How Long After Ovulation Can You Take A Pregnancy Test?

For the most accurate results, you should wait until after your period is due before taking a pregnancy test. All pregnancy tests currently available are more likely to show a correct positive result if you wait this long. However, if you have been trying to conceive, you might be anxious to know as soon as possible, and you may want to test earlier.

It is important to understand, first, that every woman’s body is different. The time that it takes for a fertilized egg to implant in the uterine wall can vary from woman to woman. Research suggests that most pregnancies, about 85%, occur within 8-10 days after ovulation. However, depending on the sensitivity of the test you are using, you still may not be able to get an accurate result on a home pregnancy test until a few days later.

Clinical blood and urine tests, performed by your health care provider, may be more accurate and produce an earlier positive than home pregnancy tests. These tests can detect a pregnancy as little as 24 hours after implantation, or about 9 days after ovulation. However, these tests can be expensive, inconvenient, and time consuming. For this reason, many women choose to use home pregnancy tests.

Home pregnancy tests measure the amount of the pregnancy hormone hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) present in a woman’s system. As a pregnancy progresses, the amount of hCG present in a woman’s urine increases. At 10 days past ovulation, for example, the average woman has an hCG measurement of right around 25 mIU. This amount doubles to 50 mIU at 12 days past ovulation, and then doubles again to 100 mIU at around two weeks past ovulation. Different tests have different levels of sensitivity; if you use a home pregnancy test that is sensitive to 100 mIU, it will not tell you that you are pregnant if your level of hCG is only 75 mIU.

In addition, the rate at which hCG shows up in the system varies from one woman to the next. For this reason, if you test early with a very sensitive test, you could still wind up with a false negative. You should follow up this early test with an additional test a few days later.

hCG is most concentrated in the first morning urine of the day, so it is important to test during this time.

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This entry was posted under About Pregnancy Tests.