Sensitive Pregnancy Test Research Articles

Ectopic pregnancy: diagnostic dilemma and delay.

A retrospective analysis of 1 1 1 consecutive ectopic pregnancies was done regarding diagnostic difficulties and delay. Absence of amenorrhea before onset of symptoms was frequent (44.1%), as was a negative two-minute slide pregnancy test (50.0%). The main factors causing diagnostic delay were the use of therapeutic drug trials and misdiagnosis at curettage. Diagnostic delay can be reduced by early use of more sensitive pregnancy tests in patients predisposed to ectopic pregnancy, more critical use of drug trial therapy in patients with gynecologic diagnostic problems, early resort to laparoscopy and rapid pathologic examination of tissue obtained from curettage done in suspected cases of spontaneous abortion or menorrhagia to detect decidual changes or Arias-Stella phenomenon.

A Reassessment of Menstrual Regulation

3 aspects of menstrual regulation (MR) are sources of disagreement: unnecessary procedures complications and the use of the flexible cannula. The 1st assessment of MR was at an international conference on menstrual regulation held in December 1973 in Honolulu. Subsequent studies have answered some of the questions left unresolved. It is agreed that there is a need for a better method of selecting patients to avoid unnecessary procedures. The number of days of amenorrhea required could be increased or a rapid highly sensitive pregnancy test could be employed. Complication rates reported by 3 researchers lack support for the conclusion that MR is safer than vacuum aspiration at 7-8 weeks. The importance of routine pregnancy tests at follow-up is stressed because MR has high rates of continuing pregnancy. Great advantages have been attributed to the flexible cannula but some investigators have found lack of advantages in either the flexible or the metal cannula over the other.

Results of the First 1,000 Radioreceptorassays for the Determination of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: A New, Rapid, Reliable, and Sensitive Pregnancy Test.

Results of the First 1,000 Radioreceptorassays for the Determination of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: A New, Rapid, Reliable, and Sensitive Pregnancy Test.

Demonstration of gonadotropin during the second half of the cycle in women using intrauterine contraception

A highly sensitive pregnancy test based upon partial purification of urinary gonadotropins by Sephadex gel filtration and concentration of the gonadotropin-containing fraction by lyophilization has been developed. Values over 100 I.U. per liter after Day 22 are considered to indicate conception. They are verified by radioimmunoassay (RIA) of the β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in plasma. Urine samples from users of intrauterine contraception were examined at random. Among samples collected after Day 21, 14 contained more than 100 I.U. per liter. In three of these cases, RIA of the β-subunit HCG in plasma was employed and verified the results. The results support the hypothesis that intrauterine contraception interferes with implantation and establishment of pregnancy but not with fertilization and blastocyst formation.

Results of the First 1000 Radioreceptorassays for the Determination of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: A New, Rapid, Reliable, and Sensitive Pregnancy Test

One thousand radioreceptorassays for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for the diagnosis of pregnancy were analyzed under eight categories. The high sensitivity (50 pg/ml) and specificity, coupled with performance time of the assay (1 hour), provided a new modality for the early diagnosis and management of normal and abnormal pregnancy in the first trimester. The radioreceptorassay becomes positive 1 week after conception. In the normal pregnancy this assay has been 100% correct at the time of the first missed menses. All ectopic pregnancies demonstrated positive tests, and no false negatives occurred. On the other hand, a negative assay excluded ectopic pregnancy.

EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF PREGNANCY

A sensitive pregnancy test is described, Summary based on the differentiation between human chorionic gonadotrophin and luteinising hormone by the use of two radioimmunoassays in parallel. The test was applied to plasma and urine samples taken daily from the day of ovulation during a conceptive cycle in two women. A positive pregnancy reaction was obtained 8-10 days after day of ovulation and thus 4-6 days before expected menstrual bleeding.