Pregnancy Test After Implantation

A pregnancy test has to be scheduled at the right time. Any early symptom of pregnancy is the first indicator for you to take the home pregnancy test. 

A home pregnancy test is very accessible, easy to use and affordable. One doesn’t need to think much before taking one even for clearing the slightest doubt.

But all this seems good until you get your desired results. Once you get an unexpected pregnancy result till the time the confusion gets resolved, believe me when I say this that it feels hell.

What is implantation and how it affects pregnancy?

Implantation is the process of attachment of your baby’s cells to the wall of your womb. It is the first step before your baby starts developing.

Implantation is the most crucial step because if the embryo doesn’t attach in the right place, then pregnancy won’t sustain.

Why is Pregnancy Test taken after implantation?

As you may know, a home pregnancy test kit detects the presence of hCG in a woman’s body. A home pregnancy test is a plastic device with an hCG strip in it. This strip has detector particles which are hCG antibodies and can detect hCG in urine.

After implantation occurs, the placenta formation begins. The placenta is the layer responsible for the connection between you and your baby.

The placenta is also a temporary gland which secretes hCG hormone. hCG hormone is the primary hormone that controls the entire pregnancy processes.

This hormone starts coming in your urine once you’ve conceived. This hormone too takes around a week to rise to a detectable concentration. 

So now it must be clear that implantation is the first step for production of the hormone hCG. Pregnancy test kit detects this hCG hormone for testing pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of implantation?

  1. Implantation bleeding: A moderate bleeding occurs when implantation occurs which is like any other spotting.
  2. Implantation cramps: During implantation, you might experience mild cramps, but this is not universal.
  3. Tender breasts: Breasts become tender after implantation. They may even swell a bit and nipples will become sensitive.
  4. Appetite changes such as craving for things which are sour.
  5. Increased Basal Body Temperature: Body temperature elevates after an ambiguous implantation dip in basal body temperature.
  6. Fatigue
  7. Acne outbreak
  8. Frequent urge to urinate
  9. Morning sickness
  10. Hot flashes and mood swings
When to take a pregnancy test after implantation?
When to take a pregnancy test after implantation?

When to take a pregnancy test after implantation?

If you are wondering how long after spotting to take a pregnancy test then here is what you should know. The hormone hCG takes a week after implantation to reach up to a detectable concentration. Hence even after seeing symptoms of implantation bleeding, you need to wait for another week before taking a pregnancy test.

A doctor might be able to detect hCG in your blood soon after implantation. But home pregnancy tests won’t be able to do it as efficiently.

Levels of hCG and pregnancy

  • A woman with an hCG level below 5 mIU/mL is not pregnant
  • A woman with an hCG level between 5 mIU/mL and 25 mIU/mL is a borderline case
  • Only an hCG level above 25 mIU/mL is indicative of pregnancy

Negative pregnancy test after implantation

As said earlier, implantation is not the reason for a pregnancy test to show a positive result. Only until the hormone hCG starts coming in your urine, a pregnancy test will show a negative reading.

Causes of Negative pregnancy test after implantation

  1. Use of dilute urine or low levels of hCG
  2. Taking the test too early after implantation
  3. Chemical pregnancy
  4. Not following the pregnancy test procedure properly
  5. Using a defective or expired pregnancy test
  6. Miscalculation of implantation
  7. Certain medications like antibiotics or antiepileptic drugs

When Can I get a positive pregnancy test after implantation?

A positive pregnancy test after implantation appears only after hCG is present in your urine with a concentration 25 mIU/mL or above.

What does a negative pregnancy test after a week of implantation mean?

If you continue to get a negative pregnancy test a week after implantation, then you need to see the doctor. You should be sure that what you believe as implantation is definitely not periods. But going to doctor is a better option than retrospection of your self -diagnosis.

  1. It could be most probably that you’ve taken your period as implantation.
  2. In some cases, it can even be that your pregnancy is proceeding comparatively slowly.
  3. If the implantation has occurred at places other than the uterine line, then it is known as chemical pregnancy. Again this is a cause of negative pregnancy test after a week of implantation.

Pregnancy tests sound easy but involve a lot of mind-boggling tactics. One has to be very careful about timing, method, interpretation and the brand of pregnancy test.

We recommended that you head to doctor if you are not convinced about the pregnancy test results. And even otherwise you must go to the doctor after taking a home pregnancy test.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here