Wednesday, September 20, 1978
daily nebraskan
page 15
Health officials say home pregnancy test not accurate
By Kim Wilt
A new home pregnancy test which
entered the market this spring is being sold
in Lincoln pharmacies, but some Lincoln
health officials question its effectiveness.
The Early Pregnancy Test, or E.P.T.,
is sold in a kit, and costs between $10.95
and $13.68, depending on the pharmacy
where it's sold.
Brady Brostrom, a pharmacist with the
Baker's Physicians' Building, said the test
detects the presence of a hormone which is
present in higher levels in a pregnant
woman's urine. If the test is positive, indi
cating pregnancy, the mixture will change
color, he said. He estimated that the test
is 99 percent accurate.
He said that if a woman is at least one
or two months pregnant, the tests will be
accurate.
Bakers' Physician Building sells the kits
for $10.95.
The E.P.T. also is sold at Family Drug,
and Winter Drug, at a cost of $10.95 and
$13.68 respectively.
Pharamcists at all three outlets said they
believed the Food and Drug Administra
tion (FDA) had approved the sale of the
kits. The pharmacist at Winter Drug said
that if the FDA had not approved the kit,
"it wouldn't be on the market.'
Health Center policy
The University Health Center does not
use the E.P.T. kits, but it does do preg
nancy testing, at a cost of $6.50, according
to Linda Mick, a medical technologist with
the center.
The E.P.T. is not as accurate or as sensi
tive as the one done at the Health Center,
she said. "It's not a controlled reaction.
The person is doing it on herself, so there's
some emotional stress involved."
She said in most cases, pregnancy can
be detected within one to two weeks after
the" first missed period. But if a woman
wants a test earlier, "we never say we
won't test"
The test takes about fifteen minutes,
she said, and is usually to a physician
within half an hour.
"Any negative res"1 we get is
confirmed by back-up testing," Mick
said.
With the E.P.T., she said, it is possible
to get a negative result at night, and a
positive result in the morning because
the E.P.T. is not regulted for urine concen
tration by specific gravity. She said in
the morning, urine is more concentrated
than in the evening when it has been
diluted by fluids drunk during the day.
Planned Parenthood tests
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Planned Parenthood also tests for preg
nancy at its clinic. TTiey do not use the
E.P.T. method either. However, Christy
Solomon, a Planned Parenthood counselor,
said, "I think it's a real accurate test, if
it's done correctly."
A problem, she said, is that "women run
these tests and then don't trust the results,
so they come in to us."
She said the tests run at Planned Parent
hood cost $5, and take about 5 to 10
minutes. The test is accurate within 12 to
14 days after woman's last period, she said.
Counseling is
is done and the
required after the test
results are in, she said.
"We talk to them about what they're
going to do. It varies with the individual".
Birthright is a counseling service for
pregnant women, but provides free preg
nancy tests which are done at St. Eliza
beth's hospital, according to Mary Alice
Pratt, the director.
She said the results are available within
20 to 30 minutes. The test is accurate
after 46 days from the first day of a
woman's last period, she said.
"If the test is negative, we'll do it
over," she said.
Although she said she was not
familiar with the EJM. tests, she said.
It sounded similar to the one Birthright
uses.
She said that although Birthright is
a pro-life group, and does not counsel
for an abortion, "We can't make a decision
for (a pregnant woman). We would refuse
no one."
Sunday holiday won t be dry
New Year's Eve falls on Sunday this
year, a fact which could have driven many
lincolnites out of town to celebrate since
Lincoln is dry on most Sundays.
But Monday the City Council passed
a resolution that will allow sales and con
sumption of alcohol on the premises of an
establishment this New Year's Eve.
The resolution was introduced by
Mayor Helen Boosalis, who said she has
received a number of calls on the subject.
Councilman Bob Jeambe was the
only dissenter. Councilmen Joe Hampton
and Bob Sikyta were absent from Mon
day's meeting.
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