If you had sex recently and are wondering if you might be pregnant, you may be unsure when to take a test. The simple answer is: take a pregnancy test on the day your expected period is missed, especially if your cycle is regular.
What is a pregnancy test
A pregnancy test is a test that tells you whether you are having a baby. The main thing that tells you whether you have conceived or not is a hormone named HCG. HCG can be detected in urine and in the blood. If the hormone is very low, the test will be negative, and you are not pregnant.
When I can take a pregnancy test
The best day to confirm pregnancy is the expected day of bleeding(menses) with an accuracy of 99%. As you know, the expected day you will bleed is the 1st of January, which is the exact day you should do a test if you don’t bleed. Why at the exact date? This is because first sperm meet the egg and make it a zygote, and then the zygote travels to the uterus(womb), attaches to the uterus walls, and after that HCG starts to form. In the early days of pregnancy, HCG is detected in urine in early days of pregnancy and later in blood. If you are testing before, the HCG will not be detected and will show negative, so wait 4days after ovulation.
How accurate are pregnancy tests?
Pregnancy test accuracy depends on the day you are taking the test. The more you wait, the better the result. If you take the test 4 days before your period, the accuracy will be around 60%. If before 3 days, the accuracy will be 80%. Around 77% pregnancies are detected 6 days before the start of the new cycle date. If you have irregular cycles, then wait at least 3 weeks to get the best result. The minimum level of hcg in the body should be 20miU/mL to be detected.
What are the different types of pregnancy tests?
There are 3 types of tests you can do to detect pregnancy are following;
- Urine test
- Blood test
- Saliva test
1. Urine Test
For urine test you have should have concentrated urine don’t take fluids in the evening as it will dilute the next day urine and the result will negative as there is high fluid and the hormones for pregnancy are very low. In mid night don’t try to urinate we need to have a sample in the morning specifically the first concentrated urine of the day. The sample can be store in a container or in a dropper.
2. Blood Test
HCG is first detected in the blood rather than in the urine. Blood tests have high sensitivity to give a result. Ask your doctor if you need to know.
3. Saliva Test
Saliva test is handy as you can do it wherever you want to do, no need for an extra container, nothing else, just a pregnancy test is enough with an accuracy of 97%, but a urine test is the best one you should go with.
What are the advantages of using a home pregnancy test?
Doing a pregnancy test at home is cost-effective, you are not taking any services from someone, and its non invasive and results come in minutes, and test strips can be bought over the counter from any local medical store. Just first urine of the day, a test strip, and a container or a dropper.
How to test urine at home
Before doing anything, just read the manuals on the packaging of the strip. Every brand have their own manuals and also see their expiry date. If the strip is expire the result can be negative. Some brands say to directly pee on strip some say to put the absorbent side of strip in the container of urine. After some time place the strip on flat surface so you can see the result.
How to read a pregnancy test?
After you put urine on the strip, you will wait some time for the result to show. There will be 2 lines to see a positive result. Even if the second line can be mildly marked, it will be considered positive. Some latest Strips can show positive and negative, as 1 in 4 females misread the result.
What should I do if my pregnancy test is positive?
If the result is positive than congrats you are pregnant. You don’t need to test again. Now you have to take good care of yourself and baby, and you should start to take folic acid and other multivitamins, and do not take alcohol, quit smoking, limit you caffeine, and see a doctor.
When should I take a pregnancy test after sex?
See, it does not mean you had sex today, and in the morning, you should be pregnant. You have to see your fertility window with ovulation. Most women conceive in 3 to 5 days. If you don’t know your fertility window, we have a conceive calculator for that. The best time is to do the test on the expected menses date. If you have an irregular cycle than you have to wait 3 weeks to see the best result.
When should I take a pregnancy test while breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding is a natural contraceptive, but you can conceive, too. You can ovulate in the postpartum period. You should do a pregnancy test after 3 weeks.
When should I take a pregnancy test after a miscarriage?
Don’t do a test after 2 weeks of miscarriage, as there is a high level of HCG, and the result can show positive. You should avoid sex at least 2 weeks after a miscarriage, too, and contact a doctor. The main reason to avoid sex is to protect the lady from infection.
What makes a pregnancy test positive?
The HCG hormone makes a pregnancy test positive. The more concentrated the urine, the best result you can get. HCG is made by baby and detected by the urine test or blood test. If you did early test than there is less HCG for the detector so result can be negative.
Are there variations in hCG levels?
There is a time when the hCG peak is around 10 weeks. Before and after is not that high level of hCG.
