Best Early Pregnancy Test Before Missed Period

Is It Possible Im Not Pregnant

First Pregnancy Symptoms Before BFP & First Trimester Recap

It is possible for you to have any or all of the symptoms described above and yet not be pregnant. Thats because any early signs of pregnancy are similar to symptoms of PMS, and your missed period could just be due to an irregular cycle that month or other factors like stress. If you are not sure, take a pregnancy test.

/5how The Test Kit Works

OTC pregnancy kit tests your urine for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin , which is present in your pee only if you are pregnant. This hormone is released if a fertilized egg attaches outside the uterus or to your uterine lining. This process may take 6-7 days after the fertilisation of the eggs by sperm in the fallopian tube.

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When To See Your Doctor

Although home tests can detect a pregnancy, it gives no information as to viability. Its important to make an appointment with your doctor to confirm your pregnancy and to detect a fetal heart rate through an ultrasound . If you have a positive pregnancy test, your obstetrician can provide information about warning signs of an abnormal or worrisome pregnancy and can advise you on when to make an appointment to confirm your pregnancy.

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Best Strips: Pregmate Pregnancy Urine Test Strips

  • Each box contains 50 strips
  • Most affordable option for repeated testing

If you plan on testing a lot, you may want to skip the more expensive, plastic-encased pregnancy tests and opt for a pack of test strips instead. The Pregmate Pregnancy Urine Test Strips come in a box of 50, with each test sealed in an individual pouch, making it easy to grab and go if you need to test away from home.

Pregmate strips can detect hCG when it reaches 25 mIU/mL, which could be as soon as five days before a missed period. This is not a midstream pregnancy test. You will need to pee in a cup, dip the strip, and lay it flat for the test to work. If hCG is present in your urine, youll see two lines. Otherwise, the test will show one line indicating that it did not detect the pregnancy hormone.

Price: $15.95

  • Most affordable option for repeated testing
  • Each test strip costs $0.31

Best Overall: First Response Early Result

6 Days Before Missed Period
  • Accurate up to six days before a missed period
  • Offers two ways to read results

First Response Early Result tops our list of the best home pregnancy tests. This bestselling brand is considered the gold standard of home pregnancy tests by many parents and experts. While some tests require a missed period to detect pregnancy hormones in urine, First Response Early Result is sensitive enough to recognize scant amounts of pregnancy hormones up to six days before a missed period.

Plus, if you wait until the first day of your expected period, the results are more than 99 percent accurate. First Response also earned top honors for providing users with two ways to read results. After three minutes, the display window will reveal one or two lines: One indicates a negative result, and two lines a positive result. If you would rather see the words pregnant or not pregnant, simply download the EasyRead app and scan your pregnancy test. The app converts the test lines into words for extra assurance.

Price: $10.49

  • Accurate up to six days before a missed period
  • EasyRead app converts test lines into words
  • Three-minute test time
  • More expensive than other tests
  • Test lines can be difficult to read if too faint

Get First Response Early Result at FirstResponse.com.

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Why You Should Trust Us

For this guide, we interviewed Dr. Brindha Bavan, an obstetrician-gynecologist, reproductive endocrinologist, and fertility specialist at Stanford Medicine Dina Greene, PhD, a clinical associate professor of chemistry at the University of Washington who has co-authored several published studies on hCG testing in clinical settings and David Grenache, PhD, chief scientific officer at a diagnostic testing company and a clinical professor of pathology at the University of New Mexico who has studied hCG for more than 15 years.

I am a science writer with a PhD in microbiology and immunology. I spent seven years in the lab performing and also designing antibody-based assays that use the same chemical principles as at-home hCG tests. Ive also experienced two pregnanciesone after a year of trying and one that was a complete surprise. So Ive squinted at my share of faint lines, and I know what it feels like to wait alone in the bathroom for a result that has the potential to change your life.

How Soon Can You Take A Pregnancy Test

You should wait to take a pregnancy test until the week after your missed period for the most accurate result.

If you dont want to wait until youve missed your period, you should wait at least one to two weeks after you had sex. If you are pregnant, your body needs time to develop detectable levels of HCG. This typically takes seven to 12 days after successful implantation of an egg.

You may receive an inaccurate result if the test is taken too early in your cycle.

Here are some signs that you should take a pregnancy test.

One of the first and most reliable signs of pregnancy is a missed period.

If you dont track your cycle closely, it might be hard to determine whether or not youre late. Many women have a 28-day menstrual cycle. Consider taking a test if its been more than a month since your last period.

Keep in mind that your period can sometimes be delayed or skipped due to stress, diet, exercise, or certain medical conditions.

Also pay attention to your flow if you suspect pregnancy. Its common to experience light bleeding or spotting in the early weeks as the egg buries deeper into the uterine lining during implantation. Take note of any difference in the color, texture, or amount of blood.

Contact your doctor if you have bleeding and a positive pregnancy test.

Implantation can also produce a feeling similar to menstrual cramps. In early pregnancy, you may feel this discomfort and think your period is just around the corner, but then it never comes.

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Dont Solely Rely On Pregnancy Tests

Pregnancy tests are typically accurate at signaling a pregnancy. However, you shouldnât rely on those results alone. An ultrasound will confirm the pregnancy and check the early health of the embryo to see if the pregnancy is viableâthis assurance is important for women who are experiencing pain or bleeding during pregnancy and those who have had previous miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies.

Visit TheSource.org today to schedule a free pregnancy test or ultrasound to confirm your pregnancy. Our clinic staff is available to help you tackle these early days of pregnancy and give you the support, medical care, and the guidance you need.

Davina is a native of Grenada and a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. Sheâs a content specialist with a passion for empowering women to thrive and reach their full potential. In her free time, Davina is probably painting, reading, or baking something unnecessarily sweet.

How To Choose The Right Pregnancy Test For You

Pregnancy Test | All You Will Need To Know

Heres what to consider when choosing a pregnancy test:

  • Type and collection method. Some pregnancy tests are sticks, while others are strips. Some are meant to have you pee directly on them, while others require you to pee in a cup first. Which type you choose largely boils down to preference.
  • Speed. Do you just want to know right now, or are you down to wait a few minutes? Some tests, like the Clearblue Rapid Detection Pregnancy Test, can give you results in as fast as one minute, while others require you to wait for up to five minutes.
  • Cost. Tests can range from as little as 30 cents per test to more than $5 per test.
  • Number per package. If youre trying to conceive and want to test regularly, it might make sense to prioritize tests that come in larger quantities. If you just want to test once or twice, you might want to opt for tests that come just a couple to a package.
  • Sensitivity. Some tests may pick up on a positive result earlier than others.

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How Accurate Are Pregnancy Test Before Period

Pregnancy test before your period is likely inaccurate. According to first response, accuracy is about 66 percent when test is done 5 days before your period and increases as you get closer to your expected period.

Women with late ovulation, due to stress or eating disorders, will have a negative pregnancy test. This is because implantation has not occurred yet. It is important you wait till at least a week after your expected period to get a pregnancy test done.

How To Know If Youre Pregnant Before You Miss Your Period

A pregnancy test should test for the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin HCG. This hormone is present in the urine and in the blood. When the embryo latches onto the uterine lining, the production of hCG begins. This hormone then increases in the body after the first few days of pregnancy.

When Will You Know if Youâre Pregnant?You can get accurate pregnancy test results once the HCG level rises. Adequate HCG levels will give you a fool-proof result. The best early pregnancy test before missed period is possible once the HCG hormone is high enough.

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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

How Does Pregnancy Test Work

Pregnancy Test 3 Days Before Missed Period

Pregnancy test works by checking for the HCG , which is found in both urine and blood during early pregnancy.

After fertilization and implantation, your blood and urine HCG levels continue to rise, doubling every 48 72 hours. Over the counter pregnancy kits can detects this HCG rise in your urine.

Blood samples and ultrasound can also detect pregnancy. While ultrasound may show your baby 4 weeks after missed period, blood test can detect pregnancy very early. However, both test cannot be carried out at home.

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The Best Time Of Day To Take A Pregnancy Test

The time of day you take a pregnancy test does matter to a certain extent. Youre more likely to get an accurate result if you take the test in the morning. This is especially true if your period is not yet late, or if your period is only a couple days late.

At-home pregnancy tests work by detecting the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine. Unless you get up in the night to pee often , your urine is more concentrated when you first wake up. This usually means that the amount of hCG is a bit higher, and youre more likely to get a positive result if youre pregnant.

However, you can still take a pregnancy test in the middle of the day, or even at night. Youre just more likely to get a false negative, especially if your period isnt that late, and especially if youve been drinking a lot of water and your urine is diluted.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin In Early Pregnancy

Eight days after conception, hCG can be detected in the maternal circulation 13 a concentration of approximately 10 mlU/ml is observed in serum between 9 and 10 days after follicular rupture 14. As the pregnancy develops, the level of hCG increases at a rate of approximately 50% per day, reaching a peak of around 100000 mlU/ml by week 10, after which levels decrease and remain stable at approximately 20000mIU/ml for the remainder of the pregnancy 14,15.

In addition to being present in maternal serum, hCG can be detected in the urine of pregnant women, where its appearance and rise show similar patterns to those observed in the maternal circulation 16. At 9 days after conception, the mean concentration of hCG has been observed to be 0.93mIU/ml 17, with levels increasing daily until they reach the plateaux at approximately 45 days post conception.

Daily increase in urinary hCG in early pregnancy in three different studies: The UK Early Pregnancy Study 17, the UK Standard Care Ultrasound Study 26 and the US Gestational Age Study 18. The grey area is the 10th to 90th centile band for the US Gestational Age Study 18.

Duration of pregnancy 10th and 90th centiles of hCG
hCG: human chorionic gonadotropin

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When A Blood Test Is Used

If your period is late by several days, and youre still getting negative at-home pregnancy tests, a blood test may be recommended. While rare, it is possible to get a negative test result on an at-home test but still be pregnant. If this is your situation, call your doctor, and dont just order a test on your own. There are other reasons besides pregnancy that your period may be late.

You dont necessarily need a blood test to confirm a positive at-home pregnancy test. If the at-home test said youre pregnant, youre likely pregnant. That said, your doctor might still order one, especially if you request it.

Test Accuracy And Sensitivity

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Some researchers have estimated that 25 mIU/mL is the lowest amount of hCG a test must be able to measure in order to identify 99% of true positives on the day of an expected period or later. This measure of how frequently a test correctly identifies a positive or negative is a tests accuracy.

Accuracy changes depending on what day you use the test. A test that claims to be 99% accurate on the day of an expected period may claim just 50% accuracy a few days earlier. Pretty much every pregnancy test has a chart on the box or in the instructions outlining these numbers. You may notice that many tests display their claimed accuracies relative to the day of a missed period, which can be misleading. What this actually means is the day after your expected period.

All pregnancy tests detect whole hCG, which has an alpha and a beta region. As hCG degrades, other varieties appear in the urine, including the alpha and beta region on their own and a variant called the beta core fragment. Theres also hyperglycosylated hCG . Some research has suggested that detecting hCG-H could allow a pregnancy test to work earlier. But, Grenache explained, by the time hCG-H appears in urine, regular hCG is already present at measurable levels. Some tests detect several of these variants, but its not clear whether that makes them more sensitive.

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Rise Of Pregnancy Hormone

Adapted from: Gnoth C. and Johnson S. Strips of Hope: Accuracy of Home Pregnancy Tests and New Developments. GeburtshilfeFrauenheilkd 2014 74:661669.

So if you are thinking of testing before your missed period, why not try .

The day of your expected period is the day your period is due to start. If you still havent got your period the next day, this is the day of your missed period. So, if you see instructions telling you to take the test four days before your expected period, this is the same as five days before your missed period.

  • Provides early detection of the pregnancy hormone. 71% of pregnancies can be detected 6 days before the missed period .
  • Best Early Pregnancy Test: First Response Early Result Pregnancy Test

    How it works: The First Response Early Result is your typical pee-on-a-stick home pregnancy test, with a curved shape and wide tip that makes it easy to use. Hold it in your urine stream and it will pick up any pregnancy hormones. Three minutes later, the test will show one pink line if youre not pregnant and two lines if you are.

    How accurate it is: Regarded as one of the most sensitive early pregnancy test out there , the makers of the FRER say it can tell you youre pregnant about five days before your expected period. Just keep in mind that pregnancy hormones might not have accumulated enough in your system yet , so its only 76 percent accurate five days beforehand, according to the brands testing. The accuracy increases the closer you get to your expected period.

    Buy it: $9 for 2, Walmart.com

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    What Do The Pregnancy Test Results Mean

    Results may show up as a line, a color, or a symbol such as a “+” or “-” sign. Digital tests show the words “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” It’s important to know what a positive or negative result means.

    If you get a positive result, youâre pregnant. This is true no matter how faint the line, color, or sign is. If you get a positive result, you may want to call your doctor to talk about what comes next.

    In very rare cases, you can have a false-positive result. This means you’re not pregnant but the test says you are. You could have a false-positive result if you have blood or protein in your pee. Certain drugs, such as tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, hypnotics, and fertility drugs, could cause false-positive results.

    If you get a negative result, youâre probably not pregnant. But you may be pregnant if:

    • The test is past its expiration date.
    • You took the test the wrong way.
    • You tested too soon.
    • Your pee is too diluted because you drank a lot of fluids right before the test.
    • Youâre taking certain medications, such as diuretics or antihistamines.

    If you get a negative result, try retesting within about a week to double-check. Some home pregnancy tests suggest doing this no matter what your first results are.

    If you take the test twice and get different results, call your doctor. A blood test is a good idea to confirm results.

    If you have any other questions about the pregnancy test or the results, call your doctor or the telephone number listed with the test.

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