Does it matter when you take a pregnancy test

How soon can you take a pregnancy test after sex?

Although you might be eager to take a pregnancy test as soon as possible, it’s best to wait until your period is a week late to get the most accurate result. If you can’t wait until your period, let at least one to two weeks pass after you have sex before taking a pregnancy test. 

It’s important to wait, because your body needs to develop enough of the pregnancy hormone hCG that a pregnancy test can detect it. In most cases, home pregnancy tests can detect levels of hCG around 10 days after successful implantation of an egg (which doesn’t happen immediately after sex). If you take the test too early, you might get a negative result (even if you are pregnant). 

When is the best time to take a pregnancy test: morning or night?

If you want to know how early you can take a pregnancy test, you might also wonder when the best time to take a pregnancy test is. Is it best to take it in the morning or at night? To get an accurate result, most experts recommend taking a pregnancy test in the morning. Why? While you’re sleeping, hCG becomes more concentrated in your urine. Unless you wake up in the middle of the night to pee, first thing in the morning is the best time for early detection of pregnancy. 

Take a quiz

Find out what you can do with our Health Assistant

This doesn’t mean you can’t take a pregnancy test later in the day. It just means that you’re more likely to get a false-negative, especially if you’ve been drinking a lot of water. It’s easy to forget in the morning, so it might be helpful to leave yourself a note the night before. You can close the lid of the toilet and leave a note there to remind yourself. 

What if you have an unconventional sleep schedule and can’t test your urine first thing in the morning? You can increase the level of hCG in your urine by not using the bathroom for at least four hours. 

Before taking a pregnancy test, don’t drink more water than you normally would. Drinking a lot of water can dilute your urine and affect the result of your test. 

If you got a negative result but still think you might be pregnant, take the test again after several days. False positives and false negatives are rare, but they do happen. Repeating a test can also be a good idea.

Does it matter when you take a pregnancy test

When is it too early to take a pregnancy test?

Taking a pregnancy test sooner than eight days past your ovulation (DPO) might result in a false negative. This is because fertilized eggs don’t start producing the pregnancy hormone that tests detect — hCG — until after implantation is complete.

About 85 percent of the time, implantation occurs 6–10 days after ovulation. After implantation, your hCG levels will start doubling every 48 hours — you can use our online hCG calculator to track your hCG levels at home. At this point, pregnancy tests will be able to measure your hCG levels, ensuring a positive result if you’re pregnant. 

When to take a blood pregnancy test

Maybe you’ve taken a home pregnancy test, but now your health care provider is suggesting you take a blood test. What exactly is and when should you take a blood pregnancy test? 

Home pregnancy tests measure the levels of hCG in your urine. A blood pregnancy test measures the hCG levels in your blood. Health care providers suggest taking a blood test because they’re more sensitive and can offer more information than a home urine test. 

The best time to take a blood pregnancy test is if your period is several days late. If your home pregnancy tests are negative, but you’re experiencing all the symptoms of pregnancy, it’s a good idea to take a blood test. 

The most accurate blood tests are quantitative blood pregnancy tests, because they determine the exact amount of hCG in your blood. This is important because it can tell your health care provider if you’re pregnant or if you need to do another test in a few days.

Health care providers also recommend blood tests if you’ve experienced an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage in the past. This ensures your health care provider will be able to observe your hCG levels more closely in the first weeks of your pregnancy. 

You might wonder when to take a pregnancy test to get accurate results. Whether you’re hoping for a positive or a negative, taking a test the week after your missed period is probably the best way to find out. If you’re in a hurry, you can try taking a test at least one to two weeks after sex, but the results may not be as accurate. 

For best results, take the pregnancy test in the morning. First-morning urine exhibits the highest concentration of hCG. Taking your pregnancy test sooner than eight days past ovulation might result in a false negative. Blood tests are more sensitive and can offer more information than a home urine test.

Is it better to take a pregnancy test in the morning or does it matter?

Remember, morning tends to be the best time to take home pregnancy tests, because hCG levels in urine are concentrated after a night without much drinking and peeing. If you're still very early in your pregnancy and hCG levels are only starting to rise, it may be wise not to test at night. Symptoms of pregnancy.

Can pregnancy test be done at night?

It is alright to take the pregnancy test at night, but whether doing so can be a reason for the negative result or not is yet unclear. That's because the home pregnancy test responds to the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) present in your urine.

What should you not do before pregnancy test?

Don't drink too much water, or any liquid, before taking a pregnancy test. Excess fluids can impact the accuracy of the test results, so if your urine is diluted or pale yellow, hold off on taking a test. Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results.

Can a pregnancy test be negative at night and positive in the morning?

Although you may take a pregnancy test at night, the test may be a false negative since urine tends to be more diluted at night. This is why doctors recommend taking a pregnancy test in the morning, especially in the first couple of weeks of pregnancy.