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Pregnancy symptoms before taking the test

19.12.2022

3 mins of reading

Kinga Żebrowska

Graduate of Warsaw Medical University

For many women, a positive pregnancy test is the first sign that conception has occurred. Most often, however, the early stages of pregnancy are accompanied by other symptoms that may indicate its presence. When should I take a pregnancy test and what symptoms occur before taking a pregnancy test?

What are the first symptoms of pregnancy?

The first symptoms associated with the presence of pregnancy are very nonspecific and may be caused by other factors, such as an infection in the gastrointestinal tract. Among the initial, and so called. presumed symptoms of pregnancy, include:

Morning nausea and vomiting
Breast pain and tenderness
Frequent urination and urinary urgency
Chronic fatigue, as well as episodes of syncope
Excessive sensitivity to certain tastes and smells

The onset of these symptoms is associated with increasing levels of hormones such as chorionic gonadotropin, as well as sex hormones in the form of estrogen and progesterone. What’s more, many of the symptoms mentioned appear even before the date of expected menstruation, which is the point at which many women decide to take a pregnancy test. However, not all of them accompany pregnancy, and their occurrence is an individual issue for each woman. You can also read more about the first symptoms of pregnancy in the following article:

When should you take a pregnancy test?

The pregnancy test detects the beta subunit of a characteristic protein produced in large quantities during the early stages of pregnancy – chorionic gonadotropin. They are based primarily on finding an increased amount of it in a woman’s urine. Such a test is available at almost any pharmacy, and a woman can perform it at home. In case of an inconclusive result, it is advisable to go to a collection center and determine the level of beta-hCG in serum. A pregnancy test is best taken on the day of your expected period. However, modern tests available in pharmacies detect pregnancy as early as 7 days after conception, which is earlier than the date of expected menstruation. Nevertheless, to reduce the chance of an inconclusive result, experts recommend holding off on taking the test until the day of your expected period.

Does a pregnancy test give a confident diagnosis of pregnancy?

A pregnancy test is counted only as a probable sign of pregnancy. This means that its positive result may appear in conditions other than pregnancy. First and foremost among these are cancers, mainly ovarian tumors, which produce beta-hCG and thus can give a false-positive pregnancy test result. Among certain symptoms of pregnancy are mentioned only: