When you’re trying to conceive, you go through several pregnancy tests every cycle. You’re either anxiously giving in to the urge to test too early and then testing every day for a week, or you’re trying to confirm your suspicions when Aunt Flo is even one day late.
First Response Early Result is the premium pregnancy test on the market to get a more accurate early result, but using it every time gets expensive ($8.99 for two tests at CVS or Target). Buying pregnancy tests in bulk is a much cheaper option. The Easy@Home brand is $7.99 for 20 tests on Amazon, but can such cheap sticks still be just as accurate?
Let’s back up a bit: The only thing you have to look for when choosing a pregnancy test is how sensitive the test is in detecting the pregnancy hormone, hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. The hormone hCG increases by a little bit every day in a pregnant person’s body, so it becomes detectable on less sensitive tests as time goes on, usually by about two weeks after conception.
Most tests, including Easy@Home, measure the hormone at 25 mIU/mL. First Response Early Result measures it at 6.5 mIU/mL, which makes it more sensitive (that’s a good thing).
This means that First Response Early Result is able to detect smaller amounts of hCG than Easy@Home, so, if you’re pregnant, it will show you a positive earlier. By the time your missed period rolls around, all of the tests on the market should be able to detect a pregnancy because the hCG has been building up for several days.
I used Easy@Home while trying to conceive, and it helped me test for pennies at a time. When I got negatives early on, I could hold out more hope for a positive in a few more days. I ended up using a First Response Early Result test or two every cycle too—but it was nice having the option to test more often without feeling like I was spending too much money.
One important note about the Easy@Home pregnancy tests is that you must read your result during the prescribed time period. If you read it after five minutes have passed, sometimes a faint false positive might show up.
In the end, I do recommend these tests, simply because of their intersection of quality and quantity. If you need to know a result ASAP, the First Response Early Result test will give you answers faster. But if you’re taking tests many times a week and don’t want to break the bank, you’ll find that Easy@Home will become a trusted companion.
Like this piece? Subscribe to our newsletter for real stories about women on their journey to motherhood.
FYI: Each product we mention is independently chosen, and represents the views of the writer, not Motherfigure. If you buy something through our links, Motherfigure may earn an affiliate commission.