Despite the media coverage of such topics as unplanned and teenage pregnancies, many couples can find it surprisingly difficult to conceive where this is their planned intention: The average couple takes around 6 months to conceive and as many as a quarter take up to one year.

Yet 'accidents' do happen. While older women are by no means 'immune' from unplanned pregnancies, the UK has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe: more than 8,000 girls under 16 became pregnant in 2000.

Why Test?
Whether you are trying to achieve or avoid, if you miss a period you should check as soon as possible to find out if you are pregnant. Home pregnancy tests are extremely accurate and reliable, and enable you to test discreetly in the privacy of your own home.

While there may be other reasons for the missed period (and these should be discussed with your GP if pregnancy is not identified as the cause), the possibility should be confirmed as quickly as possible, so that the pregnancy can be monitored and managed to ensure the health of both the mother-to-be and the baby.

How BookaTEST can help?
Our home tests test for pregnancy on the basis of a urine sample. The tests check for the presence of hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) hormone, which the growing embryo starts to produce about a week after conception has taken place. Levels of hCG usually double approximately every two days during the first few weeks of pregnancy, and the presence or absence of hCG determines a positive or a negative result.