What Pregnancy Test Can Detect Pregnancy The Earliest

How Early Can I Take A Home Pregnancy Test

If you’re trying to conceive, you might be wondering when you can take a pregnancy test and get an accurate result. The good news is that there are more at-home sensitive pregnancy tests available now than ever before.

The earliest you can take a pregnancy test is about two weeks after conception. This is because it takes time for the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin to build up in your system so that it can be detected in urine pregnancy tests. If you take a home pregnancy test before this, you may get a false-negative result.

What Should Hcg Be At 4 Weeks 3 Days

Typical hCG Results 3 weeks: 5 50 mIU/ml. 4 weeks: 5 426 mIU/ml. 5 weeks: 18 7,340 mIU/ml. 6 weeks: 1,080 56,500 mIU/ml.

How soon can you take a pregnancy test?

How Soon Can You Take a Pregnancy Test? If you are experiencing early pregnancy symptoms, a missed period or suspect you may be pregnant, use the First Response calculator tool. Find out the earliest day you can take a pregnancy test by entering the first day of your last period. The sooner you know, the better.

Home Pregnancy Tests: What You Need To Know

Home pregnancy tests should really be called human chorionic gonadotropin tests, said David Grenache, a clinical chemist who specializes in diagnostic testing. The tests can detect the presence of hCG, a hormone thats measurable in urine after a fertilized egg burrows into the uterine wall. But they dont truly tell you that youre carrying a viable pregnancy. There are also rare medical conditions or medical treatments that make hCG detectable in the urine. So even though its a good indicator for pregnancy, a positive result doesnt always mean youre pregnant.

This burrowing event typically happens anywhere from six to 12 days after ovulation, when a fertilized egg first leaves the ovary. Ovulation occurs between days 12 and 16 of the menstrual cycle, which begins on the first day of a persons period. Health-care providers measure pregnancy from day 1 of the cycle, which is the first day of a persons last period. So by the time hCG is present at measurable levels , from a medical standpoint, a pregnancy may be three or four weeks along, even though the fertilized egg has only just implanted.

Once the body begins producing more hCG, its amount in the blood and urine roughly doubles every two or three days for the first eight to nine weeks of pregnancy. After implantation, someone might have anywhere from 5 to 50 mIU/mL of hCG in their pee .

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How Pregnancy Tests Work

Knowing how pregnancy tests work can help you understand when to take them. Pregnancy tests relay how urine reacts with a piece of paper that can detect the presence of hCG. Results are usually shown as a single or double line or a plus or minus sign.

An at-home pregnancy test cant measure the exact amount of pregnancy hormone in your urine. What it can do is detect whether a minimum amount is present.

Getting a negative pregnancy test result doesnt mean your urine doesnt contain hCG. It just means it doesnt contain enough to trigger a positive result.

Early results pregnancy tests promise results as soon as three to six days before your missed period. These tests are more sensitive than standard tests but getting accurate results that early is more difficult simply because ovulation and implantation times can vary. If you have irregular periods, it can be even more difficult to know when might be an accurate time to try an early test.

If youre having fertility treatments, be aware that this may result in a false positive pregnancy test, especially those performed early. Thats because pregnancy tests may detect the remains of fertility medications like Ovidrel, Pregnyl, or Novarel.

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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Can Everyone Use The Early Pregnancy Test

Early pregnancy tests are expensive. Once you are a few days past expected period, there is no need to use an early pregnancy test.

Everyone can use the early pregnancy test. An early pregnancy test works for everyone. But it is a sheer waste of money.

After taking a urine hCG pregnancy test, you have to go to the doctor to get a pregnancy blood test.

An early pregnancy test is useful in detecting early pregnancy. This may be essential if the woman has health issues that can affect her pregnancy.

In this case, she cannot go to the doctor every time without taking a home pregnancy test. But she needs to go to the doctor as soon as she comes to know that she is pregnant.

Home Pregnancy Test Kits

Home pregnancy test kits are available from pharmacists. These kits offer accurate readings if performed strictly according to the manufacturers instructions. However, many women who use home pregnancy test kits get inaccurate results.The most common mistake is to test for pregnancy too soon after the missed period. The manufacturers instructions will tell you when is the best time to use the kit. It is very important to follow the manufacturers instructions exactly.

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The Best Pregnancy Tests

Is it possible that Im pregnant? can be one of the most nerve-wracking questions for a woman to deal with. But with so many pregnancy tests and ovulation kits on the market today, how can you tell which is relaiable?

Consumer Reports senior editor Nancy Metcalf talks about the best pregnancy tests and ovulation kits available. Get the recommendations on Tuesdays The Early Show.

Pregnancy Tests

Method:All home pregnancy test kits use monoclonal antibodies to detect a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin , which is produced by the developing placenta beginning on the day on which the embryo implants in the uterine wall. Concentrations of this pregnancy hormone vary widely from woman to woman, but the more sensitive tests can measure lower levels of hCG.

All 18 brands tested by Consumer Reports employ similar technology most use sticks with absorbent wicks that are held directly in the urine stream, and most allow women to collect urine in a cup and then dip the stick. Regardless of collection method, reading the results is the same for every kit: if a line appears in the window after a specified number of minutes, the test is positive.

Working with an independent laboratory that specializes in hCG studies, CR spiked hCG-free urine with varying concentrations of the hormone to mimic the range found in normal early pregnancies.

They tested each product at increasing levels of hCG concentration until a positive result was attained.

Ratings

Ovulation Kits

What Other Kinds Of Pregnancy Tests Are There

Whether in strip or stick form, at home or at the doctors office, urine pregnancy tests all test for the presence of the pregnancy hormone hCG.

If you go to your midwife or doctors office, they may also choose to do a blood pregnancy test, which looks for the presence of the same hormone, hCG, in your blood.

Urine pregnancy tests alone are typically very accurate, so blood pregnancy tests are mostly used only if there is a need to know the exact level of hCG in your system .

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Can Lightning Crotch Be A Sign Of Pregnancy

There is a lot of discussion on the internet about whether or not a sudden increase in lightning crotch can be a sign of pregnancy. While there is no scientific evidence to support this claim, many women believe that a sudden increase in discharge or wetness can be an early sign of pregnancy.

There are a few possible explanations for why this might happen. When a woman is pregnant, her body goes through a lot of changes. Hormones are released that can cause the body to produce more discharge. Additionally, the growing baby can put pressure on the bladder, which can lead to more frequent trips to the bathroom.

If you are experiencing a sudden increase in discharge or wetness, there is no harm in trying to take a pregnancy test to find out if you are pregnant. But keep in mind that there are other reasons for this symptom, so it is important to speak with your doctor if you are concerned.

Why Trust Verywell Family

Deanna McCormack is a freelance writer and copywriter who covers lifestyle, parenting content for a variety of platforms. Shes a mom of two kids under the age of 3, and spends time outside her work researching, reviewing, and testing products made for modern families.

Katrina Cossey has been a digital content producer and news and feature writer for more than six years. She’s covered topics ranging from local and national news, as well as writing and researching parenting content. Katrina is a parent herself and used the Clearblue Rapid Detection Pregnancy Test to determine when she was expecting her own little one. She appreciated the pregnancy tests easy-to-read display screen and wide tip for easy use.

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Follow My Babys Growth

This doesnt mean you cant take a pregnancy test later in the day. It just means that youre more likely to get a false-negative, especially if youve been drinking a lot of water. Its 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 cant 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, dont 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.

How Accurate Are At

When used according to the directions, a home pregnancy test can be almost 99% accuratePregnancy tests. Office on Women’s Health. Accessed 7/20/2022. . If you receive a positive result on a home pregnancy test, you should contact your doctor to confirm that you are pregnant and find out what to do next.

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Our Pick: First Response Early Result

Similar to First Response Early Result, Clearblue Early Detection can detect pregnancy five days before an expected period 71% of the time . Unlike other Clearblue pregnancy tests, this wand test also uses pink lines rather than blue, which some people find easier to read.

Like other Clearblue tests, the Clearblue Early Detection test has a really wide absorbent tip that turns pink when it gets wet, so you can be sure you havent missed the target. The handle is thin, long, and easy to grip for midstream testing.

Clearblue tests helpfully list the accuracies relative to the day of an expected period, rather than the more confusing missed period.

When Should I Get A Pregnancy Test

A pregnancy test is most commonly done when a person is believed to be pregnant. Testing may detect a pregnancy as soon as 10 days after conception. The accuracy of pregnancy tests usually increases if taken at least 1-2 weeks after a missed menstrual period.

It may also be done when there are signs and symptoms that suggest an ectopic pregnancy or a pregnancy that is failing.

Signs of an ectopic pregnancy may include:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic area
• Cramping on one side of the pelvis

Additional and more severe symptoms may develop if an ectopic pregnancy is not identified and treated, so it is important for females of childbearing age to talk with a doctor if they notice these symptoms.

Pregnancy testing may also be done as a routine test prior to some medical treatments, such as surgeries or chemotherapy, that could potentially harm a fetus.

For any specific patient, a doctor is in the best position to determine if a pregnancy test is appropriate.

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Easy@home Pregnancy Test Strips

These test strips couldn’t be easier to use. Just dip a strip in your urine, wait for the dye to rise to the window, and read the results in three to five minutes. Two lines indicates you’re expecting a baby, while one line means you aren’t pregnant. This best home pregnancy test gives accurate results one day before your expected period.

Why You Can Trust Us

We independently investigate and recommend products we believe will enhance the lives of our readers and meet their specific needs. Weve spent countless hours doing in-depth research on pregnancy test brands and pregnancy detection to find the best at-home pregnancy tests on the market. You can trust our review because we did the legwork for you in these specific ways:

• Independently researched each pregnancy test brand on our list
• Mystery shopped the brands
• Surveyed pregnancy test users
• Read verified customer reviews from trusted third-party sites such as Better Business Bureau and Consumer Reports
• Contacted brands customer service teams to ask questions
• Reviewed research into the efficacy of pregnancy tests

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Which Pregnancy Test Can You Take Earliest

Currently, pregnancy tests that give positive results earliest are the Clearblue Early Detection pregnancy test and the First Response Early Response, both of which can be taken 5 days before your period is due.

But the accuracy of the test at that point is only around 62% – not a lot more than tossing a coin. The accuracy then increases each day, until it reaches 99% accuracy the day before your period is due.

The other tests offer more than 99% accuracy on the day your period is due. Test before this and you do risk false results, or continued hope that theyre false results.

One mum, Twinkletwin, in our forum explains, This month I vow NOT TO TEST AT ALL! Im on month 18 and it’s scary how much I must have spent on negative pregnancy tests over the last year and a half!

“I always do it, but this month I vow not to. It gives you false hope, because you always think maybe I tested too early.

And Twinkle81K puts it like this: “So all I can do now is wait which is sending me quite crazy. Because clearly I have money to waste I have done a test nearly every day and today another BFN .

“I will keep you all updated on my insane wait for AF or BFP – whichever arrives first…”

How We Picked And Tested

We chose 26 tests to try based on their popularity and availability, as well as their ratings at online retailers. We also walked into pharmacy chains and big-box retailers to see what someone in need of a test ASAP might find on the shelves. We then looked at the following:

Accuracy and sensitivity. In the US, all pregnancy tests must be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. For this, manufacturers must have shown that the tests can detect the levels of hCG claimed, at least most of the time. Consumers should have confidence that a test thats on the market and FDA-cleared is appropriate for use, if they use it as intended, Grenache said.

Pretty much any test should be close to 100% accurate seven days after your expected period. Of course, not everyone has a predictable or typical cycle, and many people will want or need to test as early as possible. So we considered each tests claimed accuracy starting at four or five days before an expected period, as well as the sensitivity and accuracy data that each manufacturer reported to the FDA. We also looked at the types of hCG each test detects, whether the company tested for the hook effect and variant hook effect, and at which concentrations of hCG and hCG beta they performed the tests.

Pretty much any test should be close to 100% accurate seven days after your expected period.

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