When is the optimal time to take a pregnancy test

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Denice Rackley. There are two main types of pregnancy tests: blood and urine tests. Blood tests are more sensitive and can tell you if you're pregnant anywhere from 6 to 14 days after conception.

Gnoth C, Johnson S. Strips of hope: Accuracy of home pregnancy tests and new developments. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. Pregnancy test hCG. Updated March 24, Food and Drug Administration. April Office on Women's Health.

Knowing if you are pregnant. Updated January Bondurant, Amber. When is the best time to take pregnancy test? July Pregnancy test. Updated December Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

I Accept Show Purposes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. If you wait one week after a missed period, the chance of a false negative is very low if you have a normal monthly menstrual cycle. Home pregnancy tests, both brand name and generic, are very accurate at detecting the HCG hormone and any positive result, even a faint line, can be considered positive. HCG is only produced by a pregnancy; any positive result indicates a pregnancy. Both urine and blood detect HCG, although the blood test is more sensitive and can detect HCG levels at much lower levels than a urine test.

Some brands may be better able to detect lower levels of HCG than others. If your HCG level is more than 50 ml, which is the detection rate of most tests, even generic tests will detect a pregnancy accurately. The number one cause of a false negative test is taking the test too soon after you conceive.

Urine, even in women who drink large amounts of water, should still yield a positive result. A good time to take the test is in the morning when you first wake up.

Only a medication containing HCG would affect the result. Although home tests can detect a pregnancy, it gives no information as to viability. If you have a positive pregnancy test, your obstetrician can provide information about warning signs of an abnormal or worrisome pregnancy and can advise you on when to make an appointment to confirm your pregnancy. Ohio State is filling training gaps for Ohio health care providers with two projects designed by experts in maternal-fetal medicine and emergency medicine.

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