There was a time that home pregnancy tests were not anywhere near as accurate as a trip to your doctor, but that is no longer the case. Of course it does depend as to when the baby was conceived, and so even if you have a negative result, you should retest a few days to a week later if your period is still a no show.

1. What To Do If Your Period Is Late

If your period is late, and you are indeed pregnant, the initial not- pregnant result might not have been accurate at all. There might have just not been enough hormones in your body to be able to determine the status of your pregnancy of not.

2. 99. 99% Is Not Good Enough

It's rare, but it can happen - that is why most pregnancy tests have a disclaimer on them saying that they are 99% effective. Do the math - 99. 99% means that one out of every 10,000 women that take the test have the test fail for them. This means that they might be pregnant and have a not- pregnant result show up, be not- pregnant and have a pregnant result show up, or be not- pregnant and have an unreadable result show up. Considering that millions of women rely on home pregnancy tests every year, this adds up to tens of thousands of women that have home pregnancy tests that simply don't work for them. It is therefore extremely important to take a home pregnancy test twice, the second test should be taken one week after the first - just to be absolutely sure. Needless to say, the chances of both tests failing are one in one billion - and that statistic should be much more to your liking than 99. 99%.

3. Major Advantages

- Actually find out whether or not youre pregnant

- No needles

- Know sooner - most doctors will only do a test when your period is a week or more late

4. Trying To Have A Baby?

An accurate home pregnancy test is a great invention for women who are trying to become pregnant. It means that they can test each month in the privacy of their own homes, allowing them to have an almost instantaneous result that will either be cause to celebrate and start planning or shed a few tears and then hope for better results next time. Because the test is discreet, women have the option to make their own decision rather than having a decision made for them by their significant other.