## What’s The Best Time To Take A Pregnancy Test?
Knowing when to take a pregnancy test can help to make sure that the result is accurate. Taking the test too soon can result in a false negative. Taking the test too late can mean that the hormones necessary to indicate a successful pregnancy may not be present in sufficient quantities. Here are some considerations to help you determine when is the best time to take a pregnancy test.
**The First Day of Your Missed Period**
For women who have a regular menstrual cycle, the best time to take a pregnancy test is usually after the first day of their missed period. If a woman’s cycles are inconsistent, most physicians recommend taking a test two weeks after the expected date of her period, or two weeks from the date of conception. On the day of the missed period, a woman’s urine contains hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, which is a hormone that is released when pregnancy begins.
**First Response Tests**
The most sensitive pregnancy tests are referred to as “First Response” tests. These tests can detect hCG as early as six days sooner than other tests on the market. This can be beneficial for women looking for a more accurate test. To get the most accurate results for a First Response test, it should be taken on the first day of a missed period.
**Testing Before the Missed Period**
It is possible to take a pregnancy test before the missed period, but the results may be inaccurate. This is because the amount of hCG necessary to indicate pregnancy may not have built up enough in the body yet. It is not possible to get an accurate pregnancy test result before the expected first day of the missed period. Although some home tests claim to be 95% accurate on the day that a woman’s period is due, this is not the case. At best, such tests may be up to 75% accurate.
**Checking After a Positive Result**
If the first test result is positive, the woman should wait a few days and take another test to check the result. This can give an indication of whether or not the pregnancy hormone is increasing. Usually, a successful pregnancy will result in an increasing level of hCG in the body.
Knowing when to take a pregnancy test can ensure that the results are accurate. Taking the test too soon or too late may not provide the correct results. For women with regular periods, the best time to take a test is usually the first day of a missed period. However, more sensitive tests such as First Response tests, can give reliable results up to six days sooner than other tests on the market.
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