How Soon Can I Take a Pregnancy Test?

When to take a pregnancy test can be very confusing for many women. You see commercials that tell you that you can test early, up to 5 days before your missed period. Doctors tell you to wait at least a week after you have missed your period before testing, but you are asking "how soon can I take a pregnancy test?" It can be hard to know what to listen to. When you test will depend on many things.

If you are actively trying to get pregnant or had unprotected intercourse during your fertile period, you are probably anxious to find out fast. This means you would want to be able to test as early as possible. It takes the egg at least 6 – 8 days to travel out of the fallopian tube into the uterus, this when the egg would begin to implant and release hCG, the pregnancy hormone. It takes another 2 – 4 days after implantation for the hormone to be detected in the urine using even the most sensitive test. It will depend on when implantation occurred when you would get an accurate reading. The most common time for an egg to implant is 8 – 12 days after the egg is released. This would mean that you could get an accurate result as early as 10 days past ovulation in some cases.

If you get a negative result and have tested early, it does not mean that you are not pregnant. You could have ovulated later than you realize, not have implanted yet, or have too little hCG to be able to read. Even early result pregnancy tests are not 100% accurate till after a missed period. The box will tell you what the percentage is for accuracy prior to your missed period. If you are over a week late, still are getting a negative result, and have not gotten your period, call your doctor. They will be able to do a blood test to be sure you are pregnant or not.

If you are a woman who has irregular cycles and never knows when her period may or may not come, you may find knowing when to take a pregnancy test a bit more challenging. While you can also use the early detecting pregnancy tests for earlier results, you may find that regular higher mIU/ml tests at a lower cost work just as well. By the time you realize you are late, you will most likely have plenty if hCG to be detected with a regular test. 

References:

American Pregnancy Association - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/takingapregnancytest.html

Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com - http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/pregnancytests.html

Peeonastick.com - http://www.peeonastick.com/hptfaq.html#1

 Disclaimer:  The information provided within this site is not meant to be a substitute for a medical doctor's opinion.  This site is for informational purposes ONLY.  Please check with your medical practitioner before any type of treatment or prevention method is started.