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. 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. 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: You may also be able to get a pregnancy test free of charge from your GP. 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. 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:
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 pregnancyIf 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 pregnantIf you're not sure about continuing with the pregnancy, you can discuss this confidentially with a healthcare professional. Your options are:
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:
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 Could you be pregnant? Get answers to common questions about home pregnancy tests. By Mayo Clinic StaffTaking a home pregnancy test can be nerve-wracking, especially if you're not sure you can trust the results. Know when and how to take a home pregnancy test — as well as some of the possible pitfalls of home testing. When should I take a home pregnancy test?Many home pregnancy tests claim to be accurate as early as the first day of a missed period — or even before. You're likely to get more accurate results, however, if you wait until after the first day of your missed period. Why wait? Shortly after a fertilized egg attaches to your uterine lining (implantation), the placenta forms and produces the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). This hormone enters your bloodstream and urine. During early pregnancy, the HCG concentration increases rapidly — doubling every two to three days. The earlier you take the home pregnancy test, the harder it might be for the test to detect HCG. Keep in mind that the timing of your ovulation might vary from month to month, and the fertilized egg can implant in the uterus at different times. This can affect the timing of HCG production and when it can be detected. If your periods are irregular, you might miscalculate when your period is due. If it's important to confirm your pregnancy right away and depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, your health care provider might recommend that you have an ultrasound, repeat a urine test at a lab or have a blood test to measure your HCG levels. Are there different types of home pregnancy tests?With most tests, you place the end of a dipstick in your urine stream or dip the dipstick in a container of collected urine. A few minutes later, the dipstick reveals the test result — often as a plus or a minus sign, one line or two lines, or the words "pregnant" or "not pregnant" on a strip or screen. Follow the test instructions for how long to wait before checking results — usually two or more minutes. Most tests also have a control indicator — a line or symbol that appears in the result window. If the line or symbol doesn't appear, then the test isn't working properly. Try again with another test. Some home pregnancy tests are more sensitive than others. In other words, the amount of HCG needed to be detected in the urine to produce a positive test result is lower in some tests. Always check the test's expiration date and read the instructions carefully before you take the test. How accurate are home pregnancy tests?Many home pregnancy tests claim to be 99 percent accurate. However, home pregnancy tests differ in the ability to diagnose pregnancy in women who have recently missed a period. If you have a negative test but think you might be pregnant, repeat the test one week after your missed period or talk to your health care provider. Could medications interfere with test results?Fertility drugs or other medications that contain HCG might interfere with home pregnancy test results. However, most medications, including antibiotics and birth control pills, don't affect the accuracy of home pregnancy tests. Could a positive result be wrong?Although rare, it's possible to get a positive result from a home pregnancy test when you're not actually pregnant. This is known as a false-positive. A false-positive might happen if you had a pregnancy loss soon after the fertilized egg attached to your uterine lining (biochemical pregnancy) or you take a pregnancy test too soon after taking a fertility drug that contains HCG. An ectopic pregnancy, menopause or problems with your ovaries also might contribute to misleading test results. Could a negative result be wrong?It's possible to get a negative result from a home pregnancy test when you're actually pregnant. This is known as a false-negative. You might get a false-negative if you:
What happens next?Based on your test results, consider taking the following steps:
Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a
Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Feb. 24, 2021
See more In-depth Products and Services
See also
. |
How accurate is pregnancy test 3 days before period
Copyright © 2024 berikutyang Inc.
