When Should You Take a Pregnancy Test? (And What to Expect)

Answering your questions about timing your pregnancy test and understanding the results.

Thinking you might be pregnant can consume your life – until you know for sure.

Whether you’re excited at the possibility of being pregnant, nervous or even terrified of the thought – we get it.

We’ve sat with hundreds of women in your shoes. You just want answers, and you want them now.

So, when should you take a pregnancy test?

This post medically reviewed by on-staff nurse, Tomi Matlock, RN.

Note: The information on this website is intended for general education purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical advice.

The short answer is that waiting at least until you have a missed period to take a pregnancy test makes the most sense.

This is assuming your periods are somewhat regular. (More about that below.)

Let’s talk all the possibilities of when to take a pregnancy test, so you can know with greater certainty if you’re pregnant- or not.

Also– learn why a pregnancy test alone won’t medically confirm a viable pregnancy.

Quick links in this post:

• How soon can you take a pregnancy test for highest accuracy?
• Pregnancy testing with irregular periods
• Could you have a false positive pregnancy test?
• Where can you get a free pregnancy test?
• Benefits of pregnancy testing at the Pregnancy Resource Center
• Medically confirming your pregnancy with an ultrasound

How soon will a pregnancy test read positive?

There are early detection tests that claim to detect pregnancy several days before your missed period, as they are more sensitive to detecting the pregnancy hormone, hCG.

However, there is a higher chance for a false-negative result anytime you take a pregnancy testtoo early.

There may simply not be enough hCG in the urine to detect if you start testing too soon.

If you take an early test and it is negative, it’s recommended to take another test if you don’t start your period when you expect it.

How soon can you take a pregnancy test for accurate results?

This is the real question: when can you first get accurate results from a pregnancy test.

We advise you to wait until after you have missed your period.

For the same reason that early detection tests may not always detect hCG, taking any test too early can lower the accuracy of the results.

Of course, if you don’t start your period when you expect it, you can probably assume a positive result is correct, even if you tested early.

But if you take an early test and it’s negative, you’ll want to keep an eye out for continuing pregnancy symptoms– especially if your period doesn’t come on time.

Even waiting to take a pregnancy test a week or so after you expected your period is more likely to give you accurate results.

Your hCG levels should be more easily detectable the longer you wait.

If you really want to know sooner, though, we suggest contacting your doctor’s office for a blood test.

Blood tests are considered the most accurate way to know if you’re pregnant before a missed period.

When should you take a pregnancy test if you have irregular periods?

This one can be tricky. If you know the date you might have become pregnant or had unprotected sex, you still want to wait at least 14 days until taking a urine pregnancy test.

However, we have had clients with irregular periods who found out they were pregnant very late in their pregnancy.

Sometimes pregnancy symptoms can be mild or confused for other medical issues.

When in doubt or if you’re unsure of dates, we would say go ahead and take a pregnancy test (or contact us).

Could you have a false positive pregnancy test?

False-negatives are more common than false-positive pregnancy test results.

There are a few reasons you could get false-positive results though:

• Recent miscarriage (pregnancy hormones could still be detected)
• Recent abortion (may also detect the pregnancy hormone)
• Certain medications or fertility treatments

Where can you get a free pregnancy test?

You may have noticed that those “early detection” pregnancy tests can also be a little pricey!

This is why we offer free pregnancy tests at our Mountain Grove, Missouri location.

Text us at 417-275-0095 to schedule your appointment.

If you’re not in the Mountain Grove area, check out this page to find a pregnancy center near you which offers free pregnancy tests.

We do recommend that you wait until your missed period to take a pregnancy test at our office.

We do not use “early detection” tests, but we use lab-quality tests that can give you quick and accurate results.

Why get a free pregnancy test at the Pregnancy Resource Center?

Another advantage of taking a pregnancy test at our office (besides the free part!) is that we will assist you in administering the test.

This means that you’ll provide the urine specimen in a cup and then our nurse or staff member will drop the urine onto the test and wait with you for the results.

Sometimes when you’re nervous, there can be an increased chance of human error– meaning, you might not get enough urine on the specimen window, or something could go wrong.

We can help lessen the chance for error, wait alongside you and listen as you process your thoughts afterwards.

If your test is positive, we can give you a “confirmation of pregnancy” letter afterwards that you might need for insurance purposes.

Next steps: medically confirming your pregnancy

To truly medically confirm a positive pregnancy test, you need to have an ultrasound (also called a sonogram).

Visualizing a heartbeat, making sure the pregnancy is in the uterus (not ectopic) and measuring the embryo can give you more information about your pregnancy.

You’ll also want to know more accurately how far along you are in your pregnancy, and an ultrasound can help provide those answers.

Many local pregnancy resource centers (like us!) provide free ultrasounds.

You can start a chat with a nurse on this screen to schedule your appointment, or to ask more questions about pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and how to confirm your pregnancy.

Related Posts:

Pregnancy Quiz: Am I Pregnant?

Most Common Early Pregnancy Symptoms

What to Expect at your Pregnancy Resource Center Appointment

Effects of Smoking While Pregnant & How to Quit