Everything about Pregnancy Test - Purpose, Time and Procedure

While pregnancy can be one of the most significant parts of a woman’s life, taking a pregnancy test often comes with lots of tension and anxiety. Such a test can be done both at home and in a professional healthcare setting, using either urine or blood samples. It is essential to take the test at the right time for getting accurate results.

Are you trying to take a pregnancy test to get accurate results? Keep reading this article to find out when you should take the test.

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What Is a Pregnancy Test?

A pregnancy test mainly determines whether you are pregnant or not by testing your blood or urine. It is done by checking a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). If a fertilised egg attaches to your uterus wall, your body will likely produce this hormone. Usually, this happens about six days after fertilisation. So the primary purpose of a pregnancy test is to detect if you are pregnant. A urine test finds the presence of hCG in about a week after you miss your periods, while a blood test does it faster.

What Is the Process of a Pregnancy Test?

Are you wondering about how to take a pregnancy test? It is usually done in the following two ways.

Blood Test: A blood test will most likely be used if you are testing your pregnancy from a doctor's office. These tests can help detect your pregnancy about 6-8 days after ovulation. For example, a qualitative hCG test checks for the particular hormone and informs whether you are pregnant or not. On the other hand, a quantitative hCG test (beta hCG) mainly tracks the amount of that hormone in your blood, which helps analyse the problems and complications in your pregnancy.
Urine Test: Individuals can do such tests for testing pregnancy both at home and in healthcare centres. As the name suggests, these tests mainly require your urine samples for predicting the results. Most people prefer home kits for pregnancy test since these are private and more convenient. Once you drop your urine samples on the pee stick, you will get the results within a couple of minutes. However, you might not always get 100% authentic results with a home test.

When Should You Take a Pregnancy Test?

An important question that arises here is “when to take a pregnancy test?”. The best time to take the test is whenever your periods are late and you suspect a pregnancy. It is advisable to take a test immediately after you miss your periods, since that way you get to know if you are pregnant sooner. In some cases, this test can find pregnancy hormones in your urine within ten days of unprotected sex. However, the results are not entirely accurate in these.

In other cases, if your periods are irregular in general, you should consider taking a pregnancy test within three weeks after unprotected sex. It would also help if you took the test first thing in the morning when your urine is usually more concentrated, giving more accurate results. Worried about when to take a pregnancy test after missing your periods? Try to do it on the first day of your expected period date.

How to Read Home Pregnancy Test Kits?

Now, the next question that arises in this scenario is, “how to read a pregnancy test?”. The process is quite simple. If only one colour appears on the pee strip, it means that the test is negative and you are not pregnant. However, the test is positive if two lines appear on the strip. Usually, the urine pregnancy tests at home are about 99% reliable. On the other hand, blood tests in healthcare settings generate entirely accurate results.

What Are the Symptoms of Pregnancy?

You should learn more about the various symptoms of pregnancy if you are still confused about when to take a pregnancy test. Apart from a missed period, the following symptoms might imply pregnancy.

Nausea and/or vomiting: Morning sickness is a common pregnancy symptom. However, you might feel nauseous any time of the day for about two months after becoming pregnant. While some women vomit in the early pregnancy days, others only deal with nausea without vomiting.
Increased urination: You might feel the urge to urinate more often than usual during your early pregnancy days. It happens because of the increased blood in your body during this period, causing excess fluid. Such tendencies might represent a possible pregnancy.
Increased weakness: Another common pregnancy symptom is increased weakness and fatigue in women. The hormone progesterone might cause this symptom during early pregnancy.
Swollen breasts: The early pregnancy hormonal changes might make your breasts more swollen and tender. It becomes more sensitive and sore, and the discomfort naturally increases with time.

While these symptoms can vary from person to person, a missed period combined with one or more of these signs is often a good reason to take a home pregnancy test.

If you’re planning to consult a gynaecologist after a positive result, check if your health insurance includes maternity coverage or prenatal benefits. Some plans offer coverage for early pregnancy checkups and related diagnostics, which can help ease the financial aspect of prenatal care.

How to Deal With Pregnancy?

If you decide to take a pregnancy test and it is positive, you can deal with it in the following ways.

Take prenatal vitamins: You can choose a vitamin with folic acid and start consuming it. Doctors usually suggest having these even before you become pregnant. These vitamins can help you control and prevent congenital disabilities
Take healthcare support: You can call your nearest healthcare setting or make an appointment with a gynaecologist as soon as you find out about your pregnancy. Professional advice will help you make the right decisions.
Pursue healthy habits: Make sure to avoid drinking or smoking once you find out that you are pregnant. You should also limit caffeine consumption following this and rely on a healthy diet.

What Are the Ways to Avoid Pregnancy?

Now that you have a basic idea about when to do a pregnancy test, you can do it at the right time to get accurate results. However, if you are not prepared for a pregnancy right now, you can go for the following ways to avoid it safely.

Use condoms to avoid unprotected sex.
Take oral contraceptive pills.
Use a contraceptive implant for releasing progesterone.
Take a contraceptive injection, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone.
Use a diaphragm, a silicon dome placed inside the vagina to stop sperms from entering the uterus.

Therefore, as you can see, taking a pregnancy test helps you determine if you are pregnant. The right time to do this is ideally following your missed period dates. While the home urine test can be more private and convenient, the blood test in a professional setting can give you more accurate results.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How long does it take for hCG to show up in urine?

The hCG starts showing up in your urine after the embryo attaches to the wall of your uterus. It rapidly increases when you are pregnant. Generally, in a 28-days menstrual cycle, you can detect it within 12-15 days of ovulation.

What should you avoid before taking a pregnancy test?

You should avoid drinking excessive water and other fluids before taking a pregnancy test. Diluted urine results in diluted hCG levels, ultimately skewing the test results.