by A lot of ladies think that all home pregnancy tests are the same. While the basic workings of a pregnancy test kit are somewhat similar, not all kits are identical.
Cheaper pregnancy tests Family Dollar are quite affordable (priced at about a dollar), readily available, and easy to use. They also have instructions that are easy to follow.
When trying to get pregnant, you may find yourself going through several pregnancy tests, and Dollar Sore pregnancy test kits may be an excellent option considering their cost. The question is, are they accurate?
In this piece, I’ll be talking about their advantages, accuracy, when to use one, how to read the results, and what the results mean.
Are There Any Pregnancy Tests at Family Dollar Stores?
The Dollar Tree store has several thousand branches under the name of Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. The physical stores are aptly named Family Dollar stores.
It is worth noting that most things, if not everything, available at Family Dollar stores are priced at or under $1. The stores have aisles for all types of day to day products, which include pregnancy tests.
Family Dollar does not sell a particular pregnancy test brand. That means that any pregnancy test kit sold at the store is considered a Family Dollar pregnancy test.
Family Dollar Pregnancy Test Kit Prices
The cost of Family Dollar pregnancy tests is the real deal maker. The prices range from less than a dollar to a dollar at most and are currently the cheapest pregnancy test kits on the market.
While blood pregnancy tests are more reliable and you will need to use one for final confirmation, it’s smart and practical to spend the least amount of money by getting home pregnancy test kits.
Family Dollar pregnancy tests cost just a dollar. Regardless of the pregnancy test brand you pick, each one goes for only $1. The fact that they’re cheap makes them very popular.
You get about 10 Family Dollar pregnancy kits for the price of a single expensive pregnancy test. This makes it easier for you to test for pregnancy for a month while spending roughly the same amount of money you would on a single blood test.
How Accurate Are Family Dollar Pregnancy Tests?
All pregnancy test kits are designed to detect a hormone known as hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin found in pregnant women. As soon as a woman gets pregnant, her body starts producing this hormone.
This will usually start, though not always, about six days after fertilization. If you are pregnant, hCG levels will continue rising at a rapid rate and will double every two to three days. (1)
Family Dollar pregnancy test kits are just like any other test kit. They are urine-based hCG home pregnancy tests. It is worth noting that hCG is a pregnancy-induced hormone that starts appearing in the urine of pregnant women after a short while and is what pregnancy tests detect.
Most home pregnancy test manufacturers claim that their products are 99% accurate. The truth is, home pregnancy test kits differ in their ability to detect pregnancy in women who’ve recently missed their period.
If your kit shows a negative result, but you think you might have conceived, repeat the test a week after you’ve missed your period. The earlier you take the test, the harder it might be for the kit to detect the hCG hormone. (2)
How Sensitive Are Family Dollar Pregnancy Tests?
Sensitivity, when it comes to pregnancy tests, refers to the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin that should be in your urine for the test to show a positive result.
The sensitivity levels of most home pregnancy tests range from 20 milli-International Unit or mIU per ml. Family Dollar pregnancy kits have a sensitivity of 50 mIU/ml, which is at the higher end of the standard scale.
After you have conceived, your hormone levels begin to increase slowly and will start doubling every 48 hours. That means that the gap between a 20 mIU/ml test and a Family Dollar 50 mIU/ml positive test result is about 2 days.
However, it’s noteworthy to know that hCG levels are different from woman to woman.
What Does a Faint Line on Family Dollar Pregnancy Tests Mean?
If you’re pregnant, the Family Dollar pregnancy test should show two lines. However, there are times when the variable line, which is the line that indicates a positive result, appears faint. This could lead to confusion, leaving you wondering if you are pregnant or not.
Even if the variable is very faint, that’s a positive result.
When you do the test too early, your urine doesn’t have sufficient amounts of the hCG hormone. If that is the case, it could be the reason why the variable line is so faint and isn’t as distinct as the kit’s control line. Seeing a faint line means that you used the test correctly no matter how vague it is.
When this happens, you should have a talk with your doctor for confirmation. Your doctor will then perform a blood test, which is more accurate. Usually, the doctor will perform the test ten days after you’ve missed your period.
The Advantages of Using a Family Dollar Pregnancy Test
There are several types of pregnancy tests available to you, each with its own level of sensitivity and other strengths. When it comes to Family Dollar pregnancy tests, I can name four standout reasons why you should use this pregnancy test first. Let’s start with the first one.
1. Affordability
You get to save more money when you buy Family Dollar pregnancy test kits since their brand does not have any overhead expenses such as celebrity endorsements and advertising.
This makes it easier for women to do pregnancy tests without having to worry about budgeting. Since Family Dollar pregnancy tests cost between $0.99 and $2, you don’t have to wait for long before knowing your status since you can get one from your local store and know if you are pregnant within minutes.
Family Dollar pregnancy test kits are an inexpensive way of getting accurate pregnancy tests.
2. Ease of Use
Family Dollar pregnancy test kits are very simple to use. Since they don’t require any technical know-how, first-time users don’t have to worry about having to read and understand complex instructions.
These test kits are designed with simplicity in mind, so you don’t have to worry about doing it wrong.
3. Accuracy
Another benefit of using their test kits is that they have a high accuracy rate. When you buy a pregnancy test, you are guaranteed a high-quality test that matches the accuracy and sensitivity of expensive brands.
As long as you follow the product’s instructions and use the test at the correct time, a Family Dollar Pregnancy test will provide a high accuracy rate.
4. Convenience
Family Dollar Pregnancy test kits are readily available. As such, there’s no need for you to visit a high-end pharmacy to purchase this product. All you need to do is visit a local store that sells pharmaceutical or medical items like Family Dollar and pick a kit right off the shelf.
What’s the Best Time to Take a Family Dollar Pregnancy Test?
Your body will give you signs, no matter how minor, that will let you know that you are pregnant. A lot of women may miss these signs since they’re quite similar to the symptoms they get just before they start menstruating. You should use a Family Dollar pregnancy test kit if you notice any of the following symptoms of pregnancy.
1. Missed Period
This is one of the most obvious signs of pregnancy. However, excessive exercise, stress or a change in diet could also alter your menstrual cycle.
If you record your cycle, something you should probably do when trying to get pregnant, it should be easy to know the date your cycle starts. If it doesn’t occur within your expected time frame, then it’s probably time you get a home pregnancy kit and use it.
2. Breast Soreness
Once you conceive, your body will start preparing for the baby. An increase in progesterone and estrogen levels will bring about changes in your body, which include the enlargement of your breasts.
Your nipples and breasts will become sore and tender. You might also notice that your breast size will increase. This usually takes place due to an increase in blood flow.
3. Cramps
When implantation occurs, it may cause abdominal cramps similar to what you’d experience when you get a menstrual period. This could lead to you believing that you’re about to get your periods; however, if it doesn’t occur as scheduled, chances are you are pregnant.
4. Mood Swings
Fluctuations in hormones cause mood swings not only before periods but also at the beginning of your pregnancy. And when fatigue is added into the equation, your mood swings can get worse.
5. Frequent Urination
You might suddenly start feeling the need to urinate often because of the changes in hormone levels which cause more blood flow to your kidneys.
As a result, your bladder fills up much faster, causing you to want to urinate more frequently.
6. Fatigue
You start feeling extremely exhausted for no reason at all. As the pregnancy develops, you may start feeling more tired and fatigued until your hCG levels settle down.
Fatigue is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy but is often overlooked since a lot of women also experience the same when their periods are around the corner.
You should also consider using a pregnancy test if your choice of contraception fails. In case a condom tears while having sexual intercourse or if you forgot to take contraceptive pills when required, consider testing your urine for hCG on the day your menstrual period is due or after a couple of days.
How to Use a Family Dollar Pregnancy Test
As far as we know, these tests have always been as accurate as possible and only a handful of Family Dollar pregnancy tests have been inaccurate. Pregnancy tests were developed in such a way to detect any early sign of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG) in women.
The placenta releases this hormone into the body after implantation. However, when you are not pregnant, there is absolutely no trace of the hormone. As a result, this is one of the surest ways to find out if you are pregnant or not.
Follow these steps when using a Family Dollar pregnancy test:
- Firstly, you should pee into any clean disposable cup.
- With the use of a pipette or a syringe, remove a sample from the cup.
- Drop a small amount of your sample onto the slot within the kit and wait for a bit until the urine moves along the strip.
- When the previous step has been completed, the results will begin to appear on the strip.
You might get nervous while waiting for the results. But you just have to wait briefly as this test has one of the fastest turnarounds among pregnancy tests.
How to Read a Dollar Store Pregnancy Test
By now I’m sure that your nerves are getting the best of you while you wait. However, in order for any pregnancy test to do its job, there are several factors that come into play such as how early you performed the test or if you simply followed the instructions correctly.
Several cases are known where women have skipped their period for a week and they tested negative because of the high probability that not enough pregnancy hormone had been released for the kit to detect.
When it comes to using these tests, it is not recommended that you use them at night. Also, don’t use a test if it is expired. Depending on the design of the test, you will be able to get your results in one of the following ways:
1. Plus or Minus
After you’ve taken your pregnancy test and if a plus sign shows up, your results are positive. The plus sign is generally blue and simply means that you are indeed pregnant.
However, if a minus sign shows up on the window, this, of course, indicates that you are not pregnant.
2. One or Two Lines
In the case where lines appear on your test, two lines signify that you are pregnant. One line means that you tested negative and that you are not, in fact, pregnant.
However, if no lines or signs showed up, your test is now invalid. This might have happened because a small error was made in following the instructions or your test could have been expired.
In addition to home pregnancy tests, pregnancy can be detected with the use of a properly administered blood test. However, this can only be carried out at your doctor’s office.
Testing a woman’s urine for hCG tends to be very reliable, but it also depends on a number of factors like the timing of the test and the woman’s overall health.
What Is an IU?
IU refers to the International Units. This is the standard measurement used for supplements, vitamins, and drugs. One IU is known as the amount of a substance needed before it creates an effect. As a result, IUs cannot be converted to other forms of measurements.
Let’s look at the following example to illustrate: 1000 IUs of vitamin C produces a different weight when compared to that of 1000 IUs of vitamin A. In other words, IU is simply a measure of the strength of any drug as they have been determined by regulatory international boards.
The Family Dollar pregnancy tests indicate that 50 mIU is needed to activate the test. There are other home pregnancy tests that have a 20 mIU detection rate. They also tend to be more expensive.
What Does a False Positive on a Family Dollar Pregnancy Test Mean?
While Dollar Store pregnancy tests are accurate, your results can sometimes show up as being positive when, in fact, you are not pregnant. These are known as false positives and can happen due to a variety of reasons. The following are some of the common causes:
1. Evaporating Line
In some cases, your result lines can very well evaporate. This happens when you wait much longer than the recommended time. When this occurs, you will notice two lines, these being the control line as well as the evaporated line.
This will make you think that you are pregnant. You will notice the error if you remember that a positive result will have a distinct color when compared to the control line.
2. Not Following Instructions
If for some reason the instructions weren’t followed correctly, this compromises the result of your pregnancy test. As a result, you can very well end up with a false positive reading when you are not even pregnant.
Due to this simple mistake, your results will be inaccurate, so be sure to read the instructions a second or even a third time to make sure you understand.
3. Using Medication
When you use medications for reasons such as anxiety, epilepsy, or even allergies, this leads to the body naturally releasing high levels of hCG within the body. And, when you take a test, you will possibly get a positive result.
4. Ovarian Cysts
If you suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, over time your cysts disappear because they are benign. It should be noted that the cysts are filled with fluid.
As they begin to disappear, ovarian cysts release hCG and slowly increase the levels of hCG in the body. This goes on to cause your pregnancy test to give you a false positive reading.
5. Undergoing Fertility Treatment
Those who are undergoing treatment for fertility need to be administered with hCG shots to stimulate ovulation. Because of this, pregnancy results can indicate positive even up to three weeks after receiving a shot.
In this case, you should visit your doctor to do a blood test to be sure.
6. Faulty Pregnancy Test
Home pregnancy tests usually have an expiry date. If by chance you use an expired one, you can fall victim to a false positive result. As such, when you’re purchasing a Dollar Store pregnancy test, be sure to check the expiration date in order to get the most accurate result.
Still, some units are indeed defective, but this is not common. If you’ve gotten yourself a defective kit, then your results will be wrong.
7. Chemical Pregnancy
At times, even though your egg has been fertilized, the embryo doesn’t always survive. As a result, your body produces excessive levels of hCG after implantation has occurred.
Most times, this situation is referred to as a chemical pregnancy, but it’s really an early miscarriage and some bleeding will occur close to your menstrual cycle.
In addition to all that we’ve discussed, keep in mind that false positives are not so common, and an indication of a positive result will more than likely mean that you are pregnant.
If even after your Dollar Store test says positive you are still in doubt, it might be time to make a doctor’s appointment to get a blood test done and an ultrasound to confirm your results even further.
What Does a False Negative on a Family Dollar Pregnancy Test Mean?
The ordeal of thinking you’re pregnant and getting a negative result can be quite nerve-wracking, especially after you’ve taken a test or a series of tests and they all came out negative. Then not too long after that, you find out that you’ve been pregnant all along. This is a rare occurrence but it does happen. Here are a few possible reasons why you got a false negative result:
1. Testing Early
One of the most common reasons for experiencing a false negative result is testing too early. Family Dollar pregnancy tests aren’t developed to detect very early signs.
As such, you will get a false negative result if there isn’t enough hCG in your blood. You should wait 3 or 4 days or, better yet, wait until at least a week after your missed period.
Try not to fall for tests that claim they can give you an early result. Several studies indicate such tests are not reliable as brands which claim 10 mIU/ml detection perform inconsistently in lab testing. (3)
To be sure, it is recommended that you repeat the test at least a few times instead of testing too early.
2. Pregnancy Problems
When you experience a chemical pregnancy, you can indeed get a false negative result due to an early miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.
Due to these circumstances, you can experience a series of positive and negative results. In this case, you should definitely schedule an appointment with your doctor to confirm your results.
3. Reading Your Results Too Late or Early
When it comes to reading your results, be sure to do so within the time limit stated in your kit. In some cases, if you read your results too early, your results wouldn’t be accurately displayed.
In the case where you checked long after the time, it will still be considered as inaccurate no matter what it says on the window.
4. Not Using the Test Properly
No matter how excited you are about being pregnant and using you Family Dollar pregnancy test, be sure to read the directions carefully.
As mentioned earlier, read the instructions twice or more just to be sure. When the steps aren’t followed, you compromise your results.
You can end up with a false negative reading because of small mistakes like not putting enough urine sample in the slot or not waiting long enough to get the results.
5. Obesity
Women who are obese tend to have higher BMI and a significantly lower level of hCG. Because of this, your results can vary for quite some time. Only when the levels of hCG in your body have built up that you will start to see a positive result in your tests.
6. Diluted Urine
The hCG in your urine can become diluted if you drink too much water before taking a test. This then leads to a false negative result.
As such, you can get the best result from taking your test with your first urine in the morning.
With that said, don’t be discouraged if your results are negative after you and your loved one have tried. Doctors suggest that the most ideal time to take a test is the day after you’ve noticed that you missed your period. This will give you sufficient time to let your hormone levels rise.
Is Urine Dilution Possible?
We previously mentioned that your urine can be diluted. This is simply due to the amount of fluid that you consume on a daily basis. As such, your hormone levels can become too diluted and too low for proper detection to occur.
So, when you’re taking a Family Dollar pregnancy test, be sure to do so early in the morning when your urine isn’t too diluted.
Keep in mind that when you get those positive results that they are almost 99% of the time correct. We say this knowing that positive results can only be triggered when hCG is present.
If you’re still unsure, you should visit your doctor for a blood test and for guidance on what to do next.
Family Dollar Pregnancy Test Reviews
The reviews are in. Women who have used Family Dollar pregnancy tests are impressed with the level of accuracy and reliability as long as instructions are followed properly like all pregnancy tests.
You need to make sure you use the correct amount of urine and read the results in the timeframe specified. Many women appreciated the clear and concise instructions that come with Family Dollar pregnancy tests. Women felt that these were straightforward enough even for women who had never used a pregnancy test before.
Like all products, a cheaper price tag does not necessarily mean a lower quality product. The Family Dollar pregnancy tests allow women to afford to take a test early or test for the first time without having to spend a lot of money.
Why Do Some People Not Trust Family Dollar Pregnancy Tests?
Some people have preconceived notions about less expensive products without even trying them. However, not everyone who has something to say against cheaper pregnancy tests is a hater. They do raise some important points.
Some complaints are valid such as the short lifecycle, the inability to test pregnancy during certain early stages, and the low sensitivity.
Many people also do not like that this product does not have a digital reader. Instead, you will see two lines if you are pregnant and one line if you are not.
What Should You Do After You Take Your Family Dollar Pregnancy Test?
The next steps are determined by whether or not you got a positive or negative pregnancy result.
1. Positive Result
If your result is positive, you will want to contact your gynecologist right away. Your doctor will confirm your pregnancy by either a blood test or a vaginal ultrasound.
After this, your doctor will begin a prenatal care regimen that will ensure you and your baby are getting the care you need.
2. Negative Result
If your Family Dollar pregnancy test showed only one line, the result is negative. This means your period should come. If your period does not come in the next few days, you will want to repeat the pregnancy test in one week’s time.
3. Mixed Results
If you have gotten mixed results (meaning you have gotten some negative and some positive results), you will want to visit your doctor. They can check you and confirm your pregnancy by a blood test.
It is important you see your doctor as soon as possible because your mixed results could be due to an ectopic or tubal pregnancy. Based on your blood test results, your doctor will prescribe an appropriate course of action.
4. Persistent Negative Result
If you have tested negative again and your period still has not come, it is time to go see your healthcare provider.
Sometimes, your missed period can be a sign of something more serious such as increased stress levels, overexercise, a thyroid problem, low body weight, or even problems with your ovaries. Your doctor can figure out why your body has discontinued your menstruation and work to resolve the problem.
Conclusion
The one dollar price tag of the Family Dollar pregnancy test is not too good to be true. Although it is not an ultra-sensitive test, it is sensitive enough to be very accurate. You will find many reviews online that women have written about their success with these pregnancy tests. These women used these tests for their next pregnancies as well.
If you think you may be pregnant, spend one dollar instead of 20 dollars to confirm the pregnancy. Just be certain you follow the directions to the absolute best of your ability.
There is not a cheaper pregnancy test on the market. It is by far the best value for a home pregnancy test. Since it was first introduced, women have been using it and singing its praises both online and to their friends and families. Even doctor’s offices and clinics have begun to recommend these tests due to the level of accuracy and price.
It is always very important to make sure you are buying pregnancy tests that have the reputation and the necessary components to be as accurate as possible. Family Dollar pregnancy tests have both good reviews and the sensitivity to give accurate results when taken at the right time.
If you think you may be pregnant or are hoping to get pregnant in the near future, head on over to the Family Dollar and stock up. Your wallet will thank you.
References
- Pregnancy Tests https://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/pregnancy-tests#1
- Home pregnancy tests: Can you trust the results? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/home-pregnancy-tests/art-20047940
- Strips of Hope: Accuracy of Home Pregnancy Tests and New Developments https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4119102/
