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If you’ve decided you’re ready to start or grow your family, you may be eagerly anticipating the moment you hold a pregnancy test in your hands and see those lines indicating a positive result. But getting to that point takes some time. To get the most accurate reading on a home pregnancy test (and avoid a false negative result) it’s recommended to wait two weeks after ovulation before testing. That’s because these tests are designed to detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine — and your body doesn’t start producing hCG until the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall. This is called implantation, and it takes about two-ish weeks after fertilization. In this article, we’ll break down the science and history of pregnancy tests and what you need to know in order to get the most accurate results when using them. Here are the most important takeaways:
Fertility hormones shouldn’t be a mystery Get the info you need to start learning about your fertility A quick refresher on the science of pregnancy testsThe most surefire way to confirm a pregnancy is through a blood test or ultrasound done at a doctor’s office. But before visiting the clinic, at-home pregnancy tests can give you answers with about 99% accuracy (when you follow the instructions correctly). How exactly do these tiny sticks detect a pregnancy? It has everything to do with the level of hCG in your urine. Here’s what you need to know about hCG:
How long do you have to wait after ovulation before taking a pregnancy test?The instructions of most home pregnancy tests recommend waiting until the first day of a missed period since that’s when you’ll get the most accurate results. If you’re tracking your cycle, this means waiting around two weeks (based on a “textbook” 28-day cycle) from the time of ovulation before taking a pregnancy test. For those who want results as soon as possible, some pregnancy tests are designed to detect a pregnancy as early as six days before your missed period — though results will become more accurate the closer you are to your missed period. Tracking ovulation and luteinizing hormone (LH) can help you determine exactly when to test for pregnancy — especially if you have irregular cycles. What happens if you take a pregnancy test too early?Remember that hCG levels increase rapidly after implantation, which is when a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining. Completed implantation is a slow process that can take up to two weeks. If you’re pregnant, but try to test before implantation happens, your hCG levels will still be too low to produce a positive result. Can anything else impact your pregnancy test results?One of the biggest factors that impact results from a pregnancy test is not following the testing instructions. An estimated 30% of people have trouble following a pregnancy test’s instructions, which can lead to false readings. But, when used correctly, pregnancy tests will rarely produce an inaccurate result. That said, there are a few situations where the body will produce high levels of hCG that mimic the levels in early pregnancy and cause a false positive result:
Have we always had to wait two weeks to test for pregnancy?While two weeks might feel like an excruciatingly long time to wait, the pregnancy tests of yesteryear required people to wait even longer:
The bottom lineIt is completely understandable if you find it hard to wait two weeks before giving a pregnancy test a try. But, at the very least, you don’t have to worry about finding the best spot by the window for your bag of pee-seeds or a good hiding place for your box full of mice! Just remember that until a fertilized egg has implanted on the uterine wall, any pregnancy test will read negative. So waiting those two weeks is critical for you to get the most accurate results. Is 7 days after conception too early to test?Our pregnancy tests can detect the HCG pregnancy hormone as early as 7 days after conception or 21 to 24 days after the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). Most pregnancy tests aren't accurate until at least 7 days after fertilization, which is when the embryo implants into your uterus.
How many days after conception can I take a pregnancy test?You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex. Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period.
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