Ovulation is an important part of becoming pregnant. It is the process your body goes through to release an egg into the uterus. The egg will then wait there until sperm fertilizes it or it expires. Usually, this process takes about 24-48 hours. If the egg does become fertilized, it will become an embryo and try to attach to your uterine lining.
Once you become pregnant, you may begin experiencing some side effects related to the pregnancy or a missed period. If you are trying to become pregnant, determining if your efforts have worked is exciting and stressful. It’s likely you are looking to find if you are pregnant as quickly as possible. However, you will need to wait a certain amount of time in order to take a pregnancy test.
HOW DOES A PREGNANCY TEST WORK?
When you take a pregnancy test, it will test your urine for a certain type of hormone. This hormone is only present when you are pregnant. Your body will begin secreting this hormone shortly after the embryo attaches to the uterine lining, but it will only do so in small amounts. This means you will not be able to take a test and get an accurate result the moment you become pregnant.
Instead, you will need to wait until the hormone has increased in your body. This is something that it will continue to do throughout your pregnancy. So, the closer you are to the day you miss your period, the more accurate your test will be.
WHEN DO I TAKE THE TEST?
The best time to take the test is on the day you expect your period or after. This is often the time that will produce the most accurate results on a pregnancy test. However, it is possible to take a test earlier than this and get accurate results.
For example, women who wait 14 days after ovulation will usually receive accurate readings. In fact, about 87% of women who are pregnant will test positive at this time. You can also take a test 10 days after ovulation and receive around a 67% accuracy reading. Only about 31% of women who are pregnant will receive a negative reading at this time.
Keep in mind that even if you do receive a negative reading when you take your test, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not pregnant. Instead, you may simply need to wait a few days longer to take a test again when your hormones have adjusted to your pregnancy.