Reasons To Take Pregnancy Test After Missed Period
The basis of performing a pregnancy test after a missed period should be clearly understood. Menstruation is a physiological process happening in every womans body. In the menstrual cycle, there are two phases. They are called as follicular phase and the luteal phase. During the follicular phase, the ovum matures and ovulates on the 14th day of the cycle. Then the luteal phase starts. During this phase, the uterine endometrium thickens in order to accept an embryo if the ovum gets fertilized by a sperm.
But when there is no fertilization, the endometrium starts to shed off on the last 3days of the cycle. This shedding off of the endometrium is what the woman experience as menstruation. When the ovum meets a sperm inside the womans reproductive system the endometrium will continue on thickening to accept the embryo and the woman will experience a missed period.
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.
When Should I See A Doctor For A Clinical Pregnancy Test
Most women who have a positive pregnancy test should wait a week or two before calling the Ob/Gyn office for a pregnancy blood test. We suggest waiting because the rate of early pregnancy loss is high, and its possible that it might have been a chemical pregnancy.
However, women with a history of ectopic pregnancy or current abdominal pain should call the doctor right away to be examined. Ectopic pregnancies implant outside of the uterus and produce hCG, resulting in positive pregnancy tests. However, these pregnancies can cause abdominal bleeding and prompt medical care is necessary. Women who have congenital heart defects or other chronic physical or mental health conditions should also see a doctor right away because treatment plans or medications might need to be altered to protect the woman and the fetus.
Advances in home pregnancy tests give women greater insight into whats going on in their bodies sooner than ever before. No matter what a womans childbearing plans might be, its essential to get quick, accurate results at home so she can plan her next steps accordingly.
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When Is It Too Early To Take A Pregnancy Test
Taking a pregnancy test sooner than eight days past your ovulation might result in a false negative. This is because fertilized eggs dont start producing the pregnancy hormone that tests detect hCG until after implantation is complete.
About 85 percent of the time, implantation occurs 610 days after ovulation. After implantation, your hCG levels will start doubling every 48 hours. At this point, pregnancy tests will be able to measure your hCG levels, ensuring a positive result if youre pregnant.
Testing When You Feel Pregnant
You may decide to take a pregnancy test because youre having early pregnancy symptoms, including:
- Breast tenderness
- Mood swings
- Slight morning nausea
Depending on whether a positive pregnancy test would be good or bad news, symptoms like these may fill you with dread or excitement. But heres the good news: pregnancy symptoms dont mean youre pregnant. In fact, you can feel pregnant and not be pregnant, or not feel pregnant and be expecting.
The same hormones that cause pregnancy symptoms are present every month between ovulation and your period.
Many symptoms similar to pregnancy symptoms can be caused by other things, like a cold, the flu, or even a few nights of poor sleep.
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I Have To Go To The Toilet More Often Is That A Sign
Oh yes, dashing to the loo more than often can be early sign that youre pregnant. During pregnancy your body increases the amount of blood it pumps around the body. That means the kidneys process more fluid than usual which leads to more fluid in your bladder . For more information on early pregnancy signs and symptoms.
When Is The Best Time In Your Cycle To Test
Although your body begins to produce hCG 7 to 10 days after fertilization, waiting provides the most accurate results. In order to give your body enough time for hCG to build up to a detectable level in your urine by a pregnancy test, it is best to take a pregnancy test about 14 days after fertilization. For a woman who has a 28-day cycle and ovulates 14 days after her last period, this would mean testing on the day you expect your next period if you suspect you are pregnant. For the most accurate results, take a pregnancy test a couple of days after your missed period.
If your test is negative and your period does not start, you still might be pregnant, but your hCG levels are just not high enough to register on the test. Most testing kit instructions recommend you wait one week to take another test however, many women test a few days later. Contact a healthcare professional if you still have a negative pregnancy test or have further questions.
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/5read On To Know More
Whether you want to get pregnant or do not want to get pregnant, when to take the pregnancy test is a question that bothers most of the women. If you are trying to conceive, you might be eager to take the test and if you have missed your period or witnessing signs of pregnancy then just want to confirm whether or not thats happened.
With over-the-counter pregnancy tests now, you do not have to wait long to know whether you are expecting or not. You just have to pee on the stick and within a few minutes, you will know the answer. But for accurate results, you have to go through the process at the right time. Taking the test too early might give you a false result even if you are pregnant.
When To Take Early Result Pregnancy Tests
Early pregnancy tests can be used several days before a missed period. These tests are more accurate for people who conceived earlier in their cycle.
If you ovulated a little late, you may have conceived later in your cycle. In this case, there may not be enough hCG for these tests to detect until closer to or after your missed period.
If you received an hCG trigger shot to help with fertility, it’s best to wait two weeks after the shot to take a pregnancy test. The trigger shot can cause a false positive if a pregnancy test is taken before the medication has left your system.
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Why Should A Woman Wait So Long To Take Pregnancy Test After Missed Period
Some other symptoms of pregnancy include a desire to intake some specific food items. Women may even notice changes in their gastrointestinal activities. An increase in the frequency of urination, gas problems, bloating of the stomach are the most commonly observed symptoms. If the woman had sex recently without the use of any contraceptives and still notices such symptoms, then she should go through a pregnancy test as early as possible.
Some women are very confused regarding how long after missing periods they should go for a pregnancy test. One should neither be too early nor too late. After missing periods, it is best to wait for seven days and notice the appearance of other symptoms. Tests were done at the correct time not only to ensure appropriate results but could even reduce the risks of miscarriages.
It is always advised to go for a pregnancy test during the morning hours. Pregnancy tests can even be conducted at home by testing the levels of hCG of urine. Higher levels of hCG would indicate positive results in a pregnancy test. The hormones which indicate pregnancy are the same as those involved in the process of menstruation. Hence, one should conduct the tests carefully either under proper guidance by the doctor or by the doctor itself to get the best results.
Dont Rush The Process
Wait until you have to pee naturally, and not right after consuming a lot of liquids. Just pee normally, following the instructions, and then set the test aside and wait the total amount of time suggested.
Anxiously staring at the test can cause you to react too soon or even throw it away before its done processing. It can also lead to dropping, bumping, or damaging the stick, making the whole ordeal a waste of time.
Its always best to wait patiently, as hard as that may be.
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When Should I Call My Doctor About A New Pregnancy
If youve missed your period and gotten a positive pregnancy test, your next step will be to call your healthcare provider for your first appointment. While scheduling, your provider may ask if you have already started taking a prenatal vitamin containing folic acid. Prenatal vitamins are important in early pregnancy because they help in the development of your babys neural tube. The neural tube will become your babys brain and spine. Many healthcare providers recommend that anyone who could become pregnant take folic acid at all times.
If youre planning a pregnancy, a preconception appointment with your healthcare provider is a good place to start. A preconception appointment is especially important if you take medication for a chronic illness or have other medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or lupus.
During this appointment, your provider will discuss any current medical conditions, as well as your general health before pregnancy. This appointment is meant to get you into the best place for a new pregnancy.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 07/26/2022.
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When You Should Get A Pregnancy Blood Test
A pregnancy blood test at your doctors office is another way to confirm a pregnancy.
The blood test can detect the pregnancy earlier than an at-home urine test eight days after ovulation is the earliest a blood test could detect a pregnancy, says Dr. Merhi.
Should you receive a positive at-home pregnancy test result, your doctor will often perform an in-office blood test to confirm the presence of HCG. This and additional blood tests also provide additional information about your health and the health of your pregnancy.
Blood tests are also needed to check for complications of pregnancyfor instance, if you are at risk for ectopic pregnancy , miscarriage or an abnormally progressing pregnancy, says Dr. Culwell. because they can measure whether your pregnancy hormone levels are progressing normally or decreasing.
Should you experience a miscarriage, HCG can remain in your body for a few weeks, and additional tests taken in the weeks following can lead to a false-positive result, says Dr. Merhi.
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Causes Of A False Negative Pregnancy Test
A negative result on a test after missing the first few days of your period does not necessarily indicate pregnancy, especially if you have irregular cycles. So unless youre experiencing other pregnancy symptoms or instinctively feel that you may be pregnant, the test might just be right.
However, here are five of the most common reasons you may test negative even after a missed period.
How Does A Pregnancy Test Work
All pregnancy tests detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin , which starts to be produced around 6 days after fertilisation.
Most pregnancy tests come in a box that contains 1 or 2 long sticks. You pee on the stick and the result appears on the stick after a few minutes. All tests are slightly different, so always check the instructions.
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Can Anything Affect A Home Pregnancy Test
It is possible that a home pregnancy test could be affected, especially if you are taking medications that contain the HCG hormone.
In such a case you are likely to get a false positive result. A false positive is when the test shows positive results, but in the actual sense, you are not pregnant.
- Medications containing this hormone include some contraceptive pills, fertility drugs, and some specific antibiotics.
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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If You Have A Regular Menstrual Cycle
Sperm exposure poses the highest risk of pregnancy from around the middle of the cycle to about 2 weeks before your anticipated period, because this is when most people ovulate. This is only true in general, and it might not be reflective of any given cycle, so you shouldnât rely on this rough estimate for pregnancy prevention.
Sperm exposure towards the beginning or the end of the cycle in general poses less risk of pregnancy, because itâs less likely that a person ovulated close to or during those times.
You should take a pregnancy test or contact your healthcare provider if your period is more than 9 days late.
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If your cycle tends to be quite regular and you want to take a pregnancy test sooner, itâs generally recommended you wait at least two weeks after your estimated ovulation day, or around when you expect to get your period. Some pregnancy tests advertise that you can take them earlier than that, but there can be a higher likelihood of a false negative . To avoid a false negative, itâs best to wait a few days after your expected period. Itâs up to you if you want to take it sooner.
Can I Be Pregnant If My Period Is 2 Days Late
It is normal to occasionally experience a period that is a few days late. However, a missed period is when the cycle completely changes. A missed period may be a sign of pregnancy or another underlying cause. Early signs of pregnancy can be easy to miss, especially if the person has not been pregnant before.
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Right Time To Take Pregnancy Test After Missed Period
The tests include urine HCG test and serum HCG test. Taking a pregnancy test after a missed period should be timed correctly to detect the pregnancy accurately. To detect beta HCG in both urine and serum the test should be performed 1-10 days after a missed period in a woman who was having regular cycles.
When this time is converted to the period of gestation, it can be stated as 5 weeks. Since the placental implantation takes place at a period of gestation of 3-4weeks, the test should be timed at this particular period. Quantitative serum assays can detect HCG levels as low as 1 mIU/ml.
But urine HCG strips can only detect HCG levels > 10 mIU/ml since it is a qualitative assay. Serum HCG is the best early test to detect pregnancy. If the serum HCG level is checked serially, doubling of the HCG level in every 48 hours will support more towards a viable fetus.
The amount of beta HCG produced by the placenta increases at this rate with the period of gestation in a viable fetus. If the test is done before missing a period, at a period of amenorrhea of 3 weeks there is a possibility of urine HCG test to become negative.
The urine HCG test can be performed at home. If you are planning to have a baby, it is best to note the day of your last menstruation. This helps you detect the missed period correctly without any delay. Even though the serum HCG is more sensitive than urine HCG, most women prefer urine HCG since it is simple and non-invasive.