Written by Carly Hayes. Reviewed by Jenny Wordsworth.

Meet the new(ish) kid on the pregnancy test block. Our highly sensitive, fully recyclable OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests are designed specifically for those trying to conceive. 

To explain why we’ve so carefully designed and produced these tests, we’ve asked our experts to first explain everything you need to know about pregnancy tests—without the jargon.

First of all, let’s cover how pregnancy tests work.

Most pregnancy tests on the market detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone made by the developing placenta after a fertilised egg implants in the uterus. As a pregnancy progresses, hCG levels rise beyond a certain level and can then be detected by a pregnancy test giving a positive result. You can read more details on how pregnancy tests work here.

Why does the sensitivity of a pregnancy test matter?

If used correctly, most pregnancy tests are 98% to 99% accurate the day your period is due. Still, many of the tests currently available are much less accurate if you test earlier than this, and they fail to make this clear on the outer box packaging. You’ll often see punchy claims such as “99% accurate” and that you can use them “3-6 days before your period.”

Let’s be clear: all of these tests are only 99% accurate when you use them from the day your period is due. The accuracy rates of the results drop off the earlier you test, and that is what we need you to know should you choose to test early. Unfortunately, this critical information is usually kept hidden in the small print. 

The sensitivity of a test is measured in mIU/mL, that’s milli-international units per millilitre. So, the lower this number is, the more sensitive a test is. If you test earlier, the result will be more accurate than a test with a higher sensitivity. 

Most tests available in the U.K are a sensitivity of 25 mIU/mL. OVUM is amongst the most sensitive tests available on the market today, and has a sensitivity of 10mIU/mL. 

What about false test results?

We know many of you like to test as early as possible before your period. We get it; we’ve been there. But, we feel we have a responsibility to point out the hazards of testing too early as this could result in:

• A false negative – you’re pregnant, but the levels of hCG are not high enough to be detected by the test. We recommend testing frequently if your preference is to test early;
• A false positive – you were pregnant, but you’ve had an early miscarriage (also referred to as a ‘chemical pregnancy’). We think it’s important to point out that pregnancy tests only rarely give false positive results; there are confirmed circumstances of this occurring with Clearblue and Clear and Simply pregnancy tests in the U.K. These were swiftly investigated and resolved by the MHRA. 

We know how devastating getting either of these false results can be, so we’d like to encourage you all to #WaitToWee.

The "Wait to Wee" Approach

Although several available pregnancy tests claim to be accurate and sensitive up to 5 or 6 days before your period is due, Made for Mums conducted their own investigation and found that 6.5% of early pregnancy tests were giving false or misleading results to their users.

We therefore fully support Made for Mums’ #WaitToWee campaign, which encourages women to wait until the day after their period is due to test so that they can be confident in the result. You can learn more about why they recommend you should #WaitToWee at Made For Mums.

If you’re undergoing IVF or other fertility treatments, you might be booked in for a clinic blood test to determine if you’re pregnant.  If you choose to do a test at home beforehand, be aware it may give you false results as you are likely to be testing so early. Using accurate at-home pregnancy tests is, therefore, key.

So, why use OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests?

At OVUM, we put the trying-to-conceive community at the forefront of everything we do. Our flagship product is our scientifically backed supplement, now recommended on patient protocols in 21 private IVF clinics across the U.K.

Our latest product, the OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Test, is highly sensitive and carefully designed to be as accurate as possible. Our instructions are beautifully designed and easy to understand. We don’t want you to be worried about the environmental impact of your trying-to-conceive journey either, so we’ve ensured that these pregnancy tests are fully recyclable. In addition, we provide emotional support with each pack, whether positive or negative, should you need it in the event of an unexpected test result.

They’re Accurate and Safe

We know that those of you who are trying to conceive want to test as early as possible before your period. So, while we encourage you to #WaitToWee, we felt a responsibility to give you an early detection pregnancy test that is as accurate as possible.

OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests have been designed with the highest possible sensitivity of 10 mlU/mL (based on World Health Organisation 4th International Standard 75/589). This means they’re 99% accurate when used up to 3 days before your expected period. Here’s the accuracy data on our pregnancy tests:

We’ve done our research, and we know that you want to test early, so the above data is from clinical studies involving over 1000 pregnant women. This study shows that OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests are 99% accurate 3 days before your expected period. At 4 days before your expected period, the test result is 97% accurate, and at 5 days before your expected period, the test is 77% accurate.

The FDA (U.S. regulator) regulates these accuracy cut-offs, and our test is equivalent to or better than other early result pregnancy tests on the market.

Our tests are also approved by the U.K regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), so you can be confident they’re safe and accurate. OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests are also BPA and phthalate-free, so you know you won’t expose your body to any unnecessary chemicals as you use them.

They’re Fully Recyclable

OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests are the U.K’s first fully recyclable pregnancy test.

12.5 to 15.5 million used tests (and their foil wrappers) end up in landfills in the U.K. each year—that’s more than 150 tonnes of plastic waste! Ensuring our pregnancy tests were fully recyclable was non-negotiable for us. 

Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to recycle used pregnancy tests in household recycling. Yet. 

We plan to change this, but for now, OVUM offers recycling of every part of our tests using the FREEPOST envelope provided with each pack. This means that our customers can simply pop their used tests, packaging and desiccants in the envelope and send it (free of charge) to our recycling partner, Enval, who will close the loop and fully recycle 100% of these tests for us here in the U.K.

Furthermore, our tests are rePurpose Plastic Negative Certified, so for every product purchased, we fund the removal of twice as much plastic from the environment as is produced to make the tests. We’ll keep paying for this until we can provide completely plastic-free tests.

They Offer Genuine Support

At OVUM, our aim is to support you through your trying-to-conceive journey with sensitivity and understanding. 

With every box of OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests, we provide free and immediate access to a guided meditation with Alice Rose to support you in the event of an unexpected negative or positive result. We hope that Alice’s expertise and compassionate guidance will offer a comforting and empowering way for those who have to navigate this challenging experience.

If you’re struggling to wait to take a pregnancy test, we also recommend Alice’s free “5 Steps To Owning The Wait” meditation, which you can access here.

“Trying to conceive can seriously affect your mental health. Every time I had to take a test, I felt sick. I was sweaty and sticky, and my heart would pound. The adrenalin flowed through my body and the fear of what was about to happen would be almost overwhelming. When it was negative, I felt like a fool. I felt stupid to have hoped, to have believed for a moment that it was going to be my time.”

“With these new OVUM tests, anyone trying to conceive will not only feel seen by their sensitive packaging—no bump images here—and reassured by their high ethical standards but also every box includes access to a guided meditation, so you have support right there and then if you need it. Everything about the brand from the fully recyclable tests, comforting wording on the packages and the early detection, is so thoughtfully created. Thank you, Ovum. This is an incredible product and the recyclability is the cherry on top.” 

Alice Rose, Fertility Mindset Coach 

And, there are 4 tests per pack

At OVUM, we understand the urge to test as early as possible and so for that reason, we include four early pregnancy tests in each box. This means, if you do decide to test early, you can confirm these results by testing five days before, three days before, and on the day of your expected period. 

Our experts recommend that you carefully follow our instructions and test first thing in the morning to ensure the most accurate results.

Take Home Message

Our OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests provide early and accurate pregnancy detection to those trying to conceive in a safe and environmentally friendly way, along with emotional support, if needed.

We recommend that you embrace the #WaitToWee approach, and OVUM Early Detection Pregnancy Tests will give you the confidence to test when the time is right.