Can you test positive for pregnancy 1 week after intercourse

If you have missed a period and recently had unprotected sex, you may be pregnant. Pregnancy tests are most reliable from the first day of your missed period.

When you can do a pregnancy test

You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.

Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period.

You can do a pregnancy test on a sample of urine collected at any time of the day. It doesn't have to be in the morning.

Where you can get a pregnancy test

You can buy pregnancy testing kits from pharmacists and some supermarkets. They can give a quick result and you can do the test in private.

The following places provide free pregnancy tests:

  • sexual health services
  • some young people's services – call the national sexual health helpline on 0300 123 7123 for details
  • Brook centres for under-25s – find your nearest Brook centre

You may also be able to get a pregnancy test free of charge from your GP.

How does a pregnancy test work?

All pregnancy tests detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), which starts to be produced around 6 days after fertilisation.

Most pregnancy tests come in a box that contains 1 or 2 long sticks. You pee on the stick and the result appears on the stick after a few minutes. All tests are slightly different, so always check the instructions.

Pregnancy test results

Home pregnancy tests are accurate as long as you follow the instructions correctly.

A positive test result is almost certainly correct. However, a negative test result is less reliable.

The result may not be reliable if you:

  • do not follow the instructions properly
  • take the test too early

Some medicines can also affect the results.

If you get a negative result and still think you're pregnant, wait a few days and try again. Speak to your GP if you get a negative result after a second test but your period has not arrived.

Continuing with the pregnancy

If you're pregnant and want to continue with the pregnancy, contact your GP or a midwife to start your antenatal care. You can use the pregnancy due date calculator to work out when your baby is due.

If you're not sure you want to be pregnant

If you're not sure about continuing with the pregnancy, you can discuss this confidentially with a healthcare professional. Your options are:

  • continuing with the pregnancy and keeping the baby
  • having an abortion
  • continuing with the pregnancy and having the baby adopted

As well as a GP or a nurse at your GP surgery, you can also get accurate, confidential information – from the age of 13 – from the following:

  • sexual health services
  • the MSI Reproductive Choices website
  • the British Pregnancy Advisory service website
  • the National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory service website

All these services – including community contraceptive clinics – are confidential. If you're 13 or older, the staff won't tell your parents. They'll encourage you to talk to your parents, but they won't force you. 

If you're under 25 and would prefer advice specifically for young people, the sexual health charity Brook provides a range of services for young people. The Brook website contains information on pregnancy choices. You can also use the Ask Brook 24/7 service.

Video: Is the pregnancy test accurate?

In this video, a midwife explains when you can take a pregnancy test and how to do it properly.

Media last reviewed: 5 February 2020
Media review due: 5 February 2023

Written by: Dr. Amy Beckley, PhD, Founder and Inventor of the Proov test the first and only FDA-cleared test to check for successful ovulation at home.

Written on: 6/1/22

Can you test positive for pregnancy 1 week after intercourse

Understanding how long it takes to get pregnant after sex can help you know when to test for pregnancy.

If you are trying to conceive, you have likely experienced the (sometimes agonizing) wait between trying for a baby and taking a pregnancy test. It can feel like forever!

It can also be confusing since some pregnancy tests can be used earlier than others, so it’s hard to know exactly when you should be testing for pregnancy. Understanding how long it takes to get pregnant after sex is a great place to start.

Let’s dive in!

How long does it take to get pregnant after sex?

It’s typically recommended that you don’t test for pregnancy until you’ve missed a period. You’ll usually know if your period is missed about 2 weeks after getting a positive ovulation test and having sex.

That said, some pregnancy tests can detect pregnancy even earlier so understanding how long it takes to get pregnant after sex can help know when you could start testing (although we always recommend following the instructions included with your specific pregnancy test kit).

After sex, sperm and egg often don’t meet immediately. In fact, it can take up to 6 days for egg and sperm to actually form an embryo.

After sperm and egg meet (this is called the moment of conception), the newly formed embryo starts to make its way through the fallopian tube and down into the uterus. This can also take a few days, sometimes 3-4.

Once the embryo reaches the uterus, it’s time for it to find a comfortable spot where it will spend the next 9 months. This is called implantation and it’s when the embryo attaches itself to mama.

Implantation most commonly occurs on days 7-10 past a positive ovulation test. After the embryo implants into the uterus, that’s when it starts producing hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin).

The presence of hCG in your bloodstream or urine is what confirms pregnancy. That’s the hormone that pregnancy tests measure.

Technically, an early pregnancy test could detect hCG in urine up to 6 days before a missed period, depending on what day the embryo implants on. If it implants earlier, you may get a positive pregnancy test earlier. But if the embryo implants later, you may not get a positive pregnancy test until after a missed period.

Getting a positive pregnancy test 6 days before a missed period means that you would get a positive pregnancy test as early as 8 or 9 days after an ovulation test or after having sex.

Once you get that positive pregnancy test, we always recommend following up with your doctor to confirm pregnancy and for next steps.

Can you test positive for pregnancy 1 week after intercourse

Once you get a positive pregnancy test, we always recommend following up with your doctor to confirm pregnancy and for next steps.

How do I know when I can take a pregnancy test?

Again, we always recommend following the instructions included with your specific pregnancy test. Typically, you’ll want to try and wait until a missed period to take a pregnancy test.

However, we know how tempting it can be to test earlier! And of course, just because you should wait doesn’t mean that you have to.

If you have an early pregnancy test that can detect pregnancy up to 6 days before a missed period, you may be wondering when exactly you can actually start testing — it’s a little confusing!

If you know when your next period should come, you can simply count back 6 days. So if your period is supposed to come on June 15th, you can start testing for pregnancy on June 9th.

If you don’t know when your next period is supposed to come, you can count out from a positive ovulation test. Implantation occurs about 7 to 10 days after a positive ovulation test.

You could get a positive early pregnancy test about 8 or 9 days after a positive ovulation test. Once you get a positive test result, you should always follow up with your doctor to confirm pregnancy and discuss next steps.

Is there anything else I can do to increase my chances of getting pregnant?

In fact there is! Implantation can only occur if the uterus is prepared and ready to receive that embryo.

Progesterone is the hormone that is released during the implantation window (days 7-10 after a positive ovulation test) to make the uterus “sticky” enough so that an embryo can implant. Elevated progesterone levels during the implantation window can increase the chance of pregnancy.

While you cannot test for progesterone directly in urine, you can test for PdG — the marker of progesterone found in urine — with Proov Confirm. Want ovulation tests and PdG tests in the same kit? Try Proov Predict & Confirm!

Can you test positive for pregnancy 1 week after intercourse

Understanding how long it takes to get pregnant after sex can help you better use the tools on your fertility journey!

Can you have a positive pregnancy test 1 week after intercourse?

How Long After Sex Can You Have a Pregnancy Test? The short answer? Most home pregnancy tests can be done from the first day of your missed period. If you're not sure when you're having your next period—or if your period is irregular– take the test at least 10 days after you had unprotected sex.

Can I take a pregnancy test after 7 days of intercourse?

How soon can you take a pregnancy test? You should wait to take a pregnancy test until the week after your missed period for the most accurate result. If you don't want to wait until you've missed your period, you should wait at least one to two weeks after you had sex.

Is taking a pregnancy test a week after intercourse too early?

Home pregnancy tests (the kind you can buy in drugstores) work best if you take them after you've already missed your period. Some tests say they can tell you if you're pregnant a few days before a missed period, but they're not as accurate before that missed period.