3.10 - Pregnancy Tests

• A pregnancy test detects a certain hormone that is secreted when a woman is pregnant. What is this hormone?

  HCG
• What type of antibodies does the pregnancy test use?

  Monoclonal
• What happens if hCG is present in the urine?

  It binds to the free antibody
• What are the steps involved in the urine pregnancy test process?

  1. Person urinates to provide a sample.
  2. If pregnant, urine contains hCG.
  3. hCG binds to free antibody in the test site.
  4. hCG-free antibody complex binds to fixed antibody.
  5. Color change occurs in the test site.
  6. Control site has fixed antibody that binds to free antibody.
  7. Color change in control site indicates test validity.