"You Are One Week Pregnant"— New Pregnancy Test

Starting September 1, you'll be able to buy a home pregnancy test that can tell you exactly how pregnant you are... down to the week, almost. ClearBlue's new pregnancy test uses two strips (instead of the standard one) to measure the level of hCG in your urine, determining where you might be in the very early weeks of pregnancy. If you're pregnant, the strip will say "Pregnant," as well as one to two, two to three, or three-plus weeks.

I think this new development will be helpful for women (and other people who get pregnant) in all sorts of different ways. Coming to your doctor or midwife armed with the knowledge of how many weeks you are pregnant could help accuracy in calculating due dates and determining the date of conception.

Accuracy about dates is something that's beneficial throughout your pregnancy, especially at the end when it can make a difference as to when you deliver; although the normal length of pregnancy varies from woman to woman and baby to baby, 40 weeks is still the medical standard. Babies are considered premature if they're born before 37 weeks and some care providers aren't comfortable when mothers give birth after 40-42 weeks. ClearBlue's new test could also be very helpful for women who would like to terminate their pregnancies, especially considering that 12 states have passed laws banning abortion after 20 weeks.

Doctors seem to have slightly differing opinions of how beneficial the test can be, but some think it will be a good option for women who have more irregular menstrual periods. There's also debate over how accurate measuring hCG levels can be — they are thought to be most accurate after a missed period, but that doesn't mean ClearBlue's test won't be a great option for some women who are very early in their pregnancies.