Give me your feedback on pee sticks

[Belia]

I went to peeonastick.com, and twoweekwait.com, but both websites appear to have not been updated for quite a while.  As in, months-to-years.  

Where can I find info on reliability of different pg tests??  I mean, I know about FRER, but I picked up a Clearblue Easy +/- (non-digital) on sale and with a coupon last week, and I'm trying to find out if this is any good.  Or what to look out for with this.  The box says it tests for 25-whatevers.... how can I verify if that's true?

What's the go-to site for info on pee sticks these days?

Jaimee.... I know you're out there.......  

[crystal_buffaloe]

Fertility Friend has a link with stats on pregnancy tests broken down by brand. I think 25 whatevers for HCG is a pretty standard threshold.

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/tg/galleryStats.php

[Jaimee]

Yep, here I am!

Really the most sensitive test you can easily buy at a store requires an hCG level of 25. Most dollar store tests and generic drug store tests are just as sensitive and accurate as FRER. But it's also important to pick up a pink dye NON +/- type test for lower fallibility. You can purchase tests that only require 20 and sometimes lower online, but honestly, I don't see these tests being worth it. Most women's hCG levels will reach 25 by the time of their expected AF if the pregnancy is viable (though, obviously this is not true 100% of the time).

CBE digi used to require a level of 50. If the packing insert says 25, then that should be accurate and POAS.com does mention that manufacturer reps have been reported to say 25. So I would imagine, what has happened is that they lowered the sensitivity of the test in the last couple of years. You could call the manufacturer hotline and verify this.

Otherwise, POAS, Babyhopes, and Fertility Plus are my go to sites.

[Belia]

Well, crap.  The CBE I bought is a blue dye +/-.  NOT digital- that wasn't on sale.  Ergh.

Why is pink dye better than blue dye????

Thanks for the additional links- I will check them out.

What will this forum be like when you birth your LO, Jaimee??  And you've moved on to breastmilk and cloth diapers?  Please don't leave us for good!!!!

[Jaimee]

  You're sweet!  I'm not sure what my online time will look like once I have 3 kiddos to look after!  But I really enjoy helping others with their charts, so hopefully I'll be around a bit.  Maybe not quite so much, though...

Oops, I read that wrong about what test you bought!  I thought you said you did get the digi. 

For early testing purposes, pink dye and the two line tests have the best track record not only for early results, but clear results.  Blue dye tests to lead to more evap problems early on and the +/- variety are plagued with interpretation issues.  You can read about the POAS +/- test experiment here.  You can also read up on the "latest POAS news" where she writes about more current issues and updates in red font what has happened.  This includes mention of your particular test be, as she puts it, "crappy" since it delivers a poor result.  But the +/- variety has always had a sensitivity of 25 as far as I know, so no confusion there.

It has been my experience with my own peeing on a stick career and listening to reports from others that these issues are mostly with early testing.   Once you're far enough along, HPT's should give very clear pregnant result in general, but as you'll see, even the not pregnant results can be difficult to see on the +/- variety!