When to Take a Pregnancy Test?

The most common dilemma among women that want to know if they are pregnant is whether they should wait to see if they are missing their period or take the pregnancy test before. The easiest and most reliable way to see if you are pregnant is to wait and see if you have missed your menstrual period and take the test then. These pregnancy tests that can be found in any pharmacy near you and all you have to do is use them after your missed menstrual period. However, those who can’t wait to see the results and want to do this earlier should know that there are few other things that need to be considered before taking the test.

You must remember that every woman is different and that the time it takes for fertilized eggs to be placed in the uterus may vary. Some women believe that the implantation takes place 7 days after the conception, but accurate scientific studies have proven that the first sign of so-called pregnancy hormone HCG (released after the conception) occurs six to twelve days after ovulation. Furthermore, in around 90% of the pregnancies the implantation happened 8 to 10 days after ovulation. That’s why it is important to understand that if your pregnancy test is negative that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not pregnant. For example, you might have your ovulation a little bit later than the usual which means that the conception and releasing of HCG hormone happened later than you have calculated. It could also mean that the process of implantation in you took more time than average.

The sensitivity of modern pregnancy test can vary greatly. There are literally dozens of pregnancy tests on the market and they are not the same. The more sensitive the test is, the greater the chances that it will discover your pregnancy before you get your period. If the pregnancy tests works with greater sensitivity it can detect smaller levels of the pregnancy hormone HCG. For example, some quality pregnancy tests can detect 15 mIU of HCG hormone while others detect pregnancy after they detect at least 150 mIU of HCG hormone. This means that they need 10 times higher amount of HCG to detect pregnancy. That’s why you need to choose the pregnancy tests carefully and also try at least two tests in order to be sure if you are pregnant or not. In addition, a pregnancy test that is sensitive to 15 MIU of HCG hormone can detect pregnancy six to eight days after ovulation (in case the implantation happened) but only a small percentage of women can get a positive test that early. This percentage significantly increases in women who have made the test at least 9 days after ovulation.  

   

Sensitive pregnancy tests allow you to detect pregnancy very early which can improve your pregnancy. It also means that you can change your habits or adjust them to the needs of your pregnancy.