If your periods are irregular and vary by more than a couple of days each month, it will be harder to know when to test for pregnancy, but results from ovulation tracking can act as a guide. “I have seen patients get quite upset when an early test is negative, only to find totally appropriate hCG levels present the day their period is due.” I have irregular periods. “But the earlier you test, the less accurate the test will be because ovulation isn’t perfectly consistent from month to month and implantation can vary by two or three days post-ovulation,” she says. Some specialty tests are able to detect a pregnancy as early as six days before a missed period (which, FYI, is not the day your period is expected but the day after).
Do tests that promise early detection actually work? From a results perspective, the best time to test is the day of your expected period or afterwards. That means that if you test too soon before your expected period, you will get a negative test result, even if you are pregnant. “Implantation usually occurs about nine days after ovulation, and periods usually start about 14 days after ovulation,” says Schram. The earlier you test, the more likely you will get a false negative. Does the day I take the test affect pregnancy test accuracy? In addition, pregnancy tests can pick up on pregnancies that can’t be carried to term, such as ectopic pregnancies (most often in the fallopian tubes) and very early miscarriages. If you have a tumour that secretes hCG, your pregnancy test could also show a false positive, but this is very rare. The medication Ovidrel (choriogonadotropin alfa), which is a form of the hormone hCG that is used in fertility treatments, can be detected by a pregnancy test up to 12 days after it’s injected. When is it safe to announce your pregnancy?Ī false positive-when a pregnancy test says you’re pregnant but you aren’t-is much rarer, but it can occur. “It’s reasonable to visit your doctor for more-definitive blood work and see if there is another reason why you haven’t had a period,” says Schram. If you miss your period, test again and book an appointment with your healthcare provider if you still get a negative result. If you get a false negative but still suspect that you’re pregnant, repeat the test in a few days. The earlier you test, the higher the chances that this scenario will occur. If your pregnancy is in its early stages and your body has not yet produced enough hCG for the test to detect, you could get a false negative, which means you’re actually pregnant, even though the test says you’re not. How likely is it to get a false negative? If a test is more sensitive, it may be able to detect lower levels of hCG (that is, an earlier test result). In a typical pregnancy, the hormone level doubles every 48 to 72 hours and usually reaches a level that can be detected by a urine test around 12 to 14 days after conception (or a couple of days before your expected period). How do pregnancy tests work?Īny pregnancy test you can find, regardless of brand, style or price, will look for one simple thing: a detectable level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone that is produced by a newly implanted embryo.
#IS A PREGNANCY TEST ACCURATE 4 WEEKS AFTER SEX HOW TO#
Carrie Schram, a family doctor at Women’s College Hospital and medical director of the cycle monitoring program at Hannam Fertility Centre in Toronto, answers everything you’ve ever wondered about pregnancy test accuracy, the importance of price and how to avoid a false negative. But have you ever wondered just how much you can trust that little stick? With so many brands and styles on the market-from fancy early detection models to cheap ones you can pick up for next to nothing at the dollar store-choosing the right pregnancy test can feel overwhelming. You’ve opened the box, ripped open the plastic, peed on the absorbent strip and impatiently awaited your results.
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