Best Time of Day to Take a Pregnancy Test

Thanks to the achievements of contemporary medicine a woman doesn’t need to leave her home in order to confirm her pregnancy. Express pregnancy tests make it possible to find out if you’re pregnant at home – the results will be positive even in early terms. But when is the best time of day to take a pregnancy test if you want the most accurate result?

How Do Pregnancy Tests Work?

The tests detect pregnancy using one single principle – evaluation of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level in blood or in urine. The female body begins to produce this hormone from the moment an embryo has implanted into the uterine wall. The steady growth of the placenta causes hCG level in the blood to gradually increase, and then the hormone is excreted through kidneys with the urine in smaller concentrations. All the modern pregnancy tests react to the particular concentration of hCG in urine.

When to Use a Pregnancy Test?

During the first 4-5 days after the ovulation sperm attacks an egg cell, fertilizes it, and the formed zygote begins its journey through the fallopian tube to the uterus. You get positive pregnancy test results when the placenta starts to form, that is not earlier than 10-12 days after the ovulation – the embryo has chosen a place in the uterine cavity, fastened to its wall, and the hCG production has begun.

The most sensitive pregnancy tests (react to the concentration of hCG from 10 mIU/ml) are able to detect pregnancy 5 days before the due time of another menstruation. The majority of pregnancy tests (just ordinary sticks) react to a higher dose of hCG in urine – from 25 mIU/ml. It happens, as a rule, on the first day of a missed period. The earlier you’re using the test the higher is the risk of a false-negative result.

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What is the Best Time of Day to Take a Pregnancy Test?

Manufacturers say that in the case of pregnancy you will be able to get a positive result regardless of what time of day it is. But during the day you drink a lot of liquid, and the concentration of your urine becomes thinner. That’s why the hormone level in it is too low for a pregnancy test. So, if you use a stick in the middle of the day during a very early term the test may provide a wrong result.

Gynecologists recommend using a pregnancy test stick in the morning immediately after waking up when your urine is high-concentrated. Another option for you to avoid a false-negative result is to abstain from urination for at least 4 hours during the day and at the same time limit the fluid intake before using a pregnancy test.