The decision to have a child is often filled with a rollercoaster of emotions.

To find out if they're pregnant, women often buy dozens of at-home pregnancy tests, and they're not cheap.

Do you really need to pay top dollar to find out "if" you're pregnant.

Like most first time moms, Traci Grasso was filled with excitement when she and her husband began trying to have their first baby.

Her son John is now 3, but she remembers those moments like they were yesterday.

"First time being prego I didn't know what to expect or anything like that so if I thought about it, 'maybe I'm pregnant,' I'd get one and it could be up to five a week. When I did find out, it was probably five a day to make sure it was right," Grasso said.

At the store, most pregnancy test kits cost between $10 and $15.

For that price - some kits will give you two testers, but you're still paying at least $5 per test.

How about paying just a buck?

We found dollar pregnancy tests at Dollar Tree and Dollar General stores.

Dollar General's "Baby" brand has an insert with instructions and details on testing, but, that's missing from Dollar Tree's "New Choice" kit.

All the instructions are right on the box.

Grasso didn't mind the simplicity.

"I feel it's the same thing and it's much more affordable."

So, how do these dollar options stack up to the name brand?

We asked Metro Health family medicine Dr. Christine Alexander to review the research from Dollar Tree's test kit.

"After looking at the studies I really think there is no difference," Alexander said. "No difference in the lab, but you may get a different result if you don't do the testing right."

"Like anything it's only as good as the person who did the test and this one is a little bit more cumbersome to do so it puts a little more ownership on the patient and how they perform the test," she added.

The other issue is "when" you perform the test.

Alexander said some women do it too early.

"If you really think you are pregnant and get a negative test wait several days to a week to repeat your test," she said.

The doctor said testing at home is really a good first step, and she admits it's cheaper than going to the doctor, especially if you're paying just a dollar.

You can find out about accuracy studies done by the manufacturer by looking on the box for contact information for the manufacturer or distributor and then going online.