When is the earliest to take a pregnancy test?

How does a pregnancy test work?

A home pregnancy test, which you can buy at any pharmacy or even a drugstore, detects the beta subunit of chorionic gonadotropin – or beta-hCG hormone, which is produced by the body of a pregnant woman – in her urine . The substance is produced by the cells of the syncytiotrophoblast, the embryo, and then the placenta – the process begins a few to several days after fertilization, and during the first phase of pregnancy its level rises rapidly. Currently available pregnancy tests are very sensitive, so they already detect even a small amount of beta-hCG, but still its concentration must be high enough to be detectable in urine. Earlier than in the urine, however, hormones appear in the blood.

The principle of the test is simple – a drop of urine, placed in the window designed for it, affects a plate lined with a special membrane with dye-labeled antibodies that bind hCG.

A positive test is two lines, the first in the control area and the second in the result area, and it may be brighter and less distinct. Negative test – one line only in the control area. Electronic tests usually display a plus (+) or a “yes” message on the screen.

When to take a drugstore pregnancy test?

In urine, beta-hCG appears later than in a woman’s blood, so it is considered best to take a pharmacy pregnancy test on the day of expected menstruation, which is about 14 days after ovulation. Done earlier, it can give a false negative result. A negative test is always worth repeating after a few more days. If nothing changes, but at the same time your period has not appeared either, it is best to make an appointment with a gynecologist.

Taking a pregnancy test a few hours and even a few days after intercourse, during which fertilization may have occurred, will not give a reliable result. First, the fertilization process itself takes about 24 hours, and sperm are able to survive in a woman’s body for up to 3 days. And secondly, the hormone that allows the detection of pregnancy will appear in the urine in the right concentration at the earliest within 7-10 days after conception.

If the test shows two lines, it is worth confirming a correctly placed pregnancy at the gynecologist’s office within 2-3 weeks. When the concentration of the beta subunit of chorionic gonadotropin in the blood is 1000 mlU/ml, a pregnancy follicle should already be visible. And when beta-HCG exceeds 10,000, the doctor is most often able to visualize the baby’s heart function on ultrasound.

When to take a blood pregnancy test?

You can take a reliable blood pregnancy test Earlier than the pharmacy, because already around 8.-10. day after conception, so even before the date of expected menstruation. Unlike pharmacy tests, blood pregnancy tests show the exact concentration of beta-hCG in a woman’s body, and from this it is possible to determine whether the growth is normal. If there is an abnormal rise or fall in hormone levels, it may suggest a diagnosis of
ectopic pregnancy
or miscarriage. The result of the examination should be interpreted by a specialist, consulted – a gynecologist (and supplement the diagnosis with an ultrasound examination, ultrasound).

Embryo implantation occurs around 6.-7. day after fertilization, and this process takes several days. Complete nesting of the blastocyst is believed to occur between 11. a 12th day. After implantation, the concentration of chorionic gonadotropin rises sharply. For this reason, you can already take a pregnancy test if you are trying for a baby. During the first weeks of pregnancy, the concentration of hCG in a woman’s blood doubles every 48 hours or so. So, thanks to the blood results, you will estimate the age of pregnancy.

You will take a blood pregnancy test at a district clinic and at a private diagnostic laboratory. You do not need to have a referral for the test and be fasting.

The highest concentration of beta-hCG is observed around 9.-12. One week of pregnancy. 

The standard assumption is that if the hormone level is less than 10 mlU/ml, pregnancy should rather be ruled out. Exceeding the amount of beta-hCG concentration of 25 mlU/ml allows to assume with high probability that the woman is pregnant. 

What are the types of pregnancy tests?

We have these basic two types of pregnancy tests – viz. Pharmacy, home – from urine and laboratory – from blood. The former are divided into several types. The choice matters in terms of how the test is performed and how the result is read, so it is a matter of practicality and convenience, but dependent on preference. Pregnancy tests also vary in price – digital is quite a bit more expensive than standard tests.

• Platelet pregnancy test. Women choose it most readily. By default, it has a rectangular form with a urine window and a result window. You need to place it on a level surface and drop a few drops of urine into the window (as recommended), wait a certain time and check the result (one or two lines). 
• Strip pregnancy test. The strip test is immersed in a container with previously collected urine, the specified side (usually facilitates the arrow), to the depth specified in the instructions, held in it for a few seconds and pulled out, and after 3-10 minutes read the result, analogously checking the number and position of the lines.
• Stream pregnancy test. It looks like a marker, has a handle and a tip protected by a cap. After removing the protection, the test is placed under the urine stream so as to wet the test strip completely, and further puts the cap over the tip and waits about 5 minutes for the result. 
• Digital Pregnancy Test. Usually it is a streaming or strip test, except that it has a digital display instead of a window on which the dashes appear. After the test, the display shows either a plus/minus or a verbal message. Like the others, however, it is not a reusable test.

How to properly perform a pregnancy test?

To properly perform a pregnancy test, you need to follow the instructions that come with it. It is usually short, simple and clear, and explains step by step all activities. Although, regardless of the product, each test of a given type is conducted similarly, issues such as the number of drops of urine, the depth and time of immersion and the time to read the result differ somewhat, and failure to follow them can affect the correctness or reliability of the test.

It is very important to read the results at the time specified in the instructions, not later, because as a result of the chemical reactions taking place, they may change. It is best to take a pregnancy test in the morning, using the first urine of the day, because the concentration of beta-hCG, if you are indeed pregnant, will be highest in it.

What is the effectiveness of pregnancy tests?

The reliability of the pregnancy test is determined at 95-99%, if performed at the right time – which is usually at least 14. day after ovulation. A 100% pregnancy can only be confirmed or ruled out by a gynecologist, but it is certainly worth using the test as a first means of verifying efforts or suppositions. The test can also falsely indicate both positive and negative results. A false-negative pregnancy test result most often means that it was conducted too early.

A positive result despite the absence of pregnancy, a pregnancy test can give a positive result in several situations – for example, when a woman takes certain medications (this includes some antidepressants, but also painkillers and antihistamines) or takes hormone injections. This can also happen during the menopausal period. Thyroid, kidney or ovarian disease or cancer (such as an ovarian tumor) can also be responsible for a false positive pregnancy test.

Will a pregnancy test detect an ectopic pregnancy?

Sometimes, despite a positive pregnancy test, it happens that the pregnancy unfortunately does not develop properly. This happens when implantation (implantation) of the embryo occurs outside the uterine cavity – for example, in the fallopian tube, ovary or abdominal cavity. In such a situation, the pregnancy test may show two lines, but still further development of a normal pregnancy is impossible. It is necessary to pharmacologically induce a miscarriage, and in some cases surgical treatment. Therefore, the mere presence of a pregnancy, and further its correct location in the uterine cavity, should always be confirmed by a gynecologist. The probability that a pregnancy test will detect an ectopic pregnancy is about 50%, since in such a case the beta-hCG level may be lower and grow much more slowly.

However, if the beta-hCG level is high and the
ultrasound
does not show an embryo in the uterus, it is likely that an ectopic pregnancy has developed. 

Pregnancy test and what’s next – how is pregnancy diagnosed?

After the fertilization of the egg, a number of changes take place in the woman’s body – they are rooted in the effects of hormones produced by the ovaries or placenta, such as progesterone, estrogen and just placental gonadotropin. Such changes are used to diagnose pregnancy.

Pregnancy diagnosis is actually quite complex, and certainly much more so than one might think. Recognition Pregnancy is established only on the basis of the so-called. certain symptoms. The so-called. presumptive and probable symptoms allow to diagnose early pregnancy, but do not give 100% certainty.

These “sure” signs of pregnancy are finding the presence of a fetus on ultrasound and, in turn, hearing heart tones, recognizing body parts or feeling movements. Thanks to the transvaginal transducer ultrasound, the doctor recognizes pregnancy, that is, the presence of a pregnancy follicle in the uterine cavity, as early as the 4th. its week. From about 5.-6. week can measure the embryo’s parietal-limbal length (CRL) and visualize the embryo’s heart rate, thus confirming that the pregnancy is developing properly. 

W 9.-10. The week of pregnancy the embryo is already becoming a fetus and during the ultrasound you can see the cord of the umbilical cord, well visible limb attachments or the first ossification points. To listen to the fetus’ heart activity and sense its movements, the doctor has a chance a little later, respectively, from about 16. i 24. One week of pregnancy.

The so-called. presumed and probable symptoms of pregnancy are not sufficient to confirm it. To the first group include:

• breast soreness, 
• morning nausea, 
• frequent urination, 
• Fatigue and weariness, 
• changes in appetite. 

The second group includes:

• stopping menstruation, 
• Increased abdominal and breast circumference,
• Positive pregnancy test results,
• Increased body temperature, 
• Hyperpigmentation of the nipples, 
• enlargement and distension of the uterus (the so-called Hegar sign),
• Labhardt’s sign, or bruising of the vagina and its vestibule.

How is the week of pregnancy and the day of delivery calculated?

Pregnancy age is determined in full finite weeks that have elapsed since the first day of the last menstrual period. That is, if you menstruate regularly, every 28 days, and take a pregnancy test on the first day of the expected one, which gives a positive result, it may indicate that you are w 4. week of pregnancy. In fact, however, the pregnancy, or rather the baby is such a case about 14 days younger, since ovulation occurs around 14. day of the cycle. The gynecologist also determines the week of pregnancy by measuring the parietal-basal length of the embryo. 

And the expected date of delivery is set for the day when the equal 40 weeks from the day you got your last period will have elapsed. However, any pregnancy that resolves after the completed 37th week is considered a carried pregnancy. And in practice, only a small proportion of women give birth on the expected date. 

FAQ:

• When is the best time to take a home pregnancy test?

A home pharmacy urine pregnancy test is best performed on the earliest day of expected menstruation – about 14 days after probable conception. By then, the beta-hCG concentration should be high enough for the test to detect the hormone.

• When is it okay to take a blood pregnancy test?

The beta-hCG hormone appears in the blood earlier than in the urine, so a blood pregnancy test can be taken as early as around 8.-10. day after probable conception, so even before the day of expected menstruation.

• Is it possible to get a positive pregnancy test result despite not being pregnant?

Yes, a false-positive pregnancy test can be the result of, for example, taking certain medications, as well as thyroid, ovarian (including cancer) and kidney diseases. If a pregnancy test is taken too early, it can also give a false negative result.