When to take a pregnancy test. You develop an ovarian tumor
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How many days can you take a pregnancy test after ovulation, after menstruation, after sexual intercourse (conception), after a delay and after IVF? How reliable are these results? Test sensitivity.
“Can be used from the first day of the delay,” says the packaging of almost every pregnancy test. This phrase alone confuses many women. How do you understand that there is a delay if your periods are irregular? How long after conception does the test “strip”?
Pregnancy test sensitivity and hormones
New life is born at the moment of conception (the fusion of male and female reproductive cells). As soon as this happens, the expectant mother’s body begins to prepare for bearing a child. At the first stage, this preparation manifests itself in a sharp change in hormonal levels. In particular, it “jumps” a lot hCG hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin). This hormone is actively secreted by embryonic tissue cells. The test strip that detects pregnancy reacts to the changes.
HCG is released after implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterine cavity (5-6 days after conception). At the initial stage of pregnancy (during its normal course), the hCG level doubles every day. In the body of a non-pregnant woman, the level of the hormone is on average 5 units. The test will not react to such a small amount. Modern tests have different sensitivity from 10 to 30 units. Accordingly, the lower the number, the earlier the test is able to “detect” pregnancy.
They did the test, the second line appeared, but it was pale.
Test after ovulation
Pregnancy can occur only after ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). It is generally accepted that it occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, but this process is not always predictable. The egg may mature before the next period (late ovulation) or not mature at all.
The lifespan of a mature germ cell is 12-24 hours. During this time, she must “have time” to be fertilized; if this does not happen, she will die and leave the body along with the tissue cells during the next menstruation.
To calculate, let’s take the situation as a basis: on the 14th day of the menstrual cycle, the egg “released” into the fallopian tube, where it was fertilized, then it “reached” the uterus and was implanted into it 6 days later, the release of hCG begins according to an approximate schedule.
- 7th day after conception – from 2 to 10 units;
- Day 8 – from 3 to 18 units;
- Day 9 – from 5 to 21 units;
- Day 10 – from 8 to 26 units;
- Day 11 – from 11 to 45 units;
- Day 12 – from 17 to 65 units;
- Day 13 – from 22 to 105 units;
- Day 14 – from 29 to 170 units;
- Day 15 – from 39 to 270 units.
The most sensitive tests (10 units) will show a positive result already on the 11th day, tests with a sensitivity of 25 - on the 14th day after ovulation. From the 15th day of conception, even the most insensitive tests will detect pregnancy.
Test after menstruation
Menstruation is associated with ovulation. A woman’s body is preparing to bear a fetus, and if fertilization does not occur, the dead egg leaves the mother’s body along with menstrual blood.
Fertilization can occur during ovulation or a day after it. For example, we again use simple calculations. If the cycle is 28 days, menstruation lasts 3 days, ovulation occurs on the 14th day (11 days after menstruation), fertilization occurred on the 14th day, hCG begins to be produced after 7 days.
Sensitive tests will react to the hormone even before the missed period (25 days after the start of the last period), tests marked “25” will show 2 stripes on the expected day of the next period, those marked “30” will be positive on the first day of the missed period.
Test after intercourse
The test shows a positive result if the egg is successfully fertilized by a sperm. The sperm in the uterine cavity or fallopian tube can “wait” for an egg for some time (4-6 days). Accordingly, you need to focus not on sexual intercourse, but on ovulation. Pregnancy occurs on the day of ovulation or one day after it.
If the cycle is regular, then if there is pregnancy, the test is guaranteed to show 2 stripes on the 28th day or on the first day of the delay (the next day).
Test after delay
A missed period is not necessarily associated with pregnancy. It could be:
- hormonal disbalance;
- stress;
- disease.
But most often the cause of a delay in regular menstruation is pregnancy. As mentioned above, the test reacts to a specific hormone of the body - hCG. It is released after a fertilized egg implants into the uterus. With a regular cycle, 2 lines on the test can be seen already on the first day of the delay (when a new cycle should begin).
Test after IVF
IVF is the implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterine cavity. For some couples, this is the only opportunity to have a baby. Using a pregnancy test in this case will not be entirely correct, since the IVF procedure requires hormonal therapy.
If the procedure is successfully carried out, the test can show pregnancy already 5 days after it, but do not forget that IVF is a serious intervention in the body, so the test may show an incorrect result and after 2-3 days the result will be different. For an accurate diagnosis of pregnancy, you will need to take a blood for hCG 12-14 days after embryo transfer.
Anticipating a happy day when you become a mother can cause a huge range of feelings: from trembling excitement to anxiety. To quickly find out If conception has occurred, it will be useful to understand the question of when you can take a pregnancy test. Thanks to modern technologies in the field of medicine, you no longer need to wait many months and sit in line to see a gynecologist to get news of an upcoming addition to the family.
Pharmacy options of this kind measure the amount of hormones in the blood, most methods for early detection of conception are aimed at indicating the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin. Doctors often call it for short hCG, this abbreviation is familiar to many patients. Its level may change 10 days after fertilization. If a woman has an average cycle of 28 days, then she can confirm the birth of a new life using a test 5 days before menstruation. That is, even before it becomes clear whether there is a delay. As a rule, they indicate the presence of pregnancy when it cannot yet be seen during examination with an ultrasound machine.
In general, it is worth considering that from the moment of ovulation to the next menstruation in a cycle of 28 days, 14 days pass. So each woman can independently calculate from what day before the onset of regular bleeding she is able to recognize that the transition to a new state, the expectation of the appearance of an heir, has occurred.
It is easy to increase the accuracy of the check if you perform a number of simple steps:
- carry out the examination in the morning, before meals and before going to the toilet;
- check the sample after 5 minutes or after the amount of time specified in the instructions, no earlier and no later;
- 3 hours before the test you should not take diuretics.
The first tests for the presence of an interesting position can be made on the ninth day after contact with a man has occurred, insufficiently protected or aimed at targeted fertilization. By this time, the fertilized egg has already implanted into the uterus, and the chorion, which forms the placenta, begins to secrete the hCG hormone. Its presence in the blood and urine is considered the main sign of an interesting situation. 
When conducting an inspection at the earliest stages, you must be especially careful follow the instructions for use products. You shouldn’t keep it in urine, and you shouldn’t take it out too quickly either. During this period, the concentration of hCG in the body is small, it is important use the most sensitive samples. The second stripe on them may be rather weakly expressed. The more time passes from the time of conception, the brighter the second stripe will be. And the easier it will be to detect the fact of motherhood using different brands, including not the most sensitive products.
Until 6 days after the birth of a new life, no method can reveal this fact. At this time the embryo not yet attached to the uterine cavity, is in free movement. Only after introducing it into the endometrium can you find out whether it is there. And this happens on the 21st, 22nd or 23rd day after last menstruation. The fertilized egg does not implant into the uterus until 6 days. But its fusion with sperm is possible not immediately after ovulation, but within a couple of days. This is where the approximate dates come from when you can take a pregnancy test in order to understand whether the birth of a child has occurred. And is it worth it? prepare for the long-awaited arrival of your baby.
After ten days, the most sensitive and expensive brands can already show two treasured stripes. If you are very impatient and they show the second line barely noticeable, you can donate blood for analysis concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin. This will have to be done by a doctor, but the data will be even more accurate.
However, if you have the opportunity to wait and there is no urgent desire to urgently find out whether the long-awaited miracle has occurred, you can wait until the fourteenth day after ovulation. Experts believe that at this stage all tests can already detect the presence of a fetus without errors.
If the test is carried out in the shortest period after conception, it is especially important to comply with the following conditions:
- carefully study the instructions on the packaging and follow them unquestioningly;
- do not take any medications on the eve of the procedure, if this is not possible, reschedule it;
- When consulting a gynecologist, pay attention to whether there is a disease that can lead to false positive or negative tests.
The exact parameters of pharmaceutical strips should be studied in the instructions that come with them. Usually 10 days after the release of a mature female reproductive cell, the most sensitive analogues already show whether conception. Their accuracy is 99%. Cheaper and less sensitive products can reveal a woman’s interesting position at the earliest stages with only an 80-90% probability.
Manufacturers recommend wait for the first days of delay menstrual flow and only then measure something. 
The results may be influenced by external factors. Among them we can list several main ones:
- hormonal drugs can change the amount of hCG in the blood, if they were taken before conception, the data may be inaccurate;
- some fertility drugs lead to false positive tests;
- a previously terminated pregnancy, if it occurs recently, may distort the sample.
The ability of pharmacy products to determine the presence of an interesting situation before the delay is not the same. Important read the manufacturer's instructions so as not to make a mistake. It is also worth preferring the most sensitive options that measure the slightest concentrations of hCG in the urine. As a rule, they are not cheap, but they can indicate 5 days before the expected menstruation that fertilization has occurred.
The number of days before the delay, during which it is possible to understand when it is possible to take a pregnancy test and detect the presence of an embryo, must be calculated in depending on a woman's average cycle. So, for those whose cycle is the standard 28 days, the most early detection of conception can take place in 5 days. And if the menstrual cycle is 24 days, then only 1 day before the delay.
Factors that can distort the picture have already been listed above. If you have them too, you should play it safe and test them several times over a number of days. Preferably use products from different manufacturers and with different sensitivities. And sometimes you still have to go to the doctor to make sure that it is time to prepare for the birth of the baby. 
Sometimes during an interesting situation menstruation does not stop, although they become less pronounced. So if the test comes back negative, this can sometimes be a cause for concern. For example, this happens when using type of dough with weak sensitivity to the concentration of hCG hormone in the extremely early stages.
The degree of sensitivity of the product is indicated on the packaging. The more accurate it is, the more expensive it is, as a rule. The lower the number, the more sensitive the test is. For example, if two products are displayed on the display - 20 and 25 units, then you should choose the first one. It is more suitable for early periods, since it has a higher sensitivity to the concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine. The most sensitive brands on the market help detect hCG concentrations as low as 10 mIU/ml. 
The earlier the stage of pregnancy, the more important it is at what point in the day should the procedure be performed?. Over long periods of time, the hormone content in the urine is high, so the test can be done without looking at the clock. And if you can’t wait to find out about an interesting situation as early as possible, then it’s better to carry out diagnostics in the morning after sleep. It is important to carry out this procedure before visiting the toilet. Because at this time hormone levels are highest for all times of the day.
If follow all the recommendations listed, use a sample of the desired sensitivity, do not violate the instructions for use, then the appearance of new life in the early stages can be recognized unmistakably. And if time is of the essence and there is no acute impatience, then you can wait 14 days from the moment of ovulation to save on the purchase. At this time, most varieties, even inexpensive ones, are no longer mistaken. So you can get a reliable answer to a piquant question without unnecessary costs.
Do you now understand when you can take a pregnancy test? The forum will tell you. Read more about numerous cases.
Pregnancy tests for home use sold in any pharmacy differ not only in cost, but also in the method of taking the test itself, and most importantly, in the level of sensitivity.
Home pregnancy tests determine the result based on the level of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin, produced only during pregnancy) in the urine. This hormone is produced by the chorion (the membrane of the embryo) after it is fixed in the uterine cavity. From this moment, the concentration of hCG in the woman’s urine begins to increase, and the quality and sensitivity of the test determines when you can get an accurate answer whether pregnancy has occurred.
The sensitivity of pregnancy tests is marked with numbers 10, 20, 25, 30, which corresponds to the concentration of hCG in urine in mIU/ml (international units per ml) that they are able to detect. The lower the number, the higher the sensitivity of the test and its accuracy.
Before missed period
The most sensitive and most expensive tests recognize the appearance of a baby even before the expected date of the onset of menstruation - already seven to ten days from the moment of expected conception. Read the information on the package carefully; the sensitivity of such a test should be 10 mIU/ml. As a rule, inkjet tests have the desired characteristics.
A blood test for hCG is another way to find out about early pregnancy. On the 12th day after the date of expected conception (that is, with a long cycle even before the delay), based on the results of this analysis, it will already be possible to say whether pregnancy has occurred in this cycle or not, and to accurately name the due date. The presence of hCG in the blood can be determined earlier - already on the seventh day after conception, however, the results may be inaccurate and the blood will need to be taken again a week later to confirm them.
When choosing the time to take a pregnancy test, keep in mind that the hCG blood test is best taken in the morning on an empty stomach. If you come in the afternoon, be prepared to not eat for four to six hours before your blood is drawn. It is also recommended to avoid physical activity before the procedure. If you are taking any hormonal medications, discuss this with your doctor before donating blood.
First or third day of delay
Most home tests have a sensitivity of 20–25 mIU/ml and provide accurate results from the first day of a missed period. It is useless to use such a pregnancy test when it is too early to do it - the answer will be negative, even if pregnancy has actually occurred.
Fourth to seventh day of delay
A definite answer can be obtained after a significant delay in menstruation. At this time, any test, if it is working properly, will show an accurate result. It is worth considering that with the help of a home test you can only determine the presence or absence of pregnancy, and its exact duration can only be determined by taking a blood test for hCG.
What time to take a pregnancy test
It is better to take a home pregnancy test in the morning, when the concentration of the hCG hormone in the urine is maximum.
If it is more convenient for you to take a pregnancy test in the evening, be sure to choose the most sensitive jet test, for which the exact time of the test is not of serious importance.
You should understand how they work, what types there are, as well as their distinctive features. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between two main types of pregnancy tests - highly sensitive and moderately sensitive. The sensitivity of the test can be read in the instructions for use, in which it is indicated by numbers. So, if the instructions indicate that the test is capable of determining the concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin in urine at 20 - 25 IU/l, then it has average sensitivity. Tests with high sensitivity include systems capable of detecting the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin in urine, starting with a concentration of 10 IU/l.
Highly sensitive tests are most often inkjet or tablet and represent the latest generation of rapid pregnancy detection systems. Sensitive tests can detect the presence of pregnancy starting from the 7th day from the moment of conception. That is, highly sensitive tests can be used even before a missed period, if a full week has already passed after unprotected sexual intercourse. Manufacturers of such highly sensitive tests indicate in the instructions for use that they can be done 1 to 3 days before the date of expected menstruation. However, to obtain accurate, correct and reliable results, it is recommended to wait until your menstruation is late, and then take a test literally the next day. Practical gynecologists and scientists recommend doing a highly sensitive pregnancy test, not relying on the date of the next or last menstruation, but simply counting 7 - 10 days from the moment of unprotected sexual intercourse. If you take a test on the 7th day after sexual intercourse, it may make a mistake and show a negative result during pregnancy in approximately 8% of cases. Therefore, it is better to do a highly sensitive test on the 10th day after sexual intercourse, since after this period of time the accuracy of the study is already 99%.
Moderately sensitive tests can detect pregnancy from the third week of gestation, that is, starting from the 15th day after unprotected intercourse. Tests with an average sensitivity of 20 - 25 IU/l are ordinary and familiar paper strips and some tablet options. In the instructions for use of medium-sensitive tests, manufacturers indicate that they can be used from the first day of the delay. However, such a test will show the presence of pregnancy on the first day of a missed period if conception occurred exactly in the middle of the cycle, that is, when two full weeks have passed before the onset of menstruation. If unprotected sexual intercourse took place 2 - 3 days before the start of the next menstruation, then a medium-sensitive test will not detect pregnancy on the first day of the delay, since at least two weeks have not yet passed from the moment of conception. That is why practical gynecologists and scientists recommend doing a pregnancy test with a sensitivity of 20 - 25 IU/l, not focusing on a delay in menstruation, but simply counting 15 days from the date of unprotected sexual intercourse.
If a woman does not want to count the days from the date of unprotected intercourse in order to find out exactly when she should take a pregnancy test, she can use the following simple recommendations from practicing gynecologists:
- A test with high sensitivity of 10 IU/l should be done from 2 to 3 days of missed menstruation;
- A test with an average sensitivity of 20 - 25 IU/l should be done after 2 weeks of missed menstruation.
