When Can I Take a Pregnancy Test

One of the most confusing questions for women is 'when can I take a pregnancy test?'. Many women are so anxious that they want to know whether they are pregnant the minute they conceive. This 'oh so long' wait takes a toll on their minds and they turn to nervous wreaks, thinking about the same thing every minute, 'Am I pregnant or am I not?'. This article will help you know all that you need to know about when can you take a pregnancy test.

What is a Pregnancy Test?
There are basically two types of pregnancy tests, the urine and blood test. Both these test work on the same principle, detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone. The hCG is produced by the placenta shortly after the embryo is attached to the uterine lining. This hormone continues to build up within the body in during the first few days. There are certain tests that detect the H-hCG hormone that is, hyperglycosylated hCG. This hormone is produced earlier just after fertilization occurs.

Levels of Hormone to Detect Pregnancy
The H-hCG levels in women is slightly higher than hCG levels. And majority of the tests are not sensitive to H-hCG. If your test determines H-hCG hormone, you may get quicker pregnancy results. A most of the pregnancy kits available in the market are not sensitive to H-hCG, you may have to wait longer for a positive test.

When Can I Take a Home Pregnancy Test
The answer to the question when can I take a home test is to wait until after you miss your periods. All women are different, so is their biological clock. Therefore, the time it takes for the embryo to get implanted into the endometrium is different. A missed period is the best indication of getting pregnant, if you are someone who experiences regular periods. Many times, you may get a negative test after several days beyond missed period. Therefore, it is always recommended to wait at least one day after missing your period date before you can take a test.

Sometimes, the home pregnancy test can be positive about 10 days after fertilization, that is couple of days before missing periods. Many times you may have a false negative test or false positive test. Also, the home pregnancy test sensitivity may vary a lot. For example, some test may pick up 20 mIU of hCG and some may require about 150 - 250 mIU. This shows the 20 mIU one will give you a positive result sooner than the later strip.

So, the bottom line to the question, is about 9 to 10 days after ovulation with a sensitive test (about 20 - 25 mIU), if you are sure of your period dates. In case you are not sure about your period dates, you can do a home pregnancy test about 21 days (3 weeks), after having unprotected sex.

Pregnancy Test after Conception
Many women get impatient and want to know about taking a pregnancy test after conception. Well, most of the tests that are taken too soon conception are not accurate. The best thing to do is wait until after you miss your periods. However, if you are trying for a baby for quite some time, then, you may take try a test after conception. The implantation may take around 3 to 7 days after conception. Then, the implantation will occur about 6 to 12 days after ovulation. So the best time to take a test after conception is about 9 days. If you do not get a positive reading you may continue testing for about 19 days after conception.

Pregnancy Test after Implantation Bleeding
Implantation bleeding is vaginal discharge that contains small amount of pinkish or brownish blood. There are only about a third of pregnant women who may experience implantation bleeding. The implantation bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus. It may occur about 6 to 12 days after ovulation. The answer to the question 'when can I take a pregnancy test after implantation bleeding?' is 4 to 8 days before you period date, in case you have a 28 day cycle. If you find it negative, you can wait for another 6 to 8 days and take the test again. If you still do not get a positive result, do not lose heart, wait for another 2 to 4 days and take one more test.

Pregnancy Test after Ovulation
Once you have a positive ovulation test, you need to have intercourse several times the following days to maximize the chances of pregnancy. Once you have tried your best to conceive, you should wait till you miss your periods before taking a test. However, if you are running out of patience, you can try any one of the highly sensitive tests in the market that can detect 20 mIU/ml of hCG. The answer to your question, is about 6 to 8 days after ovulation. For more accurate results, you can take the test about 9 to 10 days after ovulation.

Pregnancy Test after IVF
If you are trying to conceive with IVF, then you will know the exact date of the treatment. You can take a pregnancy test about 14 days after the treatment. Do not try too sooner, or else you may get a negative test as the hCG hormone levels may not have build up in your body.

The best time to take a test is after missing your periods. You can even consult a doctor who can carry out blood tests and give you more accurate results. I hope this article on 'when can I take a pregnancy test' proves to be useful to all hopeful women.