When to Take a Pregnancy Test for The Most Accurate Result
Am I pregnant or not? Can I do the pregnancy test at home or should I rather go to the doctor? When to take a pregnancy test for best results? We eliminate all uncertainties!
What are the first signs of pregnancy?
The absence of a menstrual period is the best known – but not the only – sign of pregnancy. We will tell you the most common pregnancy symptoms:
- Implantation bleeding
- Nausea
- Increased appetite
- Breast pulling
- Tiredness
- Enhanced sense of smell
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Slight bleeding
- High basal body temperature
When can you take a pregnancy test?
The classic urine pregnancy test provides a reliable result approximately 14 days after fertilisation of the egg, i.e. at about the time of the actual due period. It is recommended that the pregnancy test should only be carried out after the period is over, otherwise the error rate of this test is quite high.
When do pregnancy symptoms begin?
Some women notice how the egg implants in the uterus just a few days after fertilisation. During implantation (4-5 days after fertilisation) the so-called implantation bleeding can occur: When the egg implants, blood vessels in the lining of the uterus can be damaged – the next sign of pregnancy. About one week after fertilisation, the body produces the pregnancy hormone hCG. It ensures that another hormone is released: progesterone. This hormone is the reason for the frequent fatigue at the beginning of a pregnancy. Progesterone is also responsible for the absence of periods. Especially between the 6th and 12th week of pregnancy women are often plagued by nausea.
How does a pregnancy test work?
When a woman is pregnant, her body produces the pregnancy hormone beta-hCG (human chorionic gouadotropin) – a hormone that only pregnant women produce and which, among other things, ensures that our periods stop by preventing the lining of the uterus from being rejected. Pregnancy tests measure the concentration of this hormone.
When is the pregnancy test reliable?
The reliability of the pregnancy test depends on the type of test: a distinction is made between blood and urine tests.
- Blood test: The pregnancy test for those who want to know quickly and reliably.
When do you know for sure? This examination can only be carried out by a gynaecologist and not at home: The hCG level can be detected here as early as six to nine days after fertilization and even before menstruation stops. The gynaecologist can give you the results about 24 hours after the examination.
- Early urine test: The quick pregnancy test for at home
When do you know for sure? These pregnancy tests are available in drugstores or pharmacies and can be performed at home. In this case, the hCG value is measured via the urine – and according to the manufacturers, up to four days before the due bleeding. Due to the high error rate, however, this pregnancy test should only be used after the period has not occurred.
- Urine test: The classic
When do you know for sure? Eight out of ten women find out about their pregnancy in this way: the pregnancy test for home use, available in every drugstore or pharmacy since the late 1960s. It provides a reliable result 14 days after fertilization – and can therefore be used shortly after no menstruation.
- Ultrasound examination: The reliable statement from the doctor
When do you know for sure? A few days after the absence of menstruation, an ultrasound can be used to make a reliable statement as to whether you are pregnant: in this case, a small amniotic cavity can be seen in the uterus. This test can of course only be carried out by a gynecologist.
Pregnancy tests with urine are usually 90-99% safe – the more advanced the pregnancy, the more reliable the test result. If the test is negative but symptoms persist, you should see your gynaecologist – and if the test is positive, also to discuss how to proceed.
What do I have to consider when doing a pregnancy test at home?
If you are doing a pregnancy test at home, you should always read the package insert. Usually the test strip of the pregnancy test is held in the urine stream or a glass filled with urine for a few seconds.
In addition to the control window, there is usually a window that changes colour or shows the respective lines, the meaning of which is given in the instructions. For a urine test you should always use morning urine, where hCG concentrations are usually highest.