Pregnancy test

A diagnostic test that detects pregnancy, usually by measuring human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in urine or blood.

Human chorionic gonadotropin: A hormone produced chiefly by placental cells after implantation that supports progesterone production in early pregnancy. Most tests detect this hormone, whose concentration rises after implantation.
Home pregnancy test: An over-the-counter urine test used to check for pregnancy outside a clinical setting. It gives a private, rapid result and is the most familiar use of pregnancy testing.
Aschheim–Zondek test: An early pregnancy test in which urine was injected into immature mice to detect hormonal effects on their ovaries. It was one of the first reliable biological tests for pregnancy before immunoassays.
Qualitative hCG test: A test that reports whether human chorionic gonadotropin is detected above a threshold, rather than its exact concentration. Most home tests are qualitative, unlike quantitative blood assays.
Lateral flow test: A paper-based diagnostic assay that moves a liquid sample across reagents by capillary action. Most home pregnancy tests use this format to display an hCG-dependent line.
Blood pregnancy test: A laboratory test that detects or measures hCG in a blood sample. Clinicians can use blood testing when precise hCG measurement or earlier detection is needed.
Friedman test: A historical pregnancy test that injected a woman's urine into a rabbit and examined its ovarian response. It replaced slower animal testing methods with a more convenient rabbit-based assay.
Pregnancy dating: The estimation of gestational age from menstrual history, ultrasound, or other clinical information. A positive test detects hCG but does not determine how far pregnancy has progressed.
Immunoassay: An analytical method that uses antibodies to detect or measure a target substance. Pregnancy assays use antibodies that bind hCG in urine or blood.
Quantitative hCG test: A blood assay that reports the concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin. Serial measurements can help assess early pregnancy development or investigate complications.

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