When to Take a Home Pregnancy Test

Are you excited about pregnancy? A home pregnancy test helps you know whether you are pregnant or not. Performing a urine test at home is quite easy and convenient too. After performing the test at home, you can consult your doctor to confirm the pregnancy. Pregnancy test kits come with instructions and you just have to follow the instructions for most accurate results. You may repeat the test after a few days to confirm the result.

Pregnancy Test after Missed Period
The test tells whether the hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is present in your urine or not. hCG is released right after a fertilized egg attaches to the uterus. This process is known as implantation which normally occurs, but not always, about six days after fertilization. During the early days of pregnancy, hCG levels increase very quickly, almost doubling every two to three days. A missed period is generally considered as the first sign of pregnancy. The test can be taken on the very first day you miss your period.

Designers of the test claim that the test results will be 99% accurate if you perform the test on the day you miss your period. But it has been observed that the results are very faint and many home pregnancy tests do not spot pregnancy that early. So it is better to wait one week after you miss your period and then go for the test. This can definitely give you an accurate answer. For more sensitive tests which help detect pregnancy earlier than this, you need to consult your doctor.

Pregnancy Test after Intercourse
The time required for confirmation of pregnancy with the help of a home pregnancy test may vary from woman to woman. It also depends upon the tests, since some are more sensitive to detect pregnancy earlier while others are not that sensitive. The tests detect the hormone hCG which is secreted only when the fertilized egg gets implanted in the uterine wall. Sperm are active in the woman's body for 3 - 5 days. Fertilization can happen right after sex, or up to five days afterwards, depending on when ovulation takes place. Additional 6 - 10 days are required for implantation and production of hCG. Studies show that in case of many women, implantation doesn't occur within 6 - 10 days after fertilization. It may occur much later, even after the first day of the missed period. So, for some women, the tests will give accurate results 10 days after an 'intercourse during ovulation', but not for all.

Pregnancy Test after Implantation Bleeding
Spotting or implantation bleeding is noticed by some women when the fertilized egg tries to attach to the wall of uterus. All women do not experience this symptom but, spotting can be an early pregnancy symptom, if it is indicating implantation. So, if you have noticed spotting and if you are thinking of taking a pregnancy test, you may take the test 2 - 3 days after implantation bleeding. But, bleeding can also be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. So it is better to consult a doctor in case of spotting.

Home Pregnancy Test after IVF
Doctors actually do not recommend a home urine test in case of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) because many times false negative results are obtained. In IVF, fertilization of eggs takes place outside the body and fertilized eggs known as embryos are again placed inside the uterus. A blood test for pregnancy which helps detect hCG in blood, is considered as more sensitive and reliable. It has been observed that implantation occurs about 2 - 5 days after a day 3 transfer of embryos and within 1 - 3 days after a day 5 transfer. Therefore doctors usually advise a blood test to confirm pregnancy, about 9 - 11 days after the transfer (9 days for day 5 transfer and 11 days for day 3 transfer of embryos). In case of IVF, doctor would suggest when to take a home pregnancy test. Then only, the test should be performed.

There are chances of false positive or false negative results. So it is advised to repeat the test after a few days to confirm the pregnancy. Remember, time required to get an accurate pregnancy test result varies from woman to woman, and even from one pregnancy to another.