Hormones and pregnancy tests

[jaimechap77]

Is the hormone that makes a pregnancy test read positive present all through pregnancy? Will a test read positive if you are pregnant no matter how far gone you are?

[Cockney_si]

The pregnancy hormone HCG is mentioned on this website...

http://www.clearblue.info/uk/Gettingtoknowyour body.cfm

[Psychick]

If you test too early, before the hormone has had chance to build up enough, you are likely to get a negative even if you are pregnant. GIve it a few more days to a week and test again. By now the levels will have built up if you are pregnant and you should get a positive reading. Its usually best to test on the day you missed your period or after. I wouldve thought it would be present througout the whole pregnancy. When I first tested when I was having my daughter I was actually nearly 4 months gone and it was still present then.

[daffy654]

I believe HCG(PREGNANCY HORMONE) starts to taper off after about 20 weeks of pregnancy, the old pregnancy tests used to advise that you would geet a negative result after this stage. Modern tests are more sensitive and can detect minute amounts of the hormone so should remain positive throughout the whole 40 weeks.