Why Do I Keep Buying These???
by - Written: Dec 20 '00 (Updated Dec 20 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: supposed to be sensitive and reliable
Cons: mixed results, expensive
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| pippadaisy's Full Review: EPT |
I have to admit that I have never used any other kind of pregnancy test, so I have nothing to compare to ept. All I know is that some inexplicable force draws me to this test every time I need one even though I know I want to try something else.
I was originally drawn to ept based on the recommendation of women I had met on BabyCenter.com when I was trying to conceive my daughter. ept is the Cadillac of pregnancy tests: it ranks right up there as one of the more sensitive tests at detecting pregnancy, and it happens to be one of the most expensive that you'll find on the shelf.
My first suggestion with this test, which was given to me is to buy two. No matter what answer you are looking for, and no matter what answer you receive, you are going to want to try again to either see if the answer changes, or to confirm what you were hoping. It's much less expensive to start out with the two-pack than to keep going back for one. I think a single test where I live is about $11 and a 2-pack is about $15, if memory serves me correctly.
Using the Test
The use of ept couldn't be more simple, right? Take off the protective cover, hold the little stick in your urine stream for five seconds, replace the cover, and wait.
The fun thing about ept is that you can actually see the progression of the test as the urine (how many times can I type that word in a review?) passes over the test area and the control area. You'll usually know about when to expect results based on the creeping pale pink.
Reading the Test
Again, should be simple as ABC, right? There are two windows on the test stick. The window on the left (the round one) is the test window, and the one on the right (the square one) (providing you have the test turned the right way) is the control area. A vertical stripe should always appear in the control area, and if you are pregnant, a vertical stripe will appear in the test area. ept even provides you with a toll-free number to call if you need help interpreting the results
Why I'm Not Able to Do This Right
As you can see from my description of the use and reading of the test, you must be thinking that there is something wrong with me if I've called the toll-free number. Well, I have, and I've called it more than once.
When I was first testing to see if I was pregnant with my daughter it was a bit early to be testing, but I had a migraine and wanted to take my migraine medication. I got a faint line in the test area, so I tested again to see if it was a fluke or what's called an "evaporation line" where you leave the test too long and the pink dye line shows up a tiny bit. (ept recommends that you read the test within 20 minutes of taking it.)
So, I tested again, at the point in my cycle where they say the test should be totally accurate, and got a very clear negative. My husband, however, was convinced by my symptoms that I was pregnant, so I tested again, and got another very faint line. I called the toll-free number, and they told me that odds were that I was pregnant, since any line means you are pregnant, but I could test again to be sure. At this point, he was growing weary of the cost of these tests, and told me to call my doctor, who recommended that I come in for a blood test, which was, in fact positive.
Happy ending, right? Unfortunately, no. Since my daughter's birth, my husband and I had an "uh-oh." I went out and got yet another ept box of two, and used one of the tests. About three or four minutes after using it, I got a horizontal line in the test area. Well, I know it's supposed to be vertical if I'm pregnant, so I call the toll-free line again. They tell me that it could be leftover dye that was not run through properly, and to test again.
Well, I'm realizing now that's their strategy: Leave them guessing so they'll buy another test! No offer was made to refund me for what I'm thinking is a defective test, nor did they even send me so much as a coupon. So I used up the remaining test in the box, which did show me a clear negative.
The next time I need to buy a pregnancy test, I swear I'm going to try another brand. I just wish I knew what it was that keeps drawing me back to that purple and white box again and again.
Recommended:
No
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