Mike Arnold
Board Sponsor
After dealing with numerous people over the last year regarding pregnancy test strips, I wanted to post a thread explaining to everyone why HCG pregnancy test strips are INEFFECTIVE when it comes to testing HCG at high concentrations (such as 5,000 iu in a 3 ml vial). Below you will find some basic information on the subject, which I recently sent to a customer. After they took my advice, they, along with others who had similar concerns, all came back to me and reported that the test strips were now showing a very positive result. Please see below...
Pregnancy HCG test strips are ineffective when testing high concentrations of HCG, as they are designed to test for HCG levels in pregnant women ranging from 25-290,000 mIU/ml. Once HCG levels exceed roughly 500,000 mIU/ML, a test strip will begin to show false negatives. Why?
HCG test strips do not work by testing for HCG itself, but by testing for the presence of HCG antibodies. In order for a test strip to show a positive result, the HCG must attach itself to two different antibodies; the anti-alpha and the anti-beta antibodies. These antibodies are located on the test strip itself. When this occurs, an "HCG sandwich" is formed. It is this sandwich that the test strip then interprets as a positive reading. However, if the HCG fails to bind to these two antibodies, the test strip will show a false negative result no matter how much HCG is in the vial.
When HCG concentrations exceed 500,000 mIU/ml, the HCG antibodies become saturated, preventing them from binding to these two antibodies and therefore, preventing the formation of an HCG sandwich. The end result will be a false negative. This is known as the "hook effect", which is well established in the scientific literature. The hook effect can even occur in pregnant women if they have highly elevated HCG levels. This is why some pregnant women end up with false negatives, which is later confirmed with bloodwork.
The concentration of 5,000 iu of HCG in a 3 ml vial is 10X higher than what is required for a false negative to occur on a test strip.
How did I come to learn this? Back when I first started selling HCG, I thought I would save myself $250 on a lab test and just use test strips. I had just purchased 100's of vials, so I tested one of them with a test strip and got a negative result. I was worried, so I tested another one. Same thing. I then tested another one using a test strip from a different manufacturer. Same thing. At this point I was about to contact my manufacturer, but I decided to do a little research first. After doing my homework, I took 2,500 iu and poured it into an10-12 ounce glass of water. I then used another test strip and it immediately turned bright blue, showing a very clear positive result. I tried a test strip from the other company. Same positive result.
If anyone has questions or concerns about this information, I advise them to not only Google it, but to engage in the same experiment described above and see for themselves. I am certain you will come to the same conclusion."
HCG Test Strips Ineffective
Pregnancy HCG test strips are ineffective when testing high concentrations of HCG, as they are designed to test for HCG levels in pregnant women ranging from 25-290,000 mIU/ml. Once HCG levels exceed roughly 500,000 mIU/ML, a test strip will begin to show false negatives. Why?
HCG test strips do not work by testing for HCG itself, but by testing for the presence of HCG antibodies. In order for a test strip to show a positive result, the HCG must attach itself to two different antibodies; the anti-alpha and the anti-beta antibodies. These antibodies are located on the test strip itself. When this occurs, an "HCG sandwich" is formed. It is this sandwich that the test strip then interprets as a positive reading. However, if the HCG fails to bind to these two antibodies, the test strip will show a false negative result no matter how much HCG is in the vial.
When HCG concentrations exceed 500,000 mIU/ml, the HCG antibodies become saturated, preventing them from binding to these two antibodies and therefore, preventing the formation of an HCG sandwich. The end result will be a false negative. This is known as the "hook effect", which is well established in the scientific literature. The hook effect can even occur in pregnant women if they have highly elevated HCG levels. This is why some pregnant women end up with false negatives, which is later confirmed with bloodwork.
The concentration of 5,000 iu of HCG in a 3 ml vial is 10X higher than what is required for a false negative to occur on a test strip.
How did I come to learn this? Back when I first started selling HCG, I thought I would save myself $250 on a lab test and just use test strips. I had just purchased 100's of vials, so I tested one of them with a test strip and got a negative result. I was worried, so I tested another one. Same thing. I then tested another one using a test strip from a different manufacturer. Same thing. At this point I was about to contact my manufacturer, but I decided to do a little research first. After doing my homework, I took 2,500 iu and poured it into an10-12 ounce glass of water. I then used another test strip and it immediately turned bright blue, showing a very clear positive result. I tried a test strip from the other company. Same positive result.
If anyone has questions or concerns about this information, I advise them to not only Google it, but to engage in the same experiment described above and see for themselves. I am certain you will come to the same conclusion."
