#atozchallenge - H is for HPT

At the beginning of this challenge I explained how trying for a baby introduces you to a whole new language, most of which comprises of obscure acronyms; well HPT is one of those bizarre little groups of letters which might come to mean something to you once you've started trying.

HPT stands for Home Pregnancy Test, it's closely related to BFP and BPN; the former is the result you want, a 'Big Fat Positive', the latter the one you hope to avoid, a 'Big Fat Negative'.

There are several different sorts of tests, the most common ones are the 'pee on a stick' variety, though slightly cheaper are the 'pee in a cup then the stick in' ones. You've probably seen those fancy Clear Blue Digital tests advertised on TV, those things cost a fortune so unless you know that you're pregnant, you're better off with the cheaper ones. Trust me, when you've been doing this for a while those HPTs can add up.

The ones I've used all work in the same way. You get one line which appears right away, called the 'control' that shows the stick is working properly; if you don't get that line you've got a dud. The second line can take several minutes to appear, but if you wait too long to check you run the risk of seeing an 'evap' or 'evaporation line'. This means you get all excited because you think you've got two little lines, when in fact it's just the stick playing a little prank on you.

The best time to do a test is first time in the morning (so all those lovely hormones that it's looking for have had a chance to build up in your urine). So you slink off to the bathroom first thing, pee in a cup (or if you have good aim, on your stick), dip your stick and wait for the results. If you're lucky you'll see your control line right away, and if you're really lucky you'll get that elusive second line. Apparently it's far more likely to get a false negative than a false postivie, so if you don't the winning lines this time, there's still a chance next time.

Of couse, if you're like me and things are running late, doing an HPT seems to be the best way to get things moving again. I swear, nine times out of ten I'll get a negative test and then my period arrives around six hours later. I've actually got to the point where I don't do tests any more, just in case and I jinx myself.

But it's okay, I have a small stash in a cupboard, just in case I need them.