The toughest part about trying to become pregnant is, invariably, the waiting to confirm the pregnancy. For those women who are hoping that they are not pregnant, this wait can feel even more eternal. It has been generally thought for many years that women must wait until they have missed their normal monthly menstrual period before they could rule out or confirm pregnancy. Not so today. Sensitive home pregnancy tests are now available that can detect pregnancy as soon as seven days after ovulation. Just how early depends on the type of test. And while some women prefer having their pregnancy confirmed by their doctor, many others rely on these home testing kits to determine if they have conceived.
HCG and Home Pregnancy Tests
There is little difference in home pregnancy tests that are used in your gynecologist’s office and those that you can purchase to use at home. They both work by detecting the presence of HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. This is a hormone that is only produced by the body during pregnancy. Both your doctor’s test kit and your home test kit react to this hormone, producing a positive indicator result if the hormone is present in your urine, and a negative result if it is not. A blood pregnancy test (only available in a lab) can measure the amount of HCG in the body, but the simple detection of HCG in your urine is sufficient to confirm or rule out pregnancy. During the very early stages of pregnancy, the body begins to produce HCG. HCG has several different functions in regards to helping the pregnancy develop. HCG is only produced once the baby has implanted itself into the wall of your uterus. This is why it is a strong and definitive indicator of pregnancy.
Test Earlier with Home Pregnancy Tests
Modern home pregnancy tests are far more sensitive than those of years gone by. They can detect minute amounts of HCG in your urine, making it possible to detect pregnancy just a week following ovulation. It is vital that women who are trying to get pregnant to recall that implantation normally occurs around day seven to day ten after ovulation, and that the level of HCG can vary among pregnant women. It is possible to detect pregnancy as soon as seven days past ovulation, if implantation has occurred. Waiting until fourteen days after ovulation may be a better idea to ensure that implantation has had time to occur, and thus the production of HCG has begun. However, since most home pregnancy tests are fairly inexpensive, it doesn’t cost that much to test at seven days past and then at fourteen days past, too. Women who do test negative for pregnancy at seven days after ovulation should definitely retest at fourteen days as it is possible that they tested too soon and that implantation of the embryo into the uterus had not yet taken place.
HCG and Home Pregnancy Tests
There is little difference in home pregnancy tests that are used in your gynecologist’s office and those that you can purchase to use at home. They both work by detecting the presence of HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. This is a hormone that is only produced by the body during pregnancy. Both your doctor’s test kit and your home test kit react to this hormone, producing a positive indicator result if the hormone is present in your urine, and a negative result if it is not. A blood pregnancy test (only available in a lab) can measure the amount of HCG in the body, but the simple detection of HCG in your urine is sufficient to confirm or rule out pregnancy. During the very early stages of pregnancy, the body begins to produce HCG. HCG has several different functions in regards to helping the pregnancy develop. HCG is only produced once the baby has implanted itself into the wall of your uterus. This is why it is a strong and definitive indicator of pregnancy.
Test Earlier with Home Pregnancy Tests
Modern home pregnancy tests are far more sensitive than those of years gone by. They can detect minute amounts of HCG in your urine, making it possible to detect pregnancy just a week following ovulation. It is vital that women who are trying to get pregnant to recall that implantation normally occurs around day seven to day ten after ovulation, and that the level of HCG can vary among pregnant women. It is possible to detect pregnancy as soon as seven days past ovulation, if implantation has occurred. Waiting until fourteen days after ovulation may be a better idea to ensure that implantation has had time to occur, and thus the production of HCG has begun. However, since most home pregnancy tests are fairly inexpensive, it doesn’t cost that much to test at seven days past and then at fourteen days past, too. Women who do test negative for pregnancy at seven days after ovulation should definitely retest at fourteen days as it is possible that they tested too soon and that implantation of the embryo into the uterus had not yet taken place.
