Following is the lastest news and information about pregnancy and testing accurately from the marketers of e.p.t^® and e.p.t^® Digital^®.

NEW SURVEY SHOWS WOMEN AT RISK OF TAKING
HOME PREGNANCY TEST TOO EARLY

"False Negative' May Cause Women to Miss Out on Pre-Natal Care, Continue High-Risk Behavior & Feel Unhealthy Levels of Anxiety

NEW YORK , NY , October 11, 2005 – If they discovered that they were pregnant, many women would stop smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeinated beverages, and would visit their doctor. A new survey of sexually active women of childbearing age (18-44) reveals that nearly four in five (79 percent) women would want to take a home pregnancy test as soon as possible if they thought they might be pregnant. For many women, taking a test too early to detect the presence of the pregnancy hormone* puts them at risk of a "false negative' – a result that does not verify an actual pregnancy. Therefore, these women might not modify their behavior. In addition, the simple fact of not knowing if one is pregnant, can lead to high levels of stress.

The results of this survey of women and obstetricians-gynecologists which was conducted for the marketers of e.p.t^® and e.p.t^® Digital^® by StrategyOne, reveal that many women are not aware just how crucial timing is when taking a home pregnancy test. In fact, 60 percent are not aware that using a home pregnancy test four or more days before you expect your period can give an incorrect result for more than 30% of pregnant women. Rushing to take a home pregnancy test is against the recommendations of the majority of ob-gyns surveyed. Eighty percent advise their patients that home pregnancy tests taken before the first day of their expected period are not as accurate as those taken on or after that day, and 72 percent advise their patients to wait until the first day of their expected period to test.

If they obtained a negative reading on a pregnancy test, two in three women (65 percent) agree that they would do things – like ingest caffeine or alcohol, smoke or delay seeing a doctor – that they might not do if they were pregnant. But if the women surveyed thought that they were pregnant, 94 percent of them would contact their ob-gyn; 71 percent would start taking prenatal vitamins; 66 percent would stop drinking alcohol; 60 percent would seek out information on how to take care of themselves while pregnant; 58 percent would quit drinking caffeine; and 47 percent would stop smoking.

"When a woman suspects she is pregnant, she may rush to take a home pregnancy test – no matter where she is in her menstrual cycle. She can take a test up to four days before her expected period, but it is not recommended as the optimal time to test accurately,' says Shari Brasner, MD, an ob-gyn in private practice in New York, affiliated with Mt. Sinai Hospital.** "Because women who believe they are not pregnant act differently than those who know they are, it is vital that they know to use a home pregnancy test on or after the day of their expected period to achieve the most accurate results – and make the most informed decisions.'

Home pregnancy tests measure the amount of pregnancy hormone, or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone, present in a pregnant woman's urine. A false negative test result, which indicates a woman is not pregnant although she actually is, typically occurs when a pregnant woman tests before she has enough hCG in her system to be detected.

Using a home pregnancy test four or more days before a period is due can result in a false negative reading for more than 30 percent of pregnant women. The majority of pregnancy tests, including e.p.t^® , are able to provide results up to four days before a woman expects her period. However, e.p.t^® , the brand leader in the home pregnancy test category, recommends that women should wait to test on – or after – the first day of their expected period to increase accuracy. Alternatively, if a woman chooses to test prior to this recommended timeframe, the marketers of e.p.t^® recommend testing again – this time within the recommended timeframe – before assuming a negative result is correct.

Eighty percent of women surveyed have used a home pregnancy test, and of these women, nearly half (47 percent) have taken a test before the first day of their expected period However, eighty percent of ob-gyns surveyed advise their patients that home pregnancy tests taken before the first day of their expected period are not as accurate as those taken on or after that day. These findings suggest that a significant number of women are taking home pregnancy tests earlier than recommended, which may leave them susceptible to inaccurate results.

Over half of the women surveyed (54 percent) indicate that they would feel frustrated about the test if they mistakenly received a false negative result, while one in three (34 percent) would feel angry and one out of five (20 percent) would feel betrayed. This is understandable given the importance of having accurate results in the case of pre-natal care and the psychological factors surrounding pregnancy.

"Early pre-natal care is important for a woman who finds out she is pregnant,' added Dr. Brasner. "Additionally, women who continue to miss their period following a negative result should consult their doctor. There can be unnecessary anxiety when there is a late period and not knowing if one is pregnant.'

For more information about pregnancy and the important role that timing plays in accurate home pregnancy testing, visit www.testaccurately.com.

About the Study
Strategy One conducted two separate surveys as part of this study. A quantitative online survey among 400 American women between the ages of 18 and 44 was conducted from May 13 to May 17, 2005, to measure knowledge about early testing. These women were screened to ensure that they were sexually active in the past two years, did not have any medical conditions that prevented them from becoming pregnant, and were not adverse to taking a pregnancy test. The margin of error is ± 4.9 at the 95 percent confidence level.

A separate online survey was conducted from May 13 to May 23, 2005, among 100 ob-gyns to assess their attitudes about home pregnancy testing. The margin of error for a sample of this size is ± 9.8.

About e.p.t^®
e.p.t^® , the brand leader in the home pregnancy test category, has been proven to be over 99 percent accurate in laboratory tests at detecting typical hCG hormone levels (which vary by person).

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*pregnancy hormone refers to the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone which is found in a pregnant woman's urine and used to detect pregnancy

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