How Early Can You Take a Pregnancy Test?

Wondering if you’re pregnant? You might have a lot of questions, and a big one is when to take a pregnancy test. Usually, you can test shortly after missing your period because most home tests are about 99% accurate.

Read on to find out how pregnancy tests work and how to get the best results.

What Pregnancy Tests Do

When you become pregnant, your body produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Home pregnancy tests work by detecting this hormone in your urine.

The type of test you choose can affect the outcome. Many tests available at stores claim to provide accurate results days before your potential missed period.

The timing of taking a pregnancy test is crucial. HCG levels start out low and rise quickly. Testing too early might lead to a false negative result, which means the test indicates you’re not pregnant when you actually are. This can happen if the hCG levels are too low for the test to detect.

That’s why it’s recommended to wait until after you’ve missed your period to use a home pregnancy test.

I Got A Positive Result. Now What?

If you’ve taken a home pregnancy test and it came back positive, verifying this result with a no-cost, lab-quality pregnancy test from MyLife Medical & Resource Center is a good idea.

From there, you’ll want to confirm your pregnancy with an ultrasound scan. Ultrasounds give you key details about your pregnancy, such as:

Viability: Given that up to 26% of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage, it’s important to assess if your pregnancy is developing. In case of a miscarriage, you may need additional medical care. As your pregnancy has ended, you may also require monitoring.
Gestational Age: Understanding how far along your pregnancy is can help date the pregnancy accurately and determine your pregnancy options.
Location: The location of your pregnancy is crucial. In rare cases, a pregnancy might be ectopic, meaning the fertilized egg has implanted outside the uterus, often in a fallopian tube. This is a serious condition requiring immediate medical intervention. While MyLife cannot diagnose an ectopic pregnancy, we aim to exclude it by confirming the pregnancy’s location in the uterus.

Get No-Cost Pregnancy Services

You don’t have to rely on an at-home pregnancy test. You can get a lab-quality test from MyLife Medical & Resource Center at no cost. From there, we can also provide you with an ultrasound scan and give you a chance to talk to our team to explore your options.