How soon will a pregnancy test read positive?

Pregnancy tests depend on the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) produced during pregnancy. Urine or blood tests are used as pregnancy tests to search for the presence of HCG hormone.

When can I take a home pregnancy test?

Urine or a blood sample becomes positive for a pregnancy test when the fertilized egg reaches the uterus and implants. At the same time, the implanted blastocyst may produce an adequate amount of HCG (Human chorionic Gonadotropin) to be detected for the pregnancy test.

A home pregnancy test looks for the HCG hormone in your urine, while a beta HCG test examine the amount of HCG in your bloodstream.

HCG appears a few days early in the blood compared to its presence in the urine. so takes about two weeks for the HCG hormone to reach the urine. Therefore, the home pregnancy test is recommended after missing your period. When you receive a negative result even after the expected menstruation date, you can continue to have hope by repeating the test for several days.

How soon will a blood pregnancy test read positive?

A blood pregnancy test is a quantitative analysis method that is more accurate than a urine pregnancy test. The test results will be positive within three days after fertilization. So you can detect your pregnancy five to six days before the next menstruation date.

Implantation takes place around six days following ovulation. It is necessary to complete implantation to produce adequate HCG hormone from the placenta.

All the abovementioned criteria can be appropriate when only you have a regular menstrual cycle. Suppose you are a woman with an irregular menstrual cycle. In that case, it will be a bit difficult to predict the date of ovulation and the next menstrual date.

How soon will an ultrasound pregnancy test become visible?

Although you got a positive result on urine or blood pregnancy tests, you will not be able to visualize your fetus from an ultrasound scan. And also, you will only see a gestational sac that is filled with uterine fluid. Your radiologist may be able to visualize the gestational sac following approximately around 23-25days of fertilization.

The radiologist may use two methods to visualize your pregnancy on the ultrasound scan. Transvaginal, abdominal ultrasound scans or both can be used to visualize the pregnancy.

When the pregnancy is in the extra uterine, it will be difficult to detect the pregnancy in some situations. Therefore ultrasound scan is the best appropriate method to visualize the location of your pregnancy. There are rare situations where a laparoscopic or laparotomy surgery is indicated when the pregnancy is not visualized to an ultrasound scan.

What are the factors associated with a positive urine pregnancy test?

Number of days following implantation

HCG hormone gets released into the blood and then into the mother’s urine after completing the implantation. HCG becomes detectable after completing close to 16 days of ovulation. Women can get a positive urine pregnancy test a few days after confirming the pregnancy with a blood pregnancy test. That means HCG becomes detectable within urine after detecting it in blood.

Blood HCG concentration

The HCG level may vary depending on your gestational age, the viability of the pregnancy, and many other individual factors. If you are woman with a lower HCG level during your non-pregnant state, it will take two-three more days to raise your HCG hormone level to be detected as positive.

Urine HCG concentration

Urine HCG levels vary depending on your urine concentration or the specific gravity of the urine. When women consume adequate fluids throughout the day, and if she is well hydrated, her urine will be diluted. So it becomes difficult to detect HCG hormone during early pregnancy. That is why you will be advised to have the home pregnancy test in the early morning.

The sensitivity level of the pregnancy test

Different companies manufacture pregnancy test kits. There may be slight alterations, but the majority are produced according to universal standards. The sensitivity toward HCG hormone is measured in mIU/mL. The minimum HCG hormone level needed to mark a test as positive is 20 mIU/mL. Women can refer to the packaging of the pregnancy test kits to know their sensitivity.

When women can do a pregnancy test

Most will decide to have a pregnancy test when they only missed their periods. Although it is the most appropriate time to take the test, couples who are curious and interested in their pregnancy can participate in a blood test early before missing the period.

Where do you need to go to take the pregnancy test?

You can carry the home pregnancy tests at your home. Different types and brands of urine test kits are available in the pharmacies. The eligible couples can buy such urine test kits to check their pregnancy.

Other than that, you can contact the MomMed team for further advice.

Summary

Women can use a home pregnancy test following the expected menstrual date to detect the pregnancy. Other than that, a sensitive blood test called Beta HCG test can be used three to four days earlier to detect the pregnancy.