I found this product in my local chemist. I waited until all the customers had left the shop and then asked for a pregnancy test. I don't know why I did this as I had a wedding ring on and a 19 month old in a pram with me! I had a choice of one of the regular branded pack of two pregnancy tests for £13.99 or this one for a 'special price' of £2.99 for one. Not sure if this is the regular price but it had a big yellow sticker indicating the special price and it's not as if they wanted to clear the
shelves as it's in date for over another year.
Anyway, ANSWER calls itself the one step pregnancy test. For £2.99 I knew it wasn't to be a new fandangled digital test although I was surprised to see how basic it really was.
+++ THE KIT ITSELF +++ For this 'one step' test, you get a box that is about 12 cm high that includes some instructions, a test stick and a cup. You getting the idea? The 'one step' requires you to do two steps!!!
+++ THE INSTRUCTIONS +++ The outside of the box isn't too clear but the leaflet is very helpful with test, diagrams and FAQ's. It's not suitable for those having a panic about whether or not they're pregnant as you really do need to take your time with this test. Although cheap, the test claims that it has proved to be over 99% accurate and can be used anytime of the day from your first day of your missed period.
For the first step of the one step test, you are first meant to wee in the cup. Now, the good news is that the cup has a diameter of about two inches so you can catch most of it, unlike the sample bottles you get from your GP! You need to at least half fill the cup to get an accurate result.
You then have a test stick in a traditional style of packet for pregnancy tests although it's half the size. You then need to check you've got it the right way up by looking at the information leaflet, there's a thumb grip at the top which is blue and thicker than the rest of the stick and the opposite end is the dipping stick. The stick is very similar in size and material to the wee sticks they check your urine on at the GP's. You dip the stick into the wee for AT LEAST 10 seconds. After this time, you need to put the test on a flat surface. The test takes 2-3 minutes to give a result, one pink line, not positive, two pink lines, positive. If after 5 minutes you do not have a result, the test is void. Also if the negative result looks faintly positive after 10 minutes, it's still negative.
+++ MY PREGNANCY TEST +++ After reading the instructions at least three times (a habit I have of using any pregnancy tests, even if I've used that brand before), I proceeded to fill the cup and to my delight, I was able to catch 'most' of my wee to ¾ fill the tub before I could sit and relax to finish my wee.
Then came test itself. I took the test stick out of the foil wrapper, worked out which way to use it and the proceeded to dunk it in the cup and left it there for about 15 seconds. Now the more expensive tests are a bit quicker than this and it did take about 2 minutes to get one faint line. After 3 minutes the faint line became stronger but there wasn't any other line nor did one appear after 5 minutes so I am not pregnant!
All in all, there is a bit more faff with this test but it is massively cheaper than others so I am prepared to put up with that. After all, the claims of 99% accurate are no less than the more expensive tests. I spent hundreds of pounds on pregnancy tests last time with trying to get pregnant as it took 18 months due to my having PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) which makes periods very irregular before I got pregnant with Benjamin, I am going for the cheaper option this time. Hopefully we won't reach £50!
+++ OTHER INFORMATION +++ Distributed by Carter Products Ltd, Wear Bay Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 6PG. Manufactured by Princeton BioMeditech Corporation, Princeton, USA. Answer is a trademark of ARMELL, LLC. Contact Femine Care Research Laboratories on 01303 221686 for more info.
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Good luck with trying to conceive... sorry that you didn't get the result you wanted with this test. I can't believe how inexpensive this product was, I'll have to get a supply for when I am next trying for a baby, which won't be for a while as Oliver is only six weeks old at the moment - LOL! I really enjoyed reading your review. x
MAFARRIMOND 23.07.2005 22:40
Sorry to hear the results. Maureen
AnitaM 04.07.2005 11:28
Not heard of this one but a great price if you think you need to buy a few of them. Good luck trying!
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