!) waiting for your pregnancy test results.

With the Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown, there’s no tense or stressful guesswork. The countdown lets you know it’s working, and at the end you will get an unmistakably clear result in words. Your result will appear within three minutes, and some results may be shown in as little as one minute.

Clear digital results in WORDS means you won’t have to interpret lines during what can be a tense or emotional time. A “Pregnant” (positive) result will remain on the display for up to six months. A “Not Pregnant” (negative) result will remain on the display for approximately 24 hours.

And remember how Clearblue® Digital Pregnancy Test with Smart Countdown is sensitive enough to be used five days sooner than waiting until you miss your period to test? Being able to test sooner could help ease your anxiety. Have you been trying to conceive (TTC) for a while and the two-week wait (TWW) is feeling eternal? Are you concerned your birth control might have failed, and you’re waiting for your period to come? Maybe you just feel pregnant and want to know for sure. Whatever your reason for testing, being able to test sooner can certainly be a relief.

Digital pregnancy tests provide accurate results along with clarity and peace of mind. At a time of uncertainty, you should be able to trust your pregnancy test result.

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• Home pregnancy tests: Your most pressing questions, answered