The suspense is killing you… could you be pregnant? Some pregnancy test kits say that you can use the test three to four days before your missed period, but it might be too early to be accurate. If you do, you’re more likely to get a false negative (the test says you’re not pregnant but you really are).
You will get a more truthful reading if you wait until after your period is due. Menstruation occurs on average 14 days after ovulation, so the likelihood of a false negative is low once a period is late.
Whenever you decide to do it, you’ll get the best results if you test first thing in the morning, and follow the test’s instructions. If it’s positive– congratulations! If it’s negative, and you still haven’t gotten your period, try again in a few days. If you get a faint positive reading, you probably are pregnant, since false positives are very rare. Wait a couple days and test again.
How Pregnancy Tests Work
Pregnancy tests detect the chemical markers associated with pregnancy, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which can only be detected after implantation. It is commonly believed that an egg implants in the uterus wall 7 days after conception, but research shows that first appearance of pregnancy hormone, hCG, due to implantation occurred 6-12 days after ovulation, with the majority of pregnancies implanting 8-10 days after ovulation.
Every woman is different, and the time it takes for the fertilized egg to implant in your uterus wall can vary. If you don’t get a positive sign on your pregnancy test, it doesn’t mean that you are not pregnant. You may have ovulated later than you thought (meaning that conception and subsequent hCG production didn’t happen as you calculated) or that, for you, implantation took longer than the average.
If you want a review of different types of pregnancy tests, click over to Parents.com: 10 Home Pregnancy Tests (and How to Use Them)
The sensitivity of the pregnancy tests on the market today vary greatly. The more sensitive the test, the greater the chance it will pick up your pregnancy before your period is due. Visit Baby Hopes’ pregnancy test comparison page for info on various types’ sensitivity in picking up the pregnancy hormone hCG.