When Should I Take A Pregnancy Test?

So, you’ve been trying to conceive and are wondering about the pregnancy test. You’re not alone. Many ladies mail us with a question – ” When should I take a pregnancy test?“

Everyone knows that a pregnancy test helps in detecting a pregnancy conveniently with complete privacy.  

But there is another benefit of a pregnancy test. A pregnancy test helps in detecting a pregnancy earlier. It is necessary so that you can get all the early pregnancy treatments to avoid complications.

This also allows you enough time to wait for duplicating pregnancy tests. 

Questions such as

• When should I take the pregnancy test?
• How soon can I take the pregnancy test?
• What is the right time for taking the pregnancy test?
• How long urine is good to take the pregnancy test?
• When should I take the pregnancy test to get the most accurate pregnancy result?

haunt a woman who is planning to get pregnant in the near future.

We have compiled all that you need to know as answers to your FAQs about the right time for taking pregnancy test here in sections:

When should I take the pregnancy test?

It is equally important to decide the right time to take the pregnancy test as crucial is carrying out the test correctly.

• You should take the pregnancy test ideally every time you have unprotected sex. The condom broke? You need to take the pregnancy test if you want to avoid getting pregnant.
• Even if you take emergency contraceptives or used a condom still it is better if you take the pregnancy test even at the slightest doubt.
• The right time for taking the pregnancy test is when the accuracy of the particular brand’s pregnancy test is highest. This is generally near your day of missed periods.
• You should take the pregnancy test when the hCG level reaches 25 mIU/ml. You can calculate this by doubling the initial concentration. The basal implantation concentration of hCG is from the day you get implantation.
• You should regularly take a pregnancy test after IVF treatments or any other fertility treatments.
• You should take a pregnancy test as soon as when you see symptoms of early pregnancy or symptoms of pregnancy; both are overlapping.

How soon can I take the pregnancy test?

A very popularly asked question about pregnancy test is ‘How soon after sex can you take a pregnancy test?’ You can take a pregnancy test after:

• 10 days from the day of fertilization
• 11 days after ovulation
• 12 days after having sex
• 6 – 7 days after implantation
• 3 – 5 days before missed periods

What is the right time for taking the pregnancy test?

Another doubt is about whether to take the pregnancy test in the morning or at nighttime. It depends on how early you want to take the pregnancy test after implantation. Those of you who can wait till a week after missing your periods can take the pregnancy test at any time of the day after the day of due periods. The women who want to test early pregnancy need to take the test early morning using the first urine excreted. Some home pregnancy tests are reliable and sensitive enough to detect pregnancy six days earlier. You can use them at any time of the day.

Why does day and night matter for taking the pregnancy test?

It is not the position of the sun that matters while taking a pregnancy test! If you decide to take an early pregnancy test, then it may happen that by that time your body hasn’t produced enough hCG. So your urine gets concentrated over the night. As you don’t excrete at night, kidneys keep reabsorbing and refiltering the urine. Over the time the urine gets concentrated. Hence the early morning is the most concentrated. It has enough concentration of hCG that has got accumulated. Therefore, early morning urine is best to test pregnancy.

For those of you who get up at midnight to go to the loo

You should take the test after the longest you can hold back from going to the loo. The purpose is to use the most concentrated sample of urine. Pregnancy tests are generally sensitive to detect hCG levels 25 mIU/ml and above. So it doesn’t really matter day or night. If you don’t go to the loo the entire day, then you can test at night and if you get up to pee at midnight or later then testing early morning holds no good.

When to take a pregnancy test on birth control?

Even if you are taking contraceptives, still you can become pregnant. No contraceptive device is 100% effective. Only permanent sterilization treatments like tubectomy and vasectomy completely prevent conception. Even condoms break, and there are cases when the female conceived even after using a condom. So even when you are on birth control methods if you see symptoms of pregnancy, you should conduct a pregnancy test.

When should I take the pregnancy test to get the most accurate pregnancy result?

The pregnancy test works on the principle of detecting hCG hormone in urine. Hence to get the most accurate results one should have enough levels of hCG in urine. This can be either when you cross a certain number of days after implantation or when you use your early morning urine sample.

When should I not take the pregnancy test?

 You should not take the pregnancy test when there is blood in your urine. During implantation bleeding, taking a pregnancy test is inviting mental stress. Implantation is the attachment of the embryo to a womb. Placenta formation begins after this process. Only after placenta forms, hCG production begins.

hCG is the hormone used by pregnancy test to detect pregnancy. If implantation did not occur there will be no placenta and no hCG.

What will the pregnancy test detect? Any kind of self-color in the urine other than its own color can give a false pregnancy test. Also when implantation is happening that means the hCG production has not begun yet. So you might get false negative tests if you test at that time.

What is the result of not taking a pregnancy test at the right time?

A shock! Either a good one or a bad one! If you don’t take the pregnancy test at the right time then you are bound to get a wrong result. It is important to mention here that there is no right time for going to the doctor whether day, night or evening.

Why is time important for taking the pregnancy test?

Time is important because hCG levels change with time. The hormone hCG doubles every 24 hours. Hence the time after implantation and the time of the day for taking the pregnancy test is important.

The levels of hCG rise for three months and then fall after reaching their peak. There are cases when a pregnant woman keeps getting her periods till the first three months of pregnancy. So hCG keeps coming in urine for a much longer duration of pregnancy. There are other factors that release immediately after conception but vanish as quickly.

What are the benefits of taking the pregnancy test at the right time?

Taking the pregnancy test at the right time and with the right procedure can get you a lab level accurate pregnancy test at home.

It is very important for you to know that the entire discussion is about home pregnancy tests.

Doctors have enough skill and advanced equipment to test your pregnancy at any time. So if you don’t want to take the pains to do the pregnancy test then get an appointment with your doctor.