Home pregnancy tests work by identifying the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone in the urine sample. When you become pregnant, your placenta starts to produce this hormone during the first few days of the pregnancy, when the embryo gets implanted into the uterine wall.
After the successful implantation, the production of the HCG increases continuously. The key role of the hormone is to support the development of the fetus.
Usually, when you do an early pregnancy test, one of the following methods is used. You either need to collect your urine in a container and dip the stick in it or you need to insert the pregnancy test stick in your urine midstream.
The next step is placing the test stick on a flat surface and wait for several minutes, as instructed in the test kit, in order to see the result. Oftentimes, you need to wait for a color change of a line or a symbol that confirms the positive pregnancy.
When To Take A Pregnancy Test After Missed Period?
Most home pregnancy tests say they can detect if you are pregnant as early as 4 to 5 days after you missed your period. However, it is recommended that if you want to get the most accurate results you need to wait until one week following your late period.
It is also possible that you experienced the following symptoms which may confirm that you are pregnant:
- Nausea
- Cravings
- Tiredness
- Dizziness
- Tender breasts
- Urinating frequently
- Becoming sensitive to smells
How Soon To Take A Pregnancy Test?
Experiencing one of the feelings above can give you a clue at that time to take a pregnancy test. However please bear in mind that should you take the pregnancy test timing too early you may also get a false negative.
The meaning of false negatives is that you are actually pregnant despite the negative result on the test kit. The reason for many false negatives is the low levels of HCG, which could not be detected by the home pregnancy test.
If you think that you are pregnant after getting a negative result then you can wait for 5 to 7 days before retaking the test.
A negative pregnancy test at night and positive in the morning
As strange as it sounds, you might get a negative result from the pregnancy test at night and a positive one in the morning. In this case, you should wait for another 3 to 5 days before you take your pregnancy test again.
When Can You Test For Pregnancy?
You are very likely pregnant if your test result is positive at night. However, although it is rare you can still get a false-positive result. This means the test confirms pregnancy but you are actually not pregnant. Many times, this is due to fertility drugs, ectopic pregnancies, and could also be a result of an early miscarriage.
How Many Days Pregnancy Can Be Confirmed By Urine Test?
If you get a negative result at night, it is better to try again in the morning. Sometimes, the night urine has too little of that HCG we talked about earlier, which can lead you to a false negative. Retrying in the morning ensures higher accuracy.
Does it matter what time you take a pregnancy test and what is the best time?
Although it is not very important to pay attention to the timing of your pregnancy test during the day, it is still better to take the test in the morning, since morning is the best time to get an accurate result. Taking the test in the morning also increases the accuracy of it in the early stages of pregnancy, when you are just a few days late with your period.
When Should You Take A Pregnancy Test?
In addition, unless you visit the bathroom frequently at night, the HCG hormone becomes more concentrated in your urine in the morning. Therefore, higher HCG means a more likely accurate positive pregnancy test.
Pregnant test positive, then negative
In some cases, your test result can be positive, while followed by negative later on. This mainly happens when the test fails to deliver the correct result at once.
Please also keep in mind that the condition may also indicate chemical pregnancy if a positive test result is followed by a number of negative tests.
If you are taking the pregnancy test during the day, or in the evening, keep in mind that the chances of getting a false negative result are higher than in the morning.
It is also highly recommended to take the pregnancy test when you are already quite late with your period. By doing this you will not only avoid false negatives and also will determine false positives of very early miscarriages.
If you are experiencing irregular cycles, you would need to take a test when a longer time than your longest interval between periods in the past has passed.
For example, if you usually wait for your cycle to happen between 30 and 36 days, then you might want to wait to take a pregnancy test on day 37 or even later.
According to the FDA, 10 out of every 100 women will not get positive results if the test was taken just one day after their expected period.
It is possible that you have a lower volume of HCG which prevents pregnancy to be detected at night (a false negative). Therefore, trying another test in the morning after a negative result at night is a wise choice.
Are you pregnant? Congratulations! Keep reading our website’s regularly updated blog to find more useful information on how to stay healthy during pregnancy!
Tips For Taking Pregnancy Test At Night
Before determining whether or not to take a pregnancy test, consider a variety of factors. Prior to actually taking a test, you need to consider the following factors if you really want reliable results:
What stage of your menstrual cycle are you in? Almost a week following your missing period, a urine-based pregnancy test will give you the most reliable results. If your menstrual cycle is irregular, it’s best to wait at least two weeks from the date of possible pregnancy. This gives hCG levels sufficient time to climb to the point where they will register on a home pregnancy test.
The time of day. Because hCG levels in urine are concentrated after a night without much drinking and urinating, morning is the optimum time to do home pregnancy tests. It’s best not to test at night if you’re still early in your pregnancy and your hCG levels are just beginning to increase.
Pregnancy signs and symptoms. If you’re experiencing morning sickness, sore breasts, or other early pregnancy symptoms, consider when you last had your period and if you have enough time to receive an accurate result.
A previous test showed conflicting outcomes. If you’ve previously taken a test and had mixed results, you might try again later in the day or wait a few days. hCG levels may become more noticeable or a negative result may become more obvious with a little wait and a new test.
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