You have two options when it comes time to see if you have a baby on board. Show
The most common is an at-home urine pregnancy test, available over the counter, though you can take a urine pregnancy test at a medical clinic. Another option is a blood test performed at a medical clinic. "Both tests check for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG," says Crystal Newby, MD, of Kansas City Ob-Gyn. "This hormone is produced after a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus." The egg typically attaches 6 days after fertilization, at which point, hCG levels in your blood and urine will increase for the next 6 to 10 weeks. Once hCG levels are high enough, you can expect an accurate reading, but not before then. When should you take a blood pregnancy test?Depending on a woman's cycle, a blood test can detect pregnancy between 6 and 14 days after conception. Blood tests for pregnancy are more sensitive to hCG than home pregnancy tests. They can detect this hormone in low quantities and tell you if you're pregnant sooner than a home test. While blood tests can provide results sooner than home pregnancy tests, they are usually more expensive and take longer to provide results because the blood must be sent to a lab for analysis. If the lab is in-house then it will take a few hours. But if the lab is at a different location, it could take several days to learn the results. When should you take a home pregnancy test?Most home pregnancy tests advise you to take the test after you miss your next period. If you have a standard 28-day cycle, you'll be most fertile two to three weeks before your period. So if you get pregnant during that fertility window, you'll need to wait at least 14 to 18 days after conception to take a home pregnancy test. If you get a negative result and suspect you're pregnant, check the instructions on the box. Home pregnancy tests typically recommend retaking the test 5 to 7 days later, when the hCG levels in your body will be higher. This type of result is called a "false negative." Sometimes you can receive a false negative result if you take a pregnancy test too soon when your hCG levels are too low for the test to detect them accurately. Moreover, recent miscarriages, fertility drugs, and rare hCG secreting tumors can interfere with the results of at-home urine tests. If you receive conflicting results after taking a home pregnancy test multiple times, doctors recommend a blood test. How accurate are pregnancy tests?Blood pregnancy tests are considered by doctors to be 99% accurate. Quantitative blood tests (also called beta hCG tests) are the most accurate blood tests and can help doctors tell the exact age of the fetus and play a role in detecting any abnormalities. If you follow directions, home pregnancy tests are an estimated 97% to 99% accurate. If you perform a urine pregnancy test in a lab setting, like at your doctor's office, the accuracy will be closer to 99%. It's important to make sure that you check the expiration date on your home test, as it can affect the accuracy of the results. After taking either a blood or urine test, it's important to confirm the pregnancy with an early ultrasound. Insider's takeawayHome pregnancy tests can provide results faster and be more convenient than a blood test. But you'll probably have to wait longer to receive accurate results. You can expect accurate results from a blood pregnancy test as soon as 6 to 14 days after conception. Because the test must be analyzed in a lab, it could take up to several days to get the results. To get the most accurate reading from a home urine test, wait until your missed period. This can come anywhere between 14 to 18 days after conception. If you get a negative result, you can try taking a home test again in 5 to 7 days to see if you have higher amounts of detectable hCG in your body. Blood tests are considered to be 99% accurate, while home pregnancy tests are around 97% to 99% accurate. Regardless, you should confirm your results by getting an ultrasound.
Denice Rackley is a freelance writer for Insider. Read more Read less How do pregnancy tests work?Pregnancy tests are an easy and accurate way to find out if you’re pregnant — you just pee on a stick. They’re inexpensive and available at most drug and grocery stores. How accurate are pregnancy tests?Pregnancy tests are super accurate when you use them correctly. The pregnancy tests you get at the drugstore work 99 out of 100 times. They’re just as accurate as a urine pregnancy test that you’d get at a doctor’s office. Pregnancy tests work by checking your urine (pee) for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Your body only makes this hormone if you’re pregnant. HCG is released when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of your uterus — when pregnancy begins. If your pregnancy test results are positive, it means you're pregnant. If they’re negative, it means you’re not pregnant. Pregnancy tests are most accurate when you take them after you’ve already missed your period. A pregnancy test will be less accurate if it’s expired or if you don’t use it the right way. So always check the expiration date on the package, and carefully read the directions that come with your pregnancy test. How soon can I take a pregnancy test?You can take a pregnancy test anytime after your period is late — that’s when they work the best. It’s a good idea to take a pregnancy test as soon as possible if you miss your period or think you might be pregnant. The earlier you know you’re pregnant, the sooner you can start thinking about your options and get whatever care you need to stay healthy. Many pregnancy tests say they work a few days before a missed period, but the results are usually less accurate then. Read the label on your pregnancy test to find out when to take a pregnancy test and how accurate it’ll be. Sometimes a pregnancy test is able to find pregnancy hormones in your urine as early as 10 days after unprotected sex. But these results aren’t super reliable, and you may get a false positive or false negative test result. If your periods are very irregular, or you don’t get periods at all for one reason or another, your best bet for accurate results is to take a pregnancy test 3 weeks after sex. Where can I get a pregnancy test?You can buy a pregnancy test at your local pharmacy, drugstore, grocery store, and some convenience or dollar stores. Pregnancy tests are usually inexpensive — they can cost as little as a dollar. Sometimes you can get a free pregnancy test at certain health centers. You can also get a pregnancy test from your nurse or doctor, community clinic, or local Planned Parenthood Health Center. Most health centers use the same urine pregnancy tests that you can buy in stores. Sometimes they use a blood test to test for pregnancy, but that’s usually only under special circumstances. But be careful when looking for a reliable health center, because there are fake clinics out there called Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Crisis Pregnancy Centers give free pregnancy tests and claim to offer information and help. But they’re run by people who may not be medical professionals, and don’t believe in giving you honest facts about pregnancy and all of your options. Crisis pregnancy centers are often located very close to Planned Parenthood health centers or other real medical centers, and have similar names — they do this to confuse people and trick them into visiting their center instead. Your nearest Planned Parenthood health center can help you find a safe place to get a pregnancy test in your area. What should I do if my pregnancy test is positive?If you take a pregnancy test after you miss your period and the result is positive, that means you’re pregnant. You can always take another test to be sure, if you want. You may want to go to a nurse or doctor, family planning clinic, or local Planned Parenthood Health Center to get a follow-up test. They’ll talk with you about your pregnancy options, and help get you the care you need. Be careful not to visit a Crisis Pregnancy Center, because they might not give you real medical care or truthful information about your pregnancy and all of your options. More questions from patients:What's a false positive pregnancy test? A false positive pregnancy test is when you get a positive result from a home pregnancy test but you’re not really pregnant. A false positive result means that the pregnancy test detected the hormone hCG in your pee. For this to happen, either the test didn’t work right or you had hCG in your body for another reason. These could include:
If you have a positive pregnancy test, visit your doctor, midwife, or local Planned Parenthood health center. They can determine if you’re really pregnant and help you with next steps. We couldn't access your location, please search for a location. Zip, City, or State Please enter a valid 5-digit zip code or city or state. Please fill out this field. Service Filter By All Telehealth In-person Please enter your age and the first day of your last period for more accurate abortion options. Your information is private and anonymous. I'm not sure This field is required. AGE This field is required. Or call 1-800-230-7526 How long after conception can you take a pregnancy test?This means a high-quality pregnancy test could detect a pregnancy in as little as 5 days after conception. However, according to Mayo Clinic , it is advisable to take a pregnancy test after the first day of your missed period to reduce the chances of getting a false negative result.
How early can you take a pregnancy test without a period?You can start testing this early but keep in mind that only a tiny percentage of women can get a positive result this early. If you get a negative result, wait a day or two, and test again. The best time to take a pregnancy test will always be after you have missed your period.
Is it better to take a pregnancy test early or late?With pregnancy testing, timing is everything. This is because the amount of hCG in your urine increases with time. HCG levels should almost double every 48 hours at the beginning of pregnancy, so if you are pregnant and you wait a few days to take the test, it is more likely to be positive.
How many days after implantation can a urine pregnancy test be positive?A urine pregnancy test is usually not positive until the time of a missed period which is about 3-4 days after implantation.
How soon after getting pregnant will a test read positive?In many cases, you might get a positive from an at-home test as early as 10 days after conception. For a more accurate result, wait until after you've missed your period to take a test. Remember, if you take a test too soon it could be negative even if you are pregnant.
Can you get a positive test after 1 week?Trace levels of hCG can be detected as early as eight days after ovulation. That means you could get positive results several days before you expect your period to start. However, the first part of your cycle is more variable than the second, making it tricky to determine the best time for an early test.
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How soon after getting pregnant can you take a test
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