If you think you might be pregnant, you might be asking yourself when you should take a pregnancy test. It is important to take a pregnancy test at the right time—and not too early—in order to get the most accurate results. Here’s why:
While some pregnancy tests that you can buy in the store may be able to produce early results, taking an at-home test too early often results in a false negative. For the best and most accurate results, it is recommended that you wait until at least a week after a missed period. Doing so allows for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone produced during pregnancy, to build up in your body and to be detectable in your urine, giving a more accurate pregnancy test result.
How Do Pregnancy Tests Work?
At-home pregnancy tests are designed to detect hCG. It’s often called the “pregnancy hormone” because it comes from the placenta, which connects the fetus to the woman.
HCG levels increase dramatically during the first 8 to 11 weeks of pregnancy. These higher levels allow for easy pregnancy detection and determination in blood and urine tests.
If you already received a negative pregnancy test result from an at-home test, it may be because the test was taken too early while hCG levels were too low. You can test again in a few days for a potentially more accurate result.
Signs to Take a Pregnancy Test
While missing your period is the most obvious sign to take a pregnancy test, there are other indicators of early pregnancy. You should take a pregnancy test if you:
- Miss your period
- Have breast fullness/soreness
- Urinate frequently
- Experience nausea or vomiting
- Have abdominal bloating
- Feel fatigued
What’s Next After a Positive Pregnancy Test?
Even if you tested positive at home, false positives after a miscarriage could occur with at-home tests. It’s essential to validate your pregnancy result with a quality pregnancy test and ultrasound.
At Ivy Women’s Center in Mentor, our licensed medical staff offers free-of-charge pregnancy testing and limited ultrasounds to confirm a pregnancy. With an ultrasound, we can determine the gestational age of the pregnancy, the location of the pregnancy (and its viability), and whether or not your body is accepting the pregnancy. This information is critical to helping you determine your next steps.
Schedule your confidential appointment today to confirm your pregnancy.