Pregnancy Tests

• What is the role of monoclonal antibodies in pregnancy tests?


  They detect the hormone hCG in urine.
• What hormone do pregnant women produce that is detected by pregnancy tests?

  hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin)
• How do pregnancy tests indicate whether a woman is pregnant?

  By detecting hCG in the urine.
• What happens to the test strip when a woman is not pregnant?


  The unfixed blue beads flow past the fixed antibodies, and nothing happens.
• What is the significance of the blue beads in the pregnancy test?

  They are covered in monoclonal antibodies specific to hCG.
• What occurs when hCG is present in the urine during a pregnancy test?


  The hCG binds to the blue beads, causing them to stick to the fixed antibodies on the strip.
• What does a blue strip on a pregnancy test indicate?


  A positive test result for pregnancy.
• Why do most pregnancy tests have two lines instead of one?


  The second line acts as a control to confirm the test is working.
• What should users do before using a pregnancy test?

  Read the instructions carefully.
• What are the main components of a pregnancy test strip?

  • Fixed monoclonal antibodies specific to hCG
  • Free-moving blue beads covered in the same monoclonal antibodies
• How does the presence of hCG affect the movement of blue beads in a pregnancy test?


  • In the absence of hCG: Blue beads flow past fixed antibodies.
  • In the presence of hCG: Blue beads bind to fixed antibodies, causing a blue strip.