Most women try to find out about their pregnancy as early as possible. The reasons for this interest are different for everyone. But curiosity takes over, and they try to quickly acquire special tests. First of all, you need to understand how they work, and then decide when to take a pregnancy test?

How does a pregnancy test work?

A pregnancy test works on the principle of detecting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). As a rule, the sensitivity of tests is no more than 25 mIU/ml. HCG begins to be produced after the embryo attaches to the uterus. Moreover, the level of this hormone doubles every day. Therefore, if ovulation took place on the 12th day of the cycle, then the fertilized egg is implanted after 8 days.

HCG begins to rise from the 20th day from the beginning of the previous menstruation. At this time, its level is 2 mIU/ml, on day 21 – 4 mIU/ml. Every day its number doubles. As a result, on day 24 the hCG level exceeds 25 mIU/ml. This is exactly what a pregnancy test can record. But there are products that detect 20 mIU/ml. However, you need to understand that ovulation can occur on the 14th, 15th and other days of the cycle. In addition, the journey of a fertilized egg to the uterus may take not 8, but 10 days.

In order to do the test, you should wait a few days after the delay. By this time, the female body will have produced a sufficient amount of human chorionic gonadotropin, which can be determined in urine using a test.

Most products state on the packaging that they are 99% accurate and can be performed on the first day of the delay. But scientists have proven that this statement is not true. Thanks to research, it was found that out of 18 pregnancy tests, only one is sensitive enough to determine the level of hCG that occurs on the first day of the delay in many pregnant women. Other tests were able to detect pregnancy at this stage in only 16% of cases.

However, if ovulation was early, you can find out if you are pregnant even before your menstruation is missed. At this time, the test may show a weak second line. And with late ovulation, in the first few days of the delay it will show only one stripe. Therefore, if the result is negative, experts recommend repeating the test in a couple of days. Also, women wonder whether to take a pregnancy test in the morning or evening? The highest concentration of hCG is observed after sleep. Therefore, the test must be done on morning urine.

In addition, before diagnostics, you need to check the expiration date and tightness of the packaging, since the test will deteriorate due to moisture. First you need to read the instructions, because different brands of tests can be used in different ways.

Effect of time of day on pregnancy test use

Almost all women try to quickly find out if they are pregnant. But in the early stages, it is advisable to fully follow the instructions for the test. When taking a pregnancy test, it is worth remembering that the concentration of hCG in morning urine is higher, and, therefore, the accuracy of the result is much higher.

However, if there is a long delay, this test will show pregnancy both during the day and in the evening.

• But you still need to comply with some conditions:
• A pregnancy test should only be performed on fresh urine. Before the test, you should not take diuretics or eat watermelon, otherwise the urine will be diluted and an incorrect result may be obtained.
• Before the diagnosis, you should not urinate for three to four hours. During this time, the urine will be able to concentrate.
• In some cases, the reliability of the product is influenced by the conditions and shelf life of the test.

Also, before conducting the test, you must carefully read the instructions for it.

Compliance with all the above conditions increases the reliability of the result.

Questionable pregnancy test results

• Sometimes pregnancy tests show questionable results. This can happen for a number of reasons:
• too early diagnosis (even if pregnancy is present, the test will show a negative result);
• violation of the rules for using tests prescribed in the instructions;
• use of low-quality tests;

the presence of diseases that increase the concentration of hCG, or the use of drugs containing this hormone.

It is worth noting that a negative result does not mean the absence of pregnancy. Therefore, if menstruation never occurs, experts recommend repeated diagnostics. It is also advisable to consult a doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

Pregnancy tests for home use sold in any pharmacy differ not only in cost, but also in the method of taking the test itself, and most importantly, in the level of sensitivity.

Home pregnancy tests determine the result based on the level of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin, produced only during pregnancy) in the urine. This hormone is produced by the chorion (the membrane of the embryo) after it is fixed in the uterine cavity. From this moment, the concentration of hCG in the woman’s urine begins to increase, and the quality and sensitivity of the test determines when you can get an accurate answer whether pregnancy has occurred.

The sensitivity of pregnancy tests is marked with numbers 10, 20, 25, 30, which corresponds to the concentration of hCG in urine in mIU/ml (international units per ml) that they are able to detect. The lower the number, the higher the sensitivity of the test and its accuracy.

Before missed period

The most sensitive and most expensive tests recognize the appearance of a baby even before the expected date of the onset of menstruation - already seven to ten days from the moment of expected conception. Read the information on the package carefully; the sensitivity of such a test should be 10 mIU/ml. As a rule, inkjet tests have the desired characteristics.

A blood test for hCG is another way to find out about early pregnancy. On the 12th day after the date of expected conception (that is, with a long cycle even before the delay), based on the results of this analysis, it will already be possible to say whether pregnancy has occurred in this cycle or not, and to accurately name the due date. The presence of hCG in the blood can be determined earlier - already on the seventh day after conception, however, the results may be inaccurate and the blood will need to be taken again a week later to confirm them.

When choosing the time to take a pregnancy test, keep in mind that the hCG blood test is best taken in the morning on an empty stomach. If you come in the afternoon, be prepared to not eat for four to six hours before your blood is drawn. It is also recommended to avoid physical activity before the procedure. If you are taking any hormonal medications, discuss this with your doctor before donating blood.

First or third day of delay

Most home tests have a sensitivity of 20–25 mIU/ml and provide accurate results from the first day of a missed period. It is useless to use such a pregnancy test when it is too early to do it - the answer will be negative, even if pregnancy has actually occurred.

Fourth to seventh day of delay

A definite answer can be obtained after a significant delay in menstruation. At this time, any test, if it is working correctly, will show an accurate result. It is worth considering that with the help of a home test you can only determine the presence or absence of pregnancy, and its exact duration can only be determined by taking a blood test for hCG.

What time to take a pregnancy test

It is better to take a home pregnancy test in the morning, when the concentration of the hCG hormone in the urine is maximum.

If it is more convenient for you to take a pregnancy test in the evening, be sure to choose the most sensitive jet test, for which the exact time of the test is not of serious importance.

For the normal course of pregnancy, favorable growth and development of the fetus, certain hormones are necessary, which begin to be intensively produced after conception. In the early stages they are produced mainly by the corpus luteum. In turn, the functions of the corpus luteum in producing hormones are stimulated and supported by a special hormone - hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). It also “slows down” the work of the ovaries so that throughout the entire period of bearing a child, ovulation no longer occurs.

There are only a few days in each menstrual cycle when there is a chance of becoming pregnant. If unprotected or unreliably protected sexual intercourse occurred during this ovulation period, then it makes sense to conduct testing no earlier than 10 days after PA (if you use an ultrasensitive test), and even more reliably - 14 or more days after it.

The fact is that hCG begins to be produced only from the moment of implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine cavity, which occurs no earlier than 5-7, and sometimes 10-12 days after sexual intercourse. And on the first day after the egg is implanted in the uterus, the amount of hCG is still too small for the test to identify it. This is possible only a few days after implantation.

When to take a pregnancy test with a sensitivity of 10, 15, 20, 25 mIU/ml: before or after a delay

The minimum concentration of gonadotropin in urine that a pregnancy test can detect is 10 mIU/ml. Such tests are called ultra-sensitive, and they can be performed even before a missed period.

Tests with a sensitivity of 10 mIU/ml or 15 mIU/ml can show pregnancy 10-12 days after ovulation (and in some cases even after 7 days from the moment of conception), that is, several days before the expected start of menstruation. If the menstrual cycle is 28 days, then such a test can determine pregnancy already on days 22-24 of the cycle.

The result of a tester with a sensitivity of 20-25 mIU/ml depends on what day it is used. HCG reaches the indicated concentration in urine only 2 weeks or more after conception, which approximately coincides with the date when menstruation should begin. Therefore, the results of such tests can be considered reliable only if they are carried out on the second, third or more days of the delay. If you want to get the most truthful result, then it is better to take a pregnancy test no earlier than on the 5th day of your delay. Research results show that tests carried out on the first day of delay show the presence of real pregnancy only in 16% of cases, despite encouraging promises from manufacturers.

All given figures and terms are very conditional. In each individual case, the difference can be several days, and this is influenced by a large number of factors: the date of ovulation in any cycle may shift, the fertilized egg, due to various reasons, may take longer to reach the uterus than usual, etc. These and other nuances can affect the rate of hCG production and, therefore, the time frame at which the level of the hormone in the urine reaches sufficient levels to be detected using the test. Physiological fluctuations in the cycle can occur in absolutely every woman, even if she has always had a clear regular cycle before.

Modern tests declare the reliability of the results to be about 99%. But numerous studies show that false results are much more common. The most common reason for this is too early diagnosis. Even a difference of one day plays a big role here, because the concentration of hCG after the fertilized egg is fixed in the uterus doubles every day, that is, it increases very rapidly.

In view of this, doctors recommend testing no earlier than on the first day of the delay, but for greater reliability - 2-3 days after the date of the expected start of menstruation. Moreover, no matter what result you get, it cannot be considered guaranteed to be true and it is always recommended to repeat the test at least one more time after 2-3 days.

When to take a pregnancy test if your cycle is irregular

With an irregular menstrual cycle, calculating when to take a pregnancy test is quite difficult, if not impossible. After all, in this case, ovulation occurs each time at a different period, and if you do not track it in a special way (that is, you do not carry out tests designed for this and do not conduct diagnostic laboratory monitoring), then there is no point in doing the test before the delay, since it is not known with certainty, On what day should the next period begin? Most often, it is women with irregular cycles who get erroneous results.

Doctors recommend testing for an irregular menstrual cycle no earlier than 16-17 or more days after unprotected intercourse, using ultra-sensitive testers, or no earlier than 14 or more days after ovulation, taking the longest cycle as a guide. The fact is that even with a very long or short cycle, menstruation always occurs approximately two weeks after ovulation, that is, the lengthening or shortening of the cycle always occurs due to its first phase.

When to take a pregnancy test after ovulation: in the morning or evening, at any time of the day

It is believed that modern tests with a high sensitivity of 10 mIU/ml, which in particular include inkjet pregnancy tests, can be used at any time of the day. However, there are specific medical facts that cannot be argued with: the more concentrated the urine, the easier it is to detect hCG in it and, accordingly, to determine pregnancy. Therefore, to increase the reliability of the results, it is better to do a pregnancy test early in the morning immediately after waking up, or at least not to urinate for 4 or more hours before the test. For the same purpose, it is recommended to avoid taking diuretic drugs and consuming diuretic foods and drinks on the eve of the test.

When to take a pregnancy test - in the morning or in the evening - if the delay is already several days or weeks, it does not matter much, because at this stage pregnancy will almost certainly be determined even by a test of low sensitivity.

When to take a pregnancy test for breastfeeding

Although it is very difficult, even the most impatient women can wait a few days of the delay and take a pregnancy test, or by this time repeat it. What to do if you don’t have your period while breastfeeding? When to test while breastfeeding and is it necessary to do it?

It is not at all necessary, but very often during lactation menstruation does not occur. Under such conditions, a woman can become pregnant and not even know about it (if conception occurs in a cycle in which menstruation should have begun for the first time after childbirth, but due to the ensuing pregnancy this never happened). To prevent a surprise from making itself known already in the 3-4th month of pregnancy, gynecologists advise doing a breastfeeding test every month - so to speak, to be on the safe side.

When to take a pregnancy test after insemination and after an hCG injection

Despite the fact that during insemination, conception occurs without sexual intercourse (active sperm are implanted directly into the woman’s uterus during ovulation), all subsequent processes of conception and implantation of the fertilized egg occur in the same way as natural fertilization. Therefore, a pregnancy test after insemination can be performed 18 days after the procedure - these periods are approximately the same as always. But you can donate blood for hCG earlier - after 14 days. If the attempt is unsuccessful, your period will begin 12 days or more after insemination.

If pregnancy was stimulated and the woman received hCG injections, then, of course, any test carried out after this will be positive. Therefore, to obtain a true result, it is recommended to do a pregnancy test after an hCG injection no earlier than after 15 days.

When to take a pregnancy test after IVF

The same applies to artificial fertilization with subsequent implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine cavity. Usually, IVF is a lifeline for infertile couples, their last and strongest hope. And, of course, any woman who has experienced in vitro fertilization passionately and eagerly wants to know when to take a pregnancy test after the embryo.

The processes of hCG production during IVF occur in exactly the same way as during natural conception. If the embryo takes root in the uterus, it will immediately begin to produce hCG, and therefore 2 weeks after the embryo transfer you can begin to do tests. But to get a more reliable result, doctors advise donating blood for hCG in the clinic.

When to take a pregnancy test after an abortion

After artificial termination of pregnancy, the level of all hormones that began to be actively produced with the onset of conception, including the level of hCG after abortion, will remain elevated for some time until the hormonal background stabilizes and recovers.

If the question of when to take a pregnancy test after an abortion interests you because you want to make sure that there are no membranes left in the uterine cavity, then it is better not to rely on testing. Only an intravaginal examination can determine the condition of a woman’s genital tract and identify possible complications: it’s better to go to a gynecologist. But in general, 2 weeks after an abortion, hCG, as a rule, returns to normal, and the test should already be negative.

Especially for - Ekaterina Vlasenko

At certain moments in life, every woman has suspicions that this month, instead of the next menstruation, she may expect completely different news. Some perceive this opportunity with joy and a lot of positive emotions, while others are upset and wait with hope and worry for their suspicions to be refuted. But in any case, a woman always wants to find out as quickly as possible whether a new life has arisen inside her.

Modern medicine offers a lot of possibilities to eliminate such issues, the most common of which are special tests.

But not every woman knows what day the test shows pregnancy, and I often try to conduct research a few days after unprotected intercourse, reassured by the negative test results and surprised by the delay in menstruation.

The basis of any test is simple indicators that make it easy to find out about your possible interesting situation at home. At what day of pregnancy the test shows the correct result depends on the test itself, its features, the manufacturer’s company and quality. The effectiveness of tests in the initial stages ranges from 97 to 99%, therefore, if the determining device is not defective, the test result will be reliable in most cases. However, it is recommended to purchase 2-3 different tests to confirm the results obtained, especially at the earliest stages, and use them strictly following the instructions.

To know exactly at what time to use a pregnancy test in order to get the most reliable result, you need to find out what exactly it determines. The simplest pregnancy test is a small thin strip of canton, in a certain place of which a special reagent is applied. When the strip is immersed in urine, the reagent becomes wet and changes color, while the second line on the test appears when there is an increased level of a pregnancy hormone in the urine, called human chorionic gonadotropin, the production of which in a woman’s body begins as soon as conception occurs, increasing every day until a certain date.

Accuracy of pregnancy tests depending on their types

Many women are concerned not only at what stage of pregnancy the test shows, but also which one is the most effective and accurate, because pharmacies offer a wide selection of such devices, from the simplest to professional laboratory ones.

Test strip or strip test

This type is probably the most popular and simplest, as well as the cheapest, but does not have a high degree of sensitivity. The strip needs to be lowered into a container with urine for about 10 seconds, and then left on a flat surface for about 5 minutes for a more accurate manifestation of the result. Two lines on the reagent strip will indicate the presence of pregnancy, one line indicates that the test itself was carried out correctly, but conception did not occur or the level of the pregnancy hormone is below the required concentration.

Despite the high popularity of these strips, they have many drawbacks, for example, they can be left in the collected urine or removed from there ahead of time, then the results obtained may be unreliable. In addition, the reagent in such strips is most often applied to a paper layer (sometimes fabric), which may slightly incorrectly determine the level of the hormone.

It makes sense to use such a test only on the first or second day of missed menstruation, since for the study to be carried out, the hCG level must be at least 25 mIU/ml. At this time, the reliability of the strip will be approximately 90%. With a delay of one week, the percentage of effectiveness in determining pregnancy increases to 95-99%.

Tablet type test

The device has a fairly high cost compared to other types, but it is also a more advanced device for determining pregnancy. This type of test is commonly used in many hospitals for professional testing. Its action is also based on the use of a reagent that interacts with a woman’s urine, but it is highly sensitive.

There are two windows on the test device; you need to drop urine into the first using the included pipette, and then wait for the result to appear in the second window. For a test with such a device, the level of the pregnancy hormone must be at least 10 mIU/ml, so the test is able to establish pregnancy at the very beginning, sometimes even 1-2 days before a missed period.

Inkjet tests

The peculiarity of such a device is that to use them, you do not need to specifically collect urine in a container; it is enough to urinate on the receiving part of the device, which allows you to conduct research anywhere, even at work, just by visiting the toilet. The test result is displayed within 1 minute. The sensitivity of such tests is very high; to determine pregnancy, a hormone concentration above 10 mIU/ml is sufficient, so such devices can show reliable results several days before the expected delay.

Electronic digital test

It is the most expensive device of all those presented on the modern market, but also the most understandable, since it shows an accurate and unambiguous result. The principle of its operation is similar to other models, but the accuracy is as high as possible and can have a different percentage, depending on the day of pregnancy. If this test is used approximately 4 days before the expected delay, its accuracy will be about 51%. If applied 3 days before the start of menstruation, the accuracy increases to 82%, and 2 days before the start of menstruation, the accuracy increases to 90%. The day before the next menstruation, the accuracy will be 95%, and on the first day of the delay, the information content of the test will be 99-100%.

There are also slightly different tests that allow you to determine pregnancy at the initial stage even before the expected delay of menstruation; they are called immunochromatographic. Their action is based on the general principle, but the sensitivity of determining pregnancy is higher. Such tests in most cases make it possible to establish the presence of pregnancy already when the level of the hormone in the urine is 10 mIU/ml, that is, from the 7th day after fertilization of the egg.

Types of such tests:

• Test strips. The most budget-friendly research option, showing a fairly reliable result, but when choosing such a test, you should pay attention to its sensitivity, which can range from 10 to 30 mIU/ml; the lower this indicator is on the test packaging, the sooner it can confirm or refute presence of pregnancy.
• Inkjet tests. This test can be used anywhere and at any time of the day, using 7-10 days after the expected fertilization, since their sensitivity is determined by the concentration of the hormone in the urine of 20 mIU/ml. If you use such a device correctly and on time, then its reliability is 99%.
• Tablet cassette test. Of all the devices that can determine pregnancy even before a missed period, this type is considered the most reliable. Its sensitivity is 10 mIU/ml, which, when used correctly, makes it possible to detect the presence of pregnancy from the 7th day after expected fertilization.

On what day after intercourse can a test show pregnancy?

Of course, any woman needs to know at what stage a pregnancy test shows the most reliable information. It is important to understand that the level of the hCG hormone does not increase instantly, it happens gradually, and in the very early stages its concentration in the blood will be much higher than in the woman’s urine. Pregnancy tests are able to determine its presence only when the level of the hormone reaches the required level, according to their sensitivity, which is different for each model.

As a rule, conventional test strips can show reliable results only on the first day of missed menstruation, on average 11-15 days after ovulation. The higher the sensitivity of the test, the earlier it can help you find out about a possible pregnancy. When using highly sensitive tests (from 10 mIU/ml), you can find out about your situation 5 days before the expected delay.

It is also necessary to take into account the reliability of the result, which in some cases may be false negative.

False-positive test results are quite common among a certain category of women for whom pregnancy becomes an obsession and their most cherished dream. They begin to look for any signs of pregnancy even in the most insignificant things, constantly being in an excited nervous state, which is why menstruation is often delayed, giving them almost 100% confidence in pregnancy. In this case, even in normal conditions, a small amount of hCG may appear in the urine, which can turn the test indicator into a very pale color, perceived by women as confirmation of pregnancy, which in reality does not exist. This phenomenon in modern medicine is called false pregnancy.

False negative results are also quite common. It can be observed when pregnancy has actually occurred, but test strips do not show this. This happens for a number of reasons, for example:

• The test was used at too early a stage of pregnancy, when the level of the required hormone is still insufficient to accurately determine the condition.
• There is a threat of termination of pregnancy immediately after conception.
• The test is flawed, incorrectly applied, or of very poor quality.
• A woman has a disorder of the kidneys or cardiovascular system, due to which the pregnancy hormone is not produced in the required quantity.
• If the pregnancy is intrauterine or frozen.
• If the study was carried out without following instructions in violation of the process.
• For analysis, diluted urine was used, not in sterile containers.
• The test was performed after taking diuretics or at the wrong time (during the day or late at night).

With the normal development of pregnancy, almost all types of tests determine its presence reliably, if there were no violations of the instructions during their use. And false negative results from such studies are much less common than false positive ones. If a woman is absolutely sure that pregnancy is occurring, but the test did not confirm this, the test should be repeated a few days later, when the concentration of the required hormone in the urine increases. If several tests show pregnancy, the woman should contact a medical center for medical confirmation and registration so that the baby is born healthy.

Useful video comparing pregnancy tests

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