Simply having a pregnancy test in their possession leads many women to test more often, which leads to healthier babies, according to research done by an MSU professor.
An early realization of pregnancy contributes significantly to the health of a newborn, said Mary Nettleman, chairwoman of the department of medicine in the MSU College of Human Medicine, who led the study.
“Telling a woman that she’s pregnant is wonderfully beneficial to the woman and baby,” Nettleman said. “If you tell them they are pregnant they will stop smoking and drinking — you want that to happen as early in the pregnancy if possible.”
The 198 women who were in the study were low-income, having unprotected sex and didn’t want to become pregnant. They were split into two groups: a control group and an experimental group that was given free home pregnancy tests and could get more of them if needed, according to the report.
In the control group, women tested 64 percent of the time when they suspected pregnancy. In the experimental group — those provided with free tests — women tested 93 percent of the time when they suspected they could be pregnant.
“If they had a test on hand, they lowered their threshold of suspicion — they tested more often and suspected more often,” Nettleman said. “It completely changed in how they did things.”
The study was funded by the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Pregnancy tests for home use are very sensitive and usually accurate, said Lori Lamerand, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, Mid and South Michigan.
“I think that a significant number of patients who seek us out for a test have already tested at home,” she said.
Many women want to double check, she said.
Pregnancy tests at Planned Parenthood cost anywhere from $8 to $20. The cost a person pays is based on her gross household income, said Ryan Webster, community educator for Lansing Planned Parenthood, Mid and South Michigan.
Pregnancy testing also is available at Olin Health Center for $20, said Erica Phillipich, a health educator with the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Olin.
Nettleman said early recognition of a pregnancy allows for a healthier baby.
“One of the major things is to stop drinking as early as possible if she was drinking before and to quit smoking — or try hard — and to avoid medicines that we are all taking that are just fine for us but not for the baby,” she said.
Nettleman said one of the next areas to explore will involve seeing if women truly recognize their pregnancies early and if they do, to see if that leads to earlier prenatal care.
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