Can’t wait to find out if you’re pregnant? Here’s the earliest time you can take a pregnancy test and get a definitive answer. Show
When you’re trying for a baby, it’s natural to be so excited that you want to pee on a pregnancy test as soon as you’ve done the deed. But test too soon and you might not get an accurate result. How early can you take a pregnancy test?A look at the pregnancy test section of your local drugstore will reveal boxes that claim to detect your pregnancy as early as six days before your missed period. While that might sound too good to be true, it is possible, says Ashley Gilman, a Toronto OB-GYN who specializes in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. “The pregnancy hormone should be present in your urine a few days before your expected period,” she explains. Beth Taylor, a Vancouver-based infertility specialist, agrees that “early-detection” pregnancy tests are more than just a marketing angle. Though all pregnancy tests work by detecting a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), “some tests will have a threshold of 10 mIU/mL to call it positive, while others will have a threshold of 25 or 30 mIU/mL,” she says. She explains that early-detection tests use a lower threshold.  Can you "tweak" a pregnancy test to find out sooner? But this advanced knowledge will cost you: A single early-detection test is at least double the price of a conventional one. Are early pregnancy tests as accurate?The hormone hCG is manufactured by the placenta and first appears in your urine anywhere from 10 to 14 days after fertilization. But while hCG increases rapidly in the first few weeks, not everyone produces the exact same amount on the exact same timeline. Because of this and because it’s possible for your cycle to vary slightly from month to month, it’s not uncommon to get a false negative. “If you ovulated even just a day or two later than normal, a negative test might not actually be a negative,” says Gilman. “The longer you wait for testing, the more accurate it’s going to be,” adds Taylor. She recommends waiting to test—at least until you’re expected period—to get the most accurate result possible. To help minimize your odds of getting a false negative, Taylor says to test using your first urine of the day. Unless you have a tendency to visit the washroom frequently during the night, your hCG will be at its highest concentration in your first urine and give you the best shot at an accurate result. If you test early and get a negative sign, hold off on reaching for that bottle of wine. “Until you get your period, you should at least assume that there’s a chance that you’re pregnant,” says Gilman, who recommends that you retest again on or closer to the date of your expected period. But a positive test means you’re pregnant, says Taylor, who adds that there’s no need to retest. Can a pregnancy test at the doctor’s office give you an answer sooner?If you’re tempted to skip an at-home test and head straight to the doctor’s office, think again. Taylor explains that a blood test might get you an answer a day or two earlier, but that’s only if the lab can turn your results around on the same day. While both physicians agree that waiting to test until the date of your expected period is ideal, they understand that just might not work for some women. “For most women, there’s no harm in testing every day,” says Gilman. Read more: Thinkstock January 9, 2018
Thinkstock Thinkstock Not checking the expiration datePregnancy tests are manufactured with expiration dates. This date should be fairly easy to find on the box. Many times, it is stamped on the end. Avoid buying a test, even if you are planning to take it immediately, if it is expired or expiring soon. A test that is past its “use by” date may give the right answer, but it could also be wrong. Check this before you buy. iStock Not being aware of your cycle datesWhile many pregnancy tests on the market will try to convince you that you can accurately predict your pregnancy prior to missing your period, this can lead to false negatives in many cases. This is because your body may not have produced enough human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) to be detected by a pregnancy test yet. A false negative can lead people to risky behaviors because they think that they aren’t pregnant when they really are pregnant. Wait until you miss your period to get more accurate test results. iStock Not reading the instructionsThe truth of the matter is that many pregnancy test errors are caused by humans. It is important to read the pregnancy test instructions prior to even starting the test. Failure to do this can cause you to mess it up, particularly if you are just assuming that the test you bought will work the same way as other tests you’ve used in the past. Reading the instructions takes just a few minutes and will help ensure the accuracy of your results. iStock Not testing at the right time of dayThe main component of a home pregnancy test is your urine. You should be testing with the most concentrated urine you can for the best results. Typically this is the urine that you have in your bladder after sleeping all night, meaning you may want to test first thing in the morning. You can also wait a few hours during the day and then use that urine. Don’t try to drink a ton of fluids to build up your urine — just drink normally or you could dilute the sample. iStock Not gathering all your supplies firstTypically you don’t need many supplies to take a pregnancy test. You might need the test instructions, the kit, a watch, and potentially a dropper and collection container. But it doesn’t hurt to get the details right when trying to figure out how to take a pregnancy test. iStock Reading the test too soonYou’re anxious about possibly being pregnant. You want to know now. But if you don’t wait the amount of time specified in the instructions, you are more likely to get a false answer. While you might believe that this would be a false negative, sometimes it can be a false positive because the pregnancy test window may look darker as the test is still working. iStock Reading the test too lateThis is a really tricky one that can cause a lot of angst. If you read the directions, the pregnancy test usually states a specific time frame in which it should be read. You should adhere to those guidelines. If you read a pregnancy test after this time, you may get a false positive. This is usually not an issue with a digital test. iStock Not using enough urine in the pregnancy testPregnancy tests require a specific amount of urine. If you are using a midstream pregnancy test, this involves sticking the wand into the urine stream. If you don’t have enough urine in your bladder to coordinate urinating on a thin stick, you may not have enough to test. This can invalidate the test. Some tests require you to collect the urine in a clean container and drop in a certain amount. You can also do this even if instructions don’t require it to help alleviate this problem. Thinkstock Misread pregnancy testOne of the most basic problems with a pregnancy test is that you may misread it. One small study showed that in the hands of average women, the digital, midstream pregnancy tests had the most accurate readings. So if you’re really concerned about a result, you can pay a bit more and have a digital pregnancy test to simply tell you the answer based on your hCG at the time of the test. iStock What to do if you think you’ve misread a pregnancy test
Misreading a pregnancy test happens all the time. You can opt to wait a few days and retest. This is the most common advice you will get on the side of the package and when you call the customer tip line on the package of your pregnancy test. Waiting to retest not only gives you a second chance but also allows your body a few extra days at a time when your hCG is rising quickly if you are pregnant. If all else fails, a trip to your doctor or midwife is in order. Meet Our Writer Robin Elise Weiss, Ph.D. Robin Elise Weiss, Ph.D., LCCE, CLC, AdvCD(DONA) is a childbirth educator, doula, founder of Childbirth.org, and the award-winning pregnancy and parenting author of “The Complete Illustrated Guide to Pregnancy” and more than 10 Should I hold my pee before taking a pregnancy test?Use First-Morning Urine
This makes it more likely to get an accurate test reading. 1 If you're worried you'll forget to collect it when you first get up, close the lid to your toilet and set the pregnancy test on top. Some say that if you hold your urine for more than four hours it is the same as first-morning urine.
What should you not do before pregnancy test?Don't drink too much water, or any liquid, before taking a pregnancy test. Excess fluids can impact the accuracy of the test results, so if your urine is diluted or pale yellow, hold off on taking a test. Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results.
Can we use 4 hours old urine for pregnancy test?Ideally, your urine sample needs to be handed in and sent for testing within four hours. If you can't hand your urine sample in within this time you should keep it in the fridge at 4ºC. Results for pregnancy testing are normally available within 24 hours of receiving the sample. 307999 ext 8257.
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How many hours should you hold your pee before pregnancy test
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