For many of these tests, HCG can be detected in your urine about 10 days after conception. However, taking it after you miss your period reduces the chance of getting a false-negative result. A missed period typically happens around 14 days after conception.
Trace levels of hCG can be detected as early as eight days after ovulation. That means you could get positive results several days before you expect your period to start. However, the first part of your cycle is more variable than the second, making it tricky to determine the best time for an early test.
So, one needs to wait untill six to seven days for the hCG levels to reach a detectable amount before taking the over-the-counter urine test.
Symptoms of rising hCG levels can include fatigue, nausea/vomiting (aka morning sickness), dizziness or light-headedness, breast tenderness, and feeling emotionally sensitive.
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.
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.
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.
Traces of hCG can be found in your urine from 6 days after the fertilised egg implants in your womb (uterus). The amount continues to build each day. Most pregnancy tests give an accurate result from the first day of your missed period.
All pregnancy tests detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), which starts to be produced around 6 days after fertilisation.
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.
Blood tests are very accurate and can find pregnancy by the second week after conception. Women can conduct an at-home pregnancy test by testing a sample of urine about two weeks after conception, or about the time a period is due. Home pregnancy tests have become more accurate in the last decade.
To get a positive pregnancy test, most women will have to wait 5-10 days after their period was due. Some may detect pregnancy earlier becuase hCG accumulates at different rates for different women.
Unfortunately, no matter how much we feel that we may know our bodies, pregnancy cannot be self-diagnosed. The only way to know whether or not you're pregnant is through a pregnancy test.
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.
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.
You can find stories online of very late BFPs – some at up to 6 weeks pregnant. There are even stories about some pregnant women who never got a positive pregnancy test. It's possible to have low hCG levels and still have a healthy pregnancy.
Confusingly, when levels of hCG are too high, they can also interfere with pregnancy test results. This is why, interestingly, being pregnant with twins can sometimes cause a false-negative pregnancy test.
If a pink line showed up quickly, then it is likely a positive, pregnant result. If the line only showed up much later (say ten minutes or more) than the control line, it may be an evaporation line.
Many women save the test once they see a negative result and check it again an hour later. If another line appears hours later, it is an evaporation line and not a pregnancy indicator. While it depends on the type of test you are using, the reaction time is usually 5 minutes for most tests.
If you see a positive result beyond this time frame, you may be left second-guessing the results. However, always remember that a pregnancy test result is only accurate within 10 minutes. After the that, it's best to throw the test away to avoid confusion.
At-home pregnancy tests
The first (and easiest) way to determine if you're pregnant is to take an at-home pregnancy test. These over-the-counter products are quick, accurate, and readily accessible.
Any positive line, no matter how faint, means your result is pregnant. Levels of hCG in your body will increase over the course of your pregnancy. If you test early, your hCG levels may be still be low and you'll see a faint positive line.