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One of the most important things to know if you are confused about when you should take a home pregnancy test is that you are more likely to get a negative result if it’s done too early.
How Does a Pregnancy Test Work?
Before going further, it will be helpful for you to understand how a pregnancy test works in order to know when to take one.
Pregnancy tests are made to detect human chorionic gonadotropin or the hCG hormone in the urine or blood. This is a pregnancy hormone that’s produced once a fertilized egg is attached to the uterus wall, usually starting around six days after the egg fertilization.
The hCG levels will continue to increase rapidly if you are pregnant, doubling every two to three days.
It is important to mention that there are some tests that are able to detect hyperglycosylated hCG or H-hCG, a variation of the hCG hormone.
The regular hCG is only produced after an embryo is implanted in the endometrium, while H-hCG is released earlier at some point right after fertilization.
When Should You Take a Home Pregnancy Test
You can get the most accurate result if you wait at least one week after missing your period. In addition, the result might be even more accurate if the test is done first in the morning as the urine is far more concentrated at this time. The urine-based home pregnancy tests offer about 97% accuracy.
This accuracy will depend on several factors such as how early the test is taken, if the instructions were followed closely, when ovulation occurred in the cycle, how early implantation takes place, and how sensitive the test is.
It is always best to take a pregnancy test after a late period to avoid false positive or false negative results.
If you have irregular cycles or you are not charting your cycles, it might best to take the test after passing the longest menstrual cycle.
For example, if your cycles are in the range of 30 to 36 days, it would be best to take the test at around 37 days after your last period or later.
Another thing to know is that you should not take the pregnancy test if you are using some fertility medication. An early test can detect the remnants of the medication [1].
How Soon After Sex Can You Take a Pregnancy Test?
Many women take a pregnancy test right after they have sex. This is actually a huge mistake because, as mentioned above, the levels of hCG in the body can be detected several days after the fertilized egg has been implanted in the uterus.
By taking the pregnancy test too early, it can result in a false-negative result and make you believe that you’re not pregnant.
So when is the right time to take a pregnancy test after having unprotected sex? According to experts, you can take the test 10 to 14 days after having intercourse since, during this time, the hCG levels in your body are already high enough to be detected.
Many home pregnancy test kits will include this fact in their instructions to ensure that users will get accurate results.
However, this 10-to-14 day time frame is only the minimum. If you’re not in a hurry, it’s advisable to wait for a longer time before you take a home pregnancy test.
Many experts recommend that you take the test 21 days after having unprotected sex for more accurate results [2].
This might seem like a long time to wait, particularly if you’re eager to get pregnant and want to know if you’ve conceived ASAP. But it’s important to note that conception doesn’t always happen right after you have sex.
Remember: sperm can live inside your body for up to five days, which means that fertilization can take place up to five days after you had intercourse. So, if you have sex a few days before ovulation, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly when you conceived.
If the actual conception happened a few days after you had sex, but you decide to take a pregnancy test exactly 10 days after your intercourse, your body might not yet have produced enough hCG levels for the test to detect.
This might mean that you’ll get a negative result — even though fertilization did happen and your egg has implanted (or is about to implant) in your uterus.
So, to get accurate results, it’s best to wait for three weeks after having intercourse before you use a pregnancy test kit.
This is also the reason why you shouldn’t hesitate to take another pregnancy test even if you’ve already taken one.
If you get a negative result but genuinely believe that you are pregnant, take another pregnancy test around a week after you took the initial test.
By this time, fertilization and implantation might have already taken place, which means that the hCG levels are high enough for you to get an accurate reading.
If you get a negative pregnancy test few days after positive urine pregnancy test, you may have experienced a phenomenon called Chemical Pregnancy that accounts of 50-75% of all miscarriages. [3]
If you can’t wait for three weeks, you can visit your doctor and ask for a blood pregnancy test.
This test detects pregnancy earlier than urine-based home pregnancy tests since hCG appears earlier in the mother’s blood than in her urine.
You can take the blood pregnancy test at least eight days after you had unprotected sex [4] although, just like with home pregnancy tests, you can get more accurate results if you wait a few days longer after having intercourse.
Blood tests can detect pregnancies earlier than urine test because these tests can detect hCG levels as low as 1 mIU/mL, while urine test strips have published detection thresholds of 10 mIU/mL to 100 mIU/mL, depending on the brand. [5]
How Should You Take a Home Pregnancy Test?
Now that you have an idea as to when you should take a home pregnancy test, you need to know how to use it.
The home pregnancy tests are easy and quick to use. Once the instructions are followed carefully you will get accurate results.
They are all made to work in the same way. You’d use one of these ways to test your urine:
- Collect some urine inside a cup and then use a dropper to place it in another container.
- Collect some urine inside a cup and dip the pregnancy test stick in it.
- Hold the pregnancy test stick under your urine stream.
For all of these techniques, you’ll have to wait several minutes to see the results. The results can show as a color, line or symbol. Some digital tests will say not pregnant or pregnant.
What is The Meaning of the Pregnancy Test Results?
When you do the test and the result is positive, this means you are pregnant. Bear in mind that this will be the case, regardless of the faintness of the color, line or sign.
It would be a good idea to contact your doctor in order to know what will come next if you get a positive result.
A negative result will mean that you are not pregnant. Nevertheless, you could still be pregnant in cases where the test is taken incorrectly, the test stick is expired, the test is done too soon, you are using certain medications like antihistamines or diuretics, and large amounts of liquid is consumed immediately before the test (which dilutes the urine).
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You could try retesting about one week after getting a negative result to get a more solid confirmation. There are some home-based pregnancy tests that will suggest this no matter the results.
Although this only happens in rare cases, a pregnancy test can give a false-positive. This means the test is saying you are pregnant, but you are not.
You could get this result if your urine contains protein or blood and if you are using certain drugs such as anti-convulsants or tranquilizers.
When you are ready to take a home pregnancy test, you can buy it without a prescription at the drugstore, or online on Amazon.
Be sure to contact your doctor if you have questions pertaining to the pregnancy test or results.
References
- https://www.verywellfamily.com/can-my-medicine-effect-my-pregnancy-test-results-2759855
- https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/ureport/story/2001287100/how-soon-after-having-sex-you-can-take-a-pregnancy-test-and-how-accurate-the-results-will-be
- Chemical pregnancy facts: https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/chemical-pregnancy
- https://www.babymed.com/normal-hcg-blood-level-by-week-during-pregnancy
- Waddell, Rebecca Smith (2006). “FertilityPlus.org”. Home Pregnancy Test hCG Levels and FAQ. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-06-17.
I started my period on Oct 29th. I missed 2 pills on Nov 7 and 8 and had unprotected sex nov 7. I just took a test and it was neg. Could i be preg?
Hi there! If you had sex during your ovulation days then you might be pregnant now. You should take a test after one week of your missed period. Regards
My periods usually last 4 days sometimes 5 days they start light then get a medium flow for the full 4 days then tapers off the 5th day we are trying for a baby so not sure when I ovulated but I usually get my period the 15th sometimes the 17th this month I spotted a day before my period was due the next day I was disappointed to see blood I thought I had started af but it lasted one whole day then the next morning super light barely anything there that afternoon had a small clot with white streaks in it sorry tmi then the rest of the day barely anything just steaks the next day light brown more tan with rosey pink only streaks took a test this morning and its negative is there a possibility I’m pregnant and this is ib or ??
Hi there! The bleeding you had might be the implantation bleeding and you might be pregnant now. You should take a pregnancy test after one week of your missed period to get accurate results. Regards
I had sex october 6 and my period came on the 15. I have not received my period for november and My cycle is irregular. Is there a chance i could be pregnant?
Hi there ! You should get your period soon. Regards
Hi, I had a period Oct 13 and my most fertile days was 25,26 and 27 was my ovulation day I had sex all them days and I also had light spotting for 1 day on Nov 1 does that mean I can be pregnant. I took a pregnant test on the 14 of this month and it came back neg. What should I do.
Hi there Tomeka! The bleeding you got might be the implantation bleeding and you might be pregnant now. Home pregnancy tests are not very accurate to rely on so I would recommend you to visit a doctor to confirm your pregnancy. Regards
Thanks a lot
I had unprotected sex on nov6, according to my period chart that was my ouvaltion day. my period is suppose to start on nov 20. I took a test on the 12 and it said negative. When should I take a test to be sure? and could I get pregnant from just that one time?
Hi there Shyla! The information you gave shows that your period is still due. You should wait for your periods to come. Regards
Alright so, my period was Nov. 1st ended Nov. 5th . I have an app that tracks my fertile days and all the days my boyfriend and I have been having sex was my fertile window. Sunday November 13th I was ovulating according to my app. The next day monday I was having cramping then the following day after tuesday that I had alil brown/red blood no discharge it was like I peed myself. Then wednesday nauseous fatigue and cramps and a tiny bit of bleeding here it is thursday has tiny tiny less than before blood dots when I wiped. My period isn’t for another week and 3 days. I never miss my periods… advice please!!
Hi there! The bleeding you had might be the implantation bleeding and you might be pregnant now. You should take a pregnancy test. Regards
I took one today but it was not my Morning pee and it was negative. Having all the symptoms though of early pregnancy. Can you PMS a week or more before your period?:0
Yes! PMS is usually one week before your period. Regards
Hi I ovulated on the 1st November through to the 3rd. I had my last period on the 17th October. Its now the 13th and my pregnancy tests are negative am I right to assume we didn’t get pregnant this month.
Hi there Casey! Just wait for your periods for few more days. Regards
my last period late was on 30th sept n i have irregular periods.. and i had protected sex with my bf on 6th nov bt still i am not down but having same pain like i have in mensuration.. should i go for pregnancy test or should i wait? and whts the reason of delay ?? please reply
Hi there Jssi! You should wait for your menstruation to come. Regards
Could I be pregnant if i had my period on Sept 24, and Oct 12 (even though that was for roughly 2 days, my periods are very irregular)
Hi there Terri! Yes you can! The bleeding you had for two days might be the implantation bleeding and you might be pregnant now. Take a pregnancy test. Regards
Hi I had unprotected sex on the 8th day of my 26-28 day cycle and I’m on the pill what are the chances that I’m pregnant?
Hi Brittany! You have low chances to get pregnant. Regards
my last period was on the 23rd of October and had sex on the 11th, 13th n 14th. what is my chance of getting pregnant?
Hi there! Calculate your ovulation days here.. If you had sex during those days then you have higher chances to get pregnant. Regards
Hi
I am trying to conceive, I had periods on 20th of October, and on my ovulation days we had sex… And from couple of days… I have backache and I feel sleepy and tired at the same time I have bulgy stomach… My weight has also increased by 2-3 kilos…. Does this symptoms lead to pregnancy
Hi there Shruti! Yes, the symptoms you are experiencing are the symptoms of pregnancy. But you should wait for periods before coming up to a conclusion. Regards
Hi my name is Brooklin I’m 18 years old my last period was the 28th of September. I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend and he came inside of me on one of my ovulation days the 14th of October. I was supposed to get my period the 26th but I haven’t gotten it yet I’m a couple days late I had no period symptoms at all I did bleed a little but I stopped only for about a minute or two I thought that I did have my period but it was very quick it only lasted a few minutes could it be a period? or a miscarriage? I didn’t feel any pain when it happened.. my boyfriend also told me that if I was pregnant I had to get an abortion so a lot of things running through my head at the moment could I be pregnant?!?
Hi there Brooklin! You might be pregnant now and the bleeding you had might be the implantation bleeding. You should take a pregnancy test. Regards
It also could be implantation I would advise going to the dr if you haven’t already
Hi Jackie! It would be much better to visit a doctor because he is the one who can provide you more than answers. Regards
My cycle is about 27 days my last period was sep. 27th to oct 1st I’m about 8 or 9 days late and I took 2 tests came back negative but have had alot of symptoms like felt cramping from what I thought was my period but it never came how long should I wait to take abother test befor I confirm I’m not pregnant ovulation was on Oct 6th thru the 12th and I had Un protected sex on the 8th please give me answers
Hi there Jackie! You can take a test after one week. Regards
I took a test today and it came back negative I’m slightly worried I haven’t had a period since September 27th
Hi there Jackie! You should visit a doctor and get yourself checked. Regards
Hi I had my period the 4th of oct this month, I had unprotected sex the 18th of this month, my periods are irregular they change a lot but I know I’m due them in a week or so, could I be pregnant ?
Hi Joanne! If you had sex during your ovulation days then you might get pregnant soon. Regards
Hi . I had sex on October 2 unprotected with my boyfriend . my.period came when it was suppose to on October 13 the.. Even though I got my period can I still be pregnant due to the fact October 2 was an ovulating day ?
Hi there Emily!
No, you can’t be pregnant after you had your period the following month of your intercourse. Regards
Hi my last period started september 20,2016
I had sex october 8,am i pregnant right now?
Hi, Thanks for your comment!
Calculate your ovulation days here. If you had sex on those days then you higher chances to get pregnant. Regards