Recently I was asked whether I’ve heard about women who are “addicted” to using home pregnancy tests (HPTs). As a matter of fact, yes. On online message boards and Internet chat rooms they refer to themselves as “Addicted to the Stick,” “Pee on a Stick (POAS) Addicts” and “POAS-a-holics.” These are women who are trying to conceive (TTC), usually through fertility treatments, and obsessively use HPTs to monitor their cycles.
Pregnancy tests are designed to detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). HCG is often called the “pregnancy hormone” because it is produced during pregnancy and is made by cells that form the placenta. HPTs detect the hormone in urine, and blood tests to detect the hormone are conducted by a doctor.
It’s easy to understand why, if you’ve been TTC for awhile, the compulsion may exist to test and re-test for pregnancy. Following fertility treatment, there’s what’s referred to as the two-week-wait (2WW), the two weeks between insemination or implantation and the blood pregnancy test. Infertility exacts an enormous toll, anxiety levels run high, and many can’t help but want to know as soon as possible (or even sooner) if this month is the month they are finally pregnant.
Here are some scenarios:
• Women start testing once or twice a day following ovulation until their period starts or they get a positive pregnancy test result.
• Women test once or twice a day in the days immediately following fertility treatment.
• Others continue to test following a positive pregnancy result (BFP – big fat positive). They can’t believe it or they love seeing the positive result time and time again, or they think it will change (indicating an early miscarriage or chemical pregnancy).
You can buy HPTs for a dollar each at many dollar stores, which enables many women to afford lots of them, and the cheap price helps them rationalize their habit. Or you can buy online at a discount if you’re buying in bulk. Some women “save money” by only using the more “expensive” well-known HPT brands when they don’t get their period and the cheaper HPT indicates a BFN (big fat negative).
Not only can this behavior wreak havoc on your psyche and your day-to-day life, other downsides exist. You may test positive for a chemical pregnancy which you may not have known about if you weren’t testing all the time (for some, ignorance is bliss). If you get a negative result when you test early, you may disbelieve the results. Plus, it’s just not cost-effective. And while HPTs can be very accurate, the precision depends on many variables, including how well the directions are followed, how early after a missed period the test is taken, the brand and sensitivity of the test, and how long it takes the fertilized egg to implant.
Most doctors tell women undergoing fertility treatment to avoid HPTs and wait for the more accurate blood test. Sometimes hCG levels aren’t high enough yet to be detected by a HPT but will show up on a blood test.
This waiting period, when so much hangs in the balance, is often quite stressful. Dramatic mood swings, whether from the hormonal changes of pregnancy or the anxiety of waiting to take the test, are all a normal part of the process. Coping strategies are key when you’re TTC, and maybe more so if you find yourself “addicted to the stick.” Learn some practical ways to take care of yourself during this trying time – yoga, meditation and other stress-reduction techniques are particularly helpful. And, make sure you have a good support network, whether it’s your partner, other women going through treatment, a support group or a therapist.
By Jennifer Redmond / www.fertilityauthority.com