Nowadays, women do not always need to go to the hospital to confirm pregnancy. If your period is past your expected date and you begin to experience some early pregnancy signs, you can take a pregnancy test at home using pregnancy test kits. If pregnancy symptoms like missed period, swelling of breasts, cramping, frequent urination, food aversions, morning sickness or nausea is experienced, there is a possibility that you may be pregnant. If you want to take a home test, simply purchase pregnancy test kits and conduct the test by yourself right in the comforts of your home.  Pregnancy test kits may be purchased from a drug store without prescription. These home use kits work by measuring the amount of pregnancy hormone, also called as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) present in your urine. If hCG is found, then you are pregnant. The most common reason why women prefer to take a test using pregnancy test kits is the convenience, privacy and quick results that you get from it. Home use kits may detect the hormone hCG in your urine about 2 weeks after conception or 2 weeks after the egg has been fertilized by the sperm. Using your kit, drop urine on the strip and wait for a few minutes to see the results. To ensure better results, take a look at some of these tips. Be sure to read the label and the instructions very carefully. While most kits are very simple and very easy to use, keep in mind to review the instructions to give yourself a better idea on how the entire test should be performed. Find out how urine sample should be collected. Take note as well of the timing instructions and result indicators. Use only pregnancy test kits which are regulated by the FDA. You can check the FDA database online to find out which brands are regulated by them. You may also ask your pharmacist. There is a chance that kits which are not regulated by the FDA may be ineffective and unsafe.  Some health institutions also offer free pregnancy testing. Most of these institutions make use only of FDA-approved kits. Bear in mind that home pregnancy kits even those used in health institutions offering free pregnancy testing are not always as accurate as blood tests administered by your physician. Kits also cannot determine the stage of the pregnancy. The most sensitive pregnancy test is the process conducted in the laboratory by your physician. He uses a sample of your blood. Blood tests do not only detect hCG. It can also tell you the amount of pregnant hormones present in your blood which usually double on the first few weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, blood tests can also find out which week or month of pregnancy you are in. Apart from that, blood tests can also detect possible problems. Despite the slight inaccuracy percentage of home pregnancy kits, still, many suspecting moms resort to home use tests, to confirm pregnancy. Kits are way more convenient and private as compared to going to your health care provider. However, to get more accurate results and to know the exact stage of your pregnancy, it is always highly recommended that you see your doctor and take a blood test as soon as you can.