Early Signs Of Pregnancy
- Slight morning nausea
Depending on whether a positive pregnancy test would be good or bad news, symptoms like these may fill you with dreador excitement. But heres the good news: pregnancy symptoms do not mean you are pregnant. In fact, you can feel pregnant and not be pregnant, or not feel pregnant when you really are expecting.
How Do Twins And Multiples Affect Hcg Levels
Women pregnant with twins or multiples have high levels of hCG. This increased level of hCG could also be why some women who carry twins have severe morning sickness compared to women who are expecting only one baby. If you have a blood test to check your hCG levels and its higher than average, there is a chance that you are pregnant with more than one baby.
How Soon After Sex Can I Take A Pregnancy Test
Waiting to take a pregnancy test when you think you may be pregnant can be excruciating. If youve recently had unprotected sex or experienced contraception failure, you probably want to know as soon as possible. Before you begin to worry or make any plans, taking a home pregnancy test is a good first step. Of course, if you want to skip the home test and come see us first. We can provide lab-grade pregnancy testing for you free of charge.
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Test Results Of The Hpt Urine Pregnancy Test
- A positive HPT test means that enough hCG is found: PREGNANT
- A negative HPT test means that no hCG is found: NOT PREGNANT
- A “false negative” test means that your test is negative but you ARE pregnant. This usually happens when you test too early. Read more about a false negative test HERE.
- A “false positive” test means that your test is positive but you are NOT pregnant. A false positive pregnancy test happens extremely rarely. Read more about false positive pregnancy tests HERE.
When To Get A Blood Pregnancy Test
You might be wondering if you should also have a blood test to check if you are pregnant. Your doctor may order a test, or you may be thinking about ordering one yourself. Many labs now allow people to order and pay out of pocket for their blood work.
Before you do that, there are a few things you should know. First, there are two types of pregnancy blood tests: qualitative and quantitative.
- Qualitative tests measure whether hCG is present in your blood or urine. They pretty much give a yes or no answer as to whether youre pregnant. Or, more accurately, whether you have enough pregnancy hormone to get a positive result. Home pregnancy tests are qualitative.
- Quantitative pregnancy tests measure the amount of pregnancy hormone in your blood. This is sometimes called a beta hCG test. These are usually done to see how a pregnancy is progressing. For example, your doctor may order two beta hCG tests a few days apart to see whether the level of hCG is increasing as expected or not. This might be important if you had trouble conceiving, have a history of early miscarriage, or an ectopic pregnancy is suspected.
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When To Take A Blood Pregnancy Test
Maybe youve 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 theyre 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 youre experiencing all the symptoms of pregnancy, its 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 youre pregnant or if you need to do another test in a few days.
Health care providers also recommend blood tests if youve 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.
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.
Can A Pregnancy Test Detect At 1 Week
Most tests can produce accurate results on the first day after a missed period, but to ensure accuracy, it is advisable to start testing 1 week after a missed period. For around 1020% of pregnant people, a home pregnancy test does not accurately detect the pregnancy on the first day of their missed period.
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When To Take An Early Pregnancy Test
As weve seen, taking a standard pregnancy test can be a little bit of a waiting game. However, youll have the reassurance of knowing that theyre more accurate than early tests, so it could be worth the wait.
If you think that you may be pregnant or youre trying to conceive, you might decide the wait is too long and consider taking an early pregnancy test. The good news is that you can take a specially designed early pregnancy test five days before you expect your period. If youre not exactly sure when that is, you can track your cycle using an app like Flo to work out when to take one.
If the test comes back positive, reach out to your health care provider and follow it up with a standard pregnancy test either on the first day of your missed period or 21 days after youve had unprotected sex.
How Accurate Are Urine Tests
Urine tests or home pregnancy tests are around 97% accurate when done correctly. Home pregnancy tests are great to use because they can be done at home, they are usually low in cost , private, they give a fast result, and are easy to use.
However, if done incorrectly or taken too early, the result can be inaccurate. If you get a negative result and still have symptoms of pregnancy , wait a week and take another test or contact your doctor so you can have a blood test done.
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Choose The Correct Pregnancy Test Strip For You
A wide variety of home pregnancy test strips are available in the market. Dont follow the trend set by others but decide your strip type based on your personal requirements. The deciding factors are
- Type of the strip: Digital or line display
- Speed of the results: How quickly the results appear
- Cost: Less costly tests can be as accurate as expensive ones. Correct your misconception.
- Packing: The number of strips per pack can be a major deciding factor if you require multiple testing.
- Sensitivity: Although strip tests are 99% accurate some, may have a higher ratio of accuracy based on their sensitivity, hence the choice is made according to your preference.
What Happens After Ovulation And Conception
If a sperm fertilizes an egg, the fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube to the womb , while the cells continuously divide to form a cluster, called a blastocyst. Around 9 11 days after fertilization, the blastocyst implants into the uterine wall and the embryo begins to develop. After implantation, this is the first time the pregnancy hormone can be detected in the mothers blood or urine.3
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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 youre 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. Theyll 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.
Blood Pregnancy Tests Used By Doctors
Your doctor can give you a blood pregnancy test as early as 1114 days after ovulation. To perform a blood pregnancy test, the doctor draws blood from a vein in your arm. This blood is sent to a laboratory for testing. The results of most blood pregnancy tests take at least a couple of days. The laboratory then advises the doctor of the result.Blood test results are about 99 per cent accurate and can detect lower amounts of hCG than urine pregnancy tests. The 2 main types of blood pregnancy test include:
- Quantitative blood test measures the exact amount of hCG in the blood and can give you an estimate of how far along the pregnancy has progressed.
- Qualitative blood test only checks for the presence of hCG. Since this test doesnt measure the exact levels of hCG, it cant offer an estimate of gestation.
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Getting It Right: Understanding Pregnancy Test Details
Details matter when it comes to getting an accurate pregnancy test result. Taking a pregnancy test at the wrong time, or using a pregnancy test incorrectly, can result in a false-negative or false-positive result.
The results from home pregnancy tests are up to 99% accurate the day after a missed period but may be less accurate at other times. Range in accuracy is due to a few factors:
- Correct use of a home pregnancy test.
- Knowing the first day of your last period.
- Knowing your ovulation and menstruation cycle dates.
How To Take A Pregnancy Test
The details of how you should use a home pregnancy test vary by brand but in general, it’s probably the simplest test you’ll ever take. To improve accuracy:
- Dont drink too many liquids before you take the pregnancy test. It can dilute hCG levels.
- Check the expiration date, and avoid using an expired pregnancy test.
- Read the package directions thoroughly, and follow them meticulously. You’ll either hold the test stick in your stream of urine for a few seconds, or collect your urine in a cup and dip the stick into it.
- Wait but not for long. Follow the directions for when to read the test and how to identify a positive result. You’ll see a control indicator to let you know that the pregnancy test is working. The result itself requires a couple minutes. And yes, its true that any line you see in the pregnancy test result panel, no matter how faint it is , means that there’s hCG in your system and a baby in your future.
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Is There A Connection Between Hcg Levels And Morning Sickness
You may have been told that morning sickness means a healthy baby. It may be scant comfort when youre feeling so sick all the time, but there might be a grain of truth in it. There are studies showing a relationship between morning sickness, a healthy pregnancy, and rising levels of hCG, but the jury is still out.
Best Pregnancy Test Strips In The Market
A wide range of pregnancy strips easy to use at home are available in the market varying in result time, results display, price, or packaging. They may also be categorized based on whether they are disposable or reusable.
A few of the best easy to use at home pregnancy test strips along with their specifications and price in US dollars, Indian and Pakistani Rupees are also listed here
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Pregnancy Tests: How Early Is Too Early
For women trying to get pregnant, nothing is more tempting than running to the store and buying a pregnancy test the moment you start experiencing the earliest signs of pregnancy. Even if you havent missed your period yet, symptoms like nausea, headaches, and mood swings might spark both hope and temptation to find out if youre pregnant or not right away. As a Reproductive Endocrinologist, Im here to tell you to resist that urge and wait a bit before taking a pregnancy test at home. Taking your test too early can give you a false positive or a false negative result, both of which can be disappointing and confusing and contribute to your stress levels as you try to conceive.
How Early Can You Take A Pregnancy Test
You should take a pregnancy test no earlier than 12 DPO. Some brands of HPTs may claim to provide results as early as six days before the start of your expected period. However, these results may not be as accurate and can result in a false-negative or a positive result from a chemical pregnancy. You can prevent this by sticking to the recommendation of testing no earlier than 12 DPO.
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Do You Need A Blood Test To Confirm Pregnancy
For most women, a pregnancy blood test isnt necessary. If youve taken a home pregnancy test and gotten a positive result, your ob-gyn will likely see you around eight weeks after your last menstrual period and confirm your pregnancy with a transvaginal ultrasound.
Should I test 10 DPO?
If your period doesnt come when expected and youre experiencing potential signs of early pregnancy, its a good idea to take a pregnancy test. After fertilization, implantation usually happens between 6 and 10 days past ovulation.
Is 9 DPO too early to test?
At 9 DPO, youre still nearly a week away from your first missed period. Health care providers often recommend that you wait at least until the first day of your missed period to take a pregnancy test. While many home pregnancy tests claim that they can detect pregnancy sooner than that, theyre not always accurate.
Can a blood test detect pregnancy at 2 weeks?
When Does Morning Sickness End In Pregnancy
While morning sickness is one of the early pregnancy symptoms before a missed period, it is also one of those symptoms that dont typically last throughout the pregnancy. So, although it might trigger you to consider the possibility that you might be pregnant, it will also eventually fizzle down as you progress through your gestation.
But when does it stop?
As we mentioned earlier, morning sickness typically stops by week 14-16. In a verysmall percentage of women , the symptom might extend up to week 18 and longer. Such cases require immediate medical intervention to assess any possible complications plaguing the pregnancy.
Since morning sickness creates a drastic food version, most pregnant women often prefer eating just salty crackers, water, ginger tea, etc., to combat the symptom. However, constant nausea and vomiting can lead to dehydration and weakness due to electrolyte imbalance in the body.
Hence, hydration and taking certain supplements like Vitamin B6 are reportedly good for maintaining optimal health. If the pregnant woman is rapidly losing weight due to morning sickness and a poor appetite, that requires an immediate medical intervention too.
In some cases, nausea might recur during the third trimester in short bursts as the baby nears its due date. But, its not common for every pregnant woman.
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How Accurate Are Home Pregnancy Tests
Home pregnancy tests are quite reliable and usually 99% accurate. However, it is critical to carefully follow the instructions on the package.
- It is recommended to test your urine in the morning since hCG levels will be at the highest concentration as soon as you wake up.
- You can take the test at any hour of the day, but you need to keep your bladder full for at least 4 hours prior to the test.
- Avoid drinking too much water before the test because it can dilute the hCG levels in your urine.
Here is how the tests work:
- The test kits come with a test stick and a container that is used to collect the urine and transfer a few drops to the test stick.
- If you are pregnant and there is sufficient hCG in your urine, the hCG in your urine reacts with the anti-hCG antibodies present in the test stick and inactivates them.
- As anti-hCG bodies are inactivated, the stick indicates a positive pregnancy test.
Early Changes To Breasts: Tingling Aching Growing
Breast changes can occur between weeks 4 and 6. Youre likely to develop tender and swollen breasts due to hormone changes. This will likely go away after a few weeks when your body has adjusted to the hormones.
Nipple and breast changes can also occur around week 11. Hormones continue to cause your breasts to grow. The areola the area around the nipple may change to a darker color and grow larger.
If youve had bouts with acne before your pregnancy, you may experience breakouts again.
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False Positive Pregnancy Tests
A false positive pregnancy test means that you get a positive result, but aren’t pregnant. These are uncommon, but they can happen under certain circumstances:
- You had a miscarriage or a pregnancy termination in the previous eight weeks or have a molar pregnancy.
- You’ve taken a fertility drug containing hCG .
- You have a rare medical condition, such as an hCG-secreting tumor.
- You’re using an expired or faulty test.
- You’re experiencing menopause or perimenopause.
If you have an early positive result and then get your period soon after, you may have had what’s sometimes called a chemical pregnancy. This means a fertilized egg implanted in your uterus and developed just enough to start producing hCG, but then stopped developing for some reason. This form of early pregnancy loss usually happens when the fertilized egg has defects that prevent it from growing normally.
After a chemical pregnancy, your period may be a little heavier and a few days later than usual.
Note: An ectopic pregnancy usually results in a positive pregnancy test, even though these pregnancies show slower hCG rises. No matter what result you get from a pregnancy test, call your healthcare provider right away if you:
- Feel dizzy or faint.
- Have abdominal pain .
- Have abnormal bleeding.
