Show
Although you might be eager to take a pregnancy test as soon as possible, it’s best to wait until your period is a week late to get the most accurate result. If you can’t wait until your period, let at least one to two weeks pass after you have sex before taking a pregnancy test. It’s important to wait, because your body needs to develop enough of the pregnancy hormone hCG that a pregnancy test can detect it. In most cases, home pregnancy tests can detect levels of hCG around 10 days after successful implantation of an egg (which doesn’t happen immediately after sex). If you take the test too early, you might get a negative result (even if you are pregnant).
If you want to know how early you can take a pregnancy test, you might also wonder when the best time to take a pregnancy test is. Is it best to take it in the morning or at night? To get an accurate result, most experts recommend taking a pregnancy test in the morning. Why? While you’re sleeping, hCG becomes more concentrated in your urine. Unless you wake up in the middle of the night to pee, first thing in the morning is the best time for early detection of pregnancy.
Find out what you can do with our Health Assistant
This doesn’t mean you can’t take a pregnancy test later in the day. It just means that you’re more likely to get a false-negative, especially if you’ve been drinking a lot of water. It’s easy to forget in the morning, so it might be helpful to leave yourself a note the night before. You can close the lid of the toilet and leave a note there to remind yourself. What if you have an unconventional sleep schedule and can’t test your urine first thing in the morning? You can increase the level of hCG in your urine by not using the bathroom for at least four hours. Before taking a pregnancy test, don’t drink more water than you normally would. Drinking a lot of water can dilute your urine and affect the result of your test. If you got a negative result but still think you might be pregnant, take the test again after several days. False positives and false negatives are rare, but they do happen. Repeating a test can also be a good idea.
Taking a pregnancy test sooner than eight days past your ovulation (DPO) might result in a false negative. This is because fertilized eggs don’t start producing the pregnancy hormone that tests detect — hCG — until after implantation is complete. About 85 percent of the time, implantation occurs 6–10 days after ovulation. After implantation, your hCG levels will start doubling every 48 hours. At this point, pregnancy tests will be able to measure your hCG levels, ensuring a positive result if you’re pregnant.
Maybe you’ve taken a home pregnancy test, but now your health care provider is suggesting you take a blood test. What exactly is and when should you take a blood pregnancy test? Home pregnancy tests measure the levels of hCG in your urine. A blood pregnancy test measures the hCG levels in your blood. Health care providers suggest taking a blood test because they’re more sensitive and can offer more information than a home urine test. The best time to take a blood pregnancy test is if your period is several days late. If your home pregnancy tests are negative, but you’re experiencing all the symptoms of pregnancy, it’s a good idea to take a blood test. The most accurate blood tests are quantitative blood pregnancy tests, because they determine the exact amount of hCG in your blood. This is important because it can tell your health care provider if you’re pregnant or if you need to do another test in a few days. Health care providers also recommend blood tests if you’ve experienced an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage in the past. This ensures your health care provider will be able to observe your hCG levels more closely in the first weeks of your pregnancy. You might wonder when to take a pregnancy test to get accurate results. Whether you’re hoping for a positive or a negative, taking a test the week after your missed period is probably the best way to find out. If you’re in a hurry, you can try taking a test at least one to two weeks after sex, but the results may not be as accurate. For best results, take the pregnancy test in the morning. First-morning urine exhibits the highest concentration of hCG. Taking your pregnancy test sooner than eight days past ovulation might result in a false negative. Blood tests are more sensitive and can offer more information than a home urine test.
When you’re waiting on the results of a pregnancy test, minutes can feel like hours. Test too early, however, and you risk the chance of an inaccurate result. To help ensure your test accuracy, there are some guidelines you should follow—like knowing where you are in your menstrual cycle or when you last ovulated. Here’s everything you need to know about pregnancy tests, including how they work, when to take one for the most accurate result and symptoms that could signal it’s time to take a test.
Pregnancy tests detect human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), commonly known as “the pregnancy hormone.” This hormone is generated from the placenta, an organ that connects the fetus to the mother. It begins to form and protect the egg once it’s implanted along the uterine wall, signaling pregnancy has begun. At first, HCG levels are low, but they increase at the beginning of the pregnancy before leveling off. As HCG levels increase—often doubling every three days until reaching their peak within the first 8 to 11 weeks of pregnancy—they can be detected in both blood tests (conducted at a doctor’s office) and urine tests (most often taken at home). There are three types of at-home tests: strip, cassette and midstream. Strip tests require you to urinate into a cup and place the test strip directly into the urine. Cassette tests require you to urinate into a cup and then place drops of urine directly onto the test stick. Finally, midstream tests require you to urinate directly onto the test stick. Your HCG levels must reach 25 milliInternational units (mIU) per millimeter (mL) to indicate a positive result—which often happens within 3 to 5 weeks after your last menstrual cycle. At-home pregnancy tests detect these HCG levels and most often reveal lines or a reading of “Pregnant” to indicate a positive result, depending on the type of test you take. “Most home (urine) pregnancy tests detect HCG levels of 20 (mIU) or greater,” says Kelly Culwell, M.D.—known professionally as “Dr. Lady Doctor”—a board-certified OB-GYN and a previous medical officer for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. “Blood tests detect HCG levels of 2 (mIU) or greater, so a blood test might be positive before a urine test is.” While a typical urine test will show positive results at about 20 to 25 mIU, it’s dependent on your urine concentration—the less diluted the urine, the higher the concentration of HCG. Since urine is more concentrated in the morning, a test taken then is more likely to produce a positive result than one taken later in the day. Still, most urine tests will be positive by one to two days after a missed period.
Curious About Your Fertility? Whether you're looking to have kids soon or thinking about it for the future, explore a range of Female Fertility Tests that can help you stay informed about your hormonal health. Order yours today from LetsGetChecked. Get 30% off with code FORBES30. Learn More
You should wait to take a pregnancy test until the first day of your missed period. Since HCG is only present once implantation of the egg occurs, there often isn’t enough of the hormone to be detected until you miss your menstrual cycle. “Pregnancy tests pick up the hormone secreted after implantation, which usually occurs about two weeks after the sperm meets the egg,” says Dr. Culwell. “For women who have regular periods, this usually means that HCG can be detected as soon as you miss a period.” This, of course, assumes you have a regular menstrual cycle that can be easily tracked and predicted. If this isn’t the case, you may choose to instead track ovulation, or when an egg is released and makes its way to the uterus where it can potentially be fertilized. An at-home ovulation predictor kit can help you track fertilization. If this method is used, it’s best to take a pregnancy test “approximately 14 days after a documented ovulation,” says Zaher Merhi, M.D., an OB-GYN, reproductive endocrinologist and founder of Rejuvenating Fertility Center with locations in New York and Connecticut. Signs You Should Take A Pregnancy TestThe biggest indicator it’s time to take a pregnancy test is a missed period. It isn’t the only sign, however. Symptoms that signal it may be time to take a pregnancy test, according to Dr. Merhi, include:
When Is the Best Time to Take a Pregnancy Test?You can take a pregnancy test any time of the day. But if there’s a chance you’re early in pregnancy, take it in the morning when your urine is most concentrated so the test can more easily detect the HCG hormone, says Dr. Culwell. “The best time in the cycle to take a test would be after you have missed a period,” says Dr. Culwell. “This will make it less likely that you might miss an early pregnancy if the HCG levels are too low to be picked up by the test.” Where To Buy A Pregnancy TestYou can buy a pregnancy test at most drug stores and grocery stores, or even online. Bestselling Pregnancy Tests on AmazonHow Soon Can You Take a Pregnancy Test?At-home pregnancy tests are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning their accuracy and labeling is evaluated before they reach store shelves. When it comes to the accuracy of at-home pregnancy tests, research shows if the test is used as directed, an inaccurate result is rare. While false-positive pregnancy test results are uncommon, if you do receive an inaccurate result, it’s more likely to be a false-negative. In this case, it’s likely you’re testing too early, before HCG can be detected. “For most women who have a regular menstrual cycle, a pregnancy test could be taken on the expected day of the period,” says Dr. Merhi. “The earliest [time to test] would be the expected day of the period; however, I usually tell patients to wait at least a few days (or one week) after the expected day of the period in order to lower the chances of having a false result.” It’s worth noting that at-home pregnancy tests accuracy claims—many of which advertise an accuracy rate of 99% from the day of the expected period—are based on data used in a sterile laboratory testing environment. If you think you received an inaccurate result, you can either wait and test again a few days later or see your doctor for a blood test, which can detect HCG earlier than at-home tests and has an accuracy rate of 99%.
When used according to the directions, a home pregnancy test can be almost 99% accurate. If you receive a positive result on a home pregnancy test, you should contact your doctor to confirm that you are pregnant and find out what to do next.
A pregnancy blood test at your doctor’s office is another way to confirm a pregnancy. “The blood test can detect the pregnancy earlier than an at-home urine test; eight days after ovulation is the earliest a blood test could detect a pregnancy,” says Dr. Merhi. Should you receive a positive at-home pregnancy test result, your doctor will often perform an in-office blood test to confirm the presence of HCG. This and additional blood tests also provide additional information about your health and the health of your pregnancy. “Blood tests are also needed to check for complications of pregnancy—for instance, if you are at risk for ectopic pregnancy [pregnancy implanting outside of the uterus], miscarriage or an abnormally progressing pregnancy,” says Dr. Culwell. “[This is] because they can measure whether your pregnancy hormone levels are progressing normally or decreasing.” Should you experience a miscarriage, HCG can remain in your body for a few weeks, and additional tests taken in the weeks following can lead to a false-positive result, says Dr. Merhi. How Long Does a Pregnancy Blood Test Take?A pregnancy blood test can mean a wait of just a few hours or more than a day to receive results. A tube of blood is drawn and sent to a laboratory to obtain a result. How Accurate Are Pregnancy Blood Tests?A blood test to detect pregnancy is about 99% accurate as this test can detect smaller amounts of hCG than a urine pregnancy test.
You May Also Be Interested In Products For Pregnancy From Our Featured Partner
Ritual Essential Prenatal Multivitamin Learn More On Ritual's Website
Gluten Free, Major Allergen Free, Vegan-friendly, Non-GMO
Iron, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Folate, Iodine
Ritual Essential Protein Daily Shake Pregnancy & Postpartum Learn More On Ritual's Website
20 grams of plant-based protein
Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Major Allergen Free, Vegan Friendly
Ritual Essential Duo Pregnancy Learn More On Ritual's Website
$60 includes prenatal multivitamin bottle and pregnancy and postpartum protein bag
Gluten Free, Major Allergen Free, Vegan-friendly, Non-GMO (Note: Product details and prices are accurate as of publication and are subject to change.)
If your pregnancy test is positive, call your doctor to find out the next steps.
A pregnancy test will read positive as early as a few days before you miss your period, but is most accurate if you wait until a day or two after you have missed your period.
It is impossible to get your period while pregnant, but bleeding or spotting can sometimes occur in early pregnancy. Check with your doctor if you experience bleeding or spotting after receiving a positive pregnancy test result.
You may receive a positive pregnancy test result and then later receive a negative result. This could mean you’re experiencing an early pregnancy loss or an ectopic pregnancy. These are not false positive results. A true false positive is very rare but may be caused by residual hormones after experiencing a miscarriage or having a baby. Some fertility treatment medications containing hCG could give you a false positive result as well. |
How long should you wait to test for pregnancy
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 SignalDuo Inc.
