The decision of when to take the pregnancy test after a missed period can be a major source of anxiety. Simply because sometimes, you want to be pregnant and sometimes you don’t.
However, in case of a missed period, it’s important to take the pregnancy test at the right time so that you can prepare yourself and make a final decision about your pregnancy.
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When To Take The Pregnancy Test?
You can take a pregnancy test as soon as you miss your period or if your period is late. You can know the date of your missed period if your periods are regular.
Also, if your periods are irregular or you don’t have periods for certain reasons, you can take the pregnancy test after 3 weeks of your sexual intercourse.
You can also take the pregnancy test if you experience early pregnancy symptoms that may include the following:-
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Mood Swings
- Metallic Taste
- Breast Tenderness
- Frequent Urination
- Sensitivity To Smell
- Slight Morning Nausea
- Food Cravings Or Aversions
- Mild Cramp (Also Called Implantation Cramps)
- Very Light Spotting (Also Called Implantation Spotting)
Depending on whether a positive pregnancy test would be good or bad news, these symptoms may fill you with excitement or dread.
You should also keep in mind that the above-mentioned symptoms don’t guarantee pregnancy as they can also be caused due to other things such as cold, flu, or a few nights of poor sleep.
Usually, the doctors recommend taking the pregnancy test as soon as possible if you miss the period or if you think you might be pregnant.
Knowing about your pregnancy in the early stage helps you plan accordingly.
How To Test Pregnancy?
There are mainly two types of pregnancy tests – known as Blood and Urine Tests. A blood test is done at the clinic by the healthcare provider.
However, Urine Test is done at the home – though you can also have a urine test done at a clinic.
Pregnancy tests detect a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) that is produced in early pregnancy.
The production of hCG begins slowly and increases as the pregnancy grows. A pregnancy test detects the hCG level when it reaches 20-50 milliunits/milliliters.
What Is The Best Time To Take Pregnancy Test?
Morning is considered the perfect time to take the pregnancy test. This time is best especially if your period is not late or if it’s late by just a couple of days.
A home pregnancy test works by detecting the hCG hormone in your urine. Unless you get up in the night and pee often or drink water throughout the night, your urine is more concentrated in the morning when you wake up.
This means that the amount of hCG is a bit more, and you are likely to get a pregnancy positive result if you are pregnant.
However, you can take the pregnancy test any time of the day – be it the middle of the day or night. In this scenario, you are more likely to get a false negative result, especially if your period is not that late or if you have consumed a lot of water and your urine is diluted.
Overview
Even if you are using birth control methods to prevent pregnancy, there is a high chance of error. So f you miss your period or experience symptoms of early pregnancy such as cramps and breast soreness, you should take the pregnancy test as this is the perfect time to do that.
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