Most home pregnancy tests are reliable, for example Clearblue's tests have an accuracy of over 99% from the day you expect your period, and while it's possible a test showing a negative result is wrong, particularly if you're testing early, getting a false positive is extremely rare.
Know this: All Clearblue® pregnancy tests are over 99% accurate from the day you expect your period. False positives very rarely occur, and are often due to medical conditions or certain medications. False negatives, while more common, typically occur due to testing too early or drinking too much liquid before testing.
When you want to know if you're pregnant waiting to test can be hard. That's why Clearblue Ultra Early Pregnancy Test can be used up to 6 days before your missed period, which is 5 days before you expect your period to start.
Over 99% accurate from the day you expect your period. In 79% of samples tested in a lab study, pregnancy could be detected up to 6 days before the missed period (which is 5 days before the expected period).
Clearblue® tests are over 99% accurate from the day of the expected period. At Clearblue® we believe that consumers need a result they can be confident in and act on, and therefore we provide pregnancy test products that are over 99% accurate at detecting pregnancy from the day of the expected period.
Most home pregnancy tests are reliable, for example Clearblue®'s tests have an accuracy of over 99% from the day you expect your period, and while it's possible a test showing a negative result is wrong, particularly if you're testing early, getting a false positive is extremely rare.
However, you don't need to stress too much about taking a pregnancy test at a specific time of day. Using urine later on when it's less concentrated may only “hypothetically delay a positive result by only 12 to 24 hours,” advises Dr. Flanagan.
A 'Pregnant' result may appear in 1 minute when testing from your missed period (which is the day after your expected period). Wait for 3 minutes to confirm a 'Not Pregnant' result or when testing before you have missed your period. A blue line must be present in the control window when you read your result.
Clearblue Plus Pregnancy Test
The Clearblue Plus Pregnancy Test is over 99% accurate and can give you results as fast as 1 minute. Read reviews on the Clearblue Plus Pregnancy Test here.
What level of hCG can pregnancy tests detect? Generally, most home pregnancy tests claim to detect hCG levels from 25 mIU/ml. However, some tests, such as the Clearblue® Early Digital Pregnancy Test and the Clearblue ®Early Detection Pregnancy Test, are so sensitive they can detect hCG levels as low as 10 mIU/ml.
The reason doctors still use the last menstrual cycle as a benchmark is because it is difficult to know exactly when the sperm fertilized the egg. So when doctors say a woman is six weeks pregnant, it typically means the embryo started developing about four weeks ago.
Week 4 of pregnancy
For example, a fertilised egg may have implanted in your womb just 2 weeks ago, but if the first day of your last period was 4 weeks ago, this means you're officially four weeks pregnant! Pregnancy normally lasts from 37 weeks to 42 weeks from the first day of your last period.
A doctor will interpret the results as 1-2 meaning you are 3-4 weeks pregnant, 2-3 meaning you are 4-5 weeks pregnant and 3+ meaning you are more than 5 weeks pregnant.
Test too early and the amount of hCG in your urine isn't detectable. As many as 9 out of 15 women will get a false negative until seven or eight weeks of pregnancy.
Can Too Much Pee on a Pregnancy Test Make It Negative? Urinating too much on a urine pregnancy test should not cause a false negative result. But diluted urine, or urine with a higher water content, can impact a pregnancy test by skewing results.
Do I need to use first morning urine? If testing from the day you expected your period, you can take a pregnancy test with urine from any time of the day. If testing before your expected period, use the first urine of the day. Avoid excessive fluid intake before testing.
1. First Response Early Result. This bestselling product tops our list as the best pregnancy test for early detection. It's sensitive enough to give results 6 days before your missed period (with varying degrees of accuracy, given that hCG levels increase at different rates for each person).
Don't Drink A Lot Of Water Before Taking The Test
Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results. Take a test when you naturally need to pee. This way, you'll avoid diluting your hCG level and getting a false 'Not Pregnant' result.
Home pregnancy tests can differ in how early they'll detect a pregnancy. In many cases, you might get a positive result from an at-home test as early as 10 days after conception. For a more accurate result, wait until after you've missed your period to take a test.
Use the first urine of the day if you're testing early.
However, you can test any time of day if you've already missed your period as the pregnancy hormone level will be high enough to give a positive result at any time of the day if you are pregnant.
If your Clearblue test says 1-2 weeks, that's 3-4 weeks according to the NHS. If your Clearblue test says 2-3 weeks, that's 4-5 weeks according to the NHS. If your Clearblue test says 3+ weeks, that's 5+ weeks according to the NHS.
It is possible to get a false negative on a pregnancy test (where the test says you're not pregnant, even though you are), particularly if you've tested before your period is due. If you've just had one negative result, you could try waiting for a few days and testing again, just to be sure.
The earlier you test, the higher the chances that this scenario will occur. If you get a false negative but still suspect you're pregnant, repeat the test in a few days. If it's negative again but your period still hasn't arrived, book an appointment with your healthcare provider.