How many days before your period can you take a pregnancy test (2-6 days, a week)

It’s wonderful when a man and woman are looking forward to having a baby. In the past, to gain confidence in your expectations, you had to wait patiently for a delay. With the advent of tests for home diagnosis of conception, you can be sure that a happy event is approaching much earlier. You just need to buy a tester at the pharmacy. Let's figure out how many days before your period you can take a pregnancy test. What types of tests are there, how they differ from each other and how to use them correctly.

What happens after fertilization

To understand how advisable it is to carry out a pregnancy test before the onset of menstruation, let’s take a closer look at what happens in the female genital organs after fertilization.

The immutable truth is that in order to get pregnant, ovulation is necessary. A mature egg, ready for fertilization, lives for a maximum of 72 hours. During this time, she needs to meet the sperm.
Conception is possible before and after ovulation. The fact is that sperm are quite tenacious, their activity lasts up to 120 hours. This means that male cells may well wait for female ones even after ovulation ends.
As soon as one of the sperm breaks through the membrane of the oocyte and penetrates the cell to fertilize it, other male cells can no longer get there and die.
When male and female cells merge, a new cell is formed - a zygote. She already has her own set of DNA, consisting of 46 chromosomes. From the very early stages, DNA contains information about the future person: will it be a boy or a girl, appearance, tendency to be overweight, abilities, talents, level of intelligence.
The formation of the zygote continues for approximately 12 hours. Next, the new cell begins to slowly move into the uterine cavity, pushed by the villi in the fallopian tube.
After three days, the cell, which has undergone some changes along the way, finds itself inside the uterus and floats there for another couple of days. Somewhere on the 7th or 8th day of its journey, the cell is finally determined by its location and attaches to the endometriotic layer. Pregnancy begins.
Implantation of a young cell into the endometrium lasts about 2 days. Now, the unborn baby is connected to the blood vessels of his mother and begins to receive nutrition from her body.

And in the female body, the chorionic villi actively secrete a hormone - human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. Thanks to this hormone, the ovaries continue to produce progesterone, which supports the pregnancy and prevents the mother’s body from rejecting the fetus as a foreign body.

For reference! There is a myth that the female cycle lasts 28 weeks. This is not entirely true: a cycle of 4 weeks is the exception rather than the rule. For the vast majority of women of reproductive age, it is either longer or shorter: 24–36 days.

If conception does not occur, then the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone, dies. Hormone production decreases significantly and menstruation begins. If pregnancy has started successfully, hormone levels remain high.

Features of pregnancy testing using tests

When confirming the fact of an “interesting situation,” the girls always focused on the following characteristic signs:

delay of menstruation;
nagging pain in the lower abdomen and lower back;
enlargement and tenderness of the mammary glands;
frequent urge to urinate;
nausea, sometimes vomiting;
mood swings.

Gynecologists establish pregnancy during examination, focusing on the cyanosis of the vaginal walls, enlarged uterus, closed cervix, and other signs. You can also do a blood test to check the presence and levels of the hCG hormone.

The main signs of pregnancy, in the presence of which gynecologists recommend purchasing a pregnancy test

Supersensitive or conventional tests

But today girls can independently use methods for early detection of conception. There are a sufficient number of tests that determine pregnancy when a short period of time has passed from the moment of fertilization. To understand what is the most sensitive pregnancy test before a missed period, you need to find out which hCG parameter they are able to recognize.

Regular strips show their effect when the pregnancy hormone content is 20-25 mIU/ml. Hypersensitive are those who are able to detect the level of human chorionic gonadotropin as low as 10 mIU/ml, which is typical for 7-10 days after conception.

The outer membrane of the fertilized egg (chorion), immediately after its implantation into the wall of the uterus, begins to produce the pregnancy hormone, its value increases exponentially, doubling every 1-2 days. Approximately 5 days before the start of the next menstruation, the number readable by test reagents is reached.

Rating of brands based on reviews

Based on reviews, it can be argued that the most sensitive pregnancy test before a delay is Clearblue Digital. This is a digital mini device with a period indicator in weeks. Used 5 days before the next menstruation.

Clearblue Digital - a digital test that shows the gestational age on a display

But statistics show that testing carried out 1 day before the start of critical days gives the correct result in 98% of cases, and 4 days - 65%. The analysis procedure is as follows:

The absorbent end of the strip must be held under stream of urine for 5 seconds (the second option is to lower it into the container for 20 seconds).
Put on the cap and set aside for 3 minutes.
The entry “pregnant” and the term 1-2, 2-3, 3+ (meaning weeks) or “not pregnant” will appear on the screen. The answer will remain on the display for 24 hours.

On the test screen, if you are pregnant, you can find out the duration in weeks
. Clearblue Plus is also able to show a positive result in the same period. It is simpler and more economical.

Some girls believe that the most sensitive pregnancy test before a delay is produced by the company Pharmaco. Here in first place is Sezam - an ultra-sensitive test cassette in a plastic case. It has two windows: for entering the test sample and reading the answer.

Sezam is an ultra-sensitive test cassette for determining pregnancy 7 days after conception

The fact of conception can be confirmed within 7 days from the moment of fertilization (5-7 days before the delay with hCG - 10 mIU/ml). The kit includes a pipette that measures 3 drops of urine and a container for collecting it. The result is displayed after 3 minutes. This brand's Ultra test strip is also in demand and has a similar reaction.

Ultra – ultra-sensitive test strips for quick pregnancy detection

Operating principle of the tester

Testers of the new generation have become a common occurrence in life. Their function is based on the simplest principle of diagnosing the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine of the intended mother.

This substance is found in every human body at a level from 0 to 5 mIU/ml. But after fertilization, the concentration of hCG in female cells increases, and by 1–2 weeks it already exceeds the initial level by more than 5 times (sometimes 20 times).

An increase in gonadotropin levels at this moment is diagnosed by a test in the form of two colored stripes or other values.

Pregnancy indicator strips contain antibodies that recognize hCG and stain under its influence. One strip is always painted, this is simply an indicator of the suitability of the device for use. And the second changes its color only under the influence of contact with human chorionic gonadotropin. This means that if the test shows two lines, the answer is affirmative: pregnancy. If only one marker appears, the answer is negative.

When to take the test? We tell you how to determine early pregnancy

A pregnancy test will help get rid of uncertainty, but it is also important to do it at the right time. Let's figure it out.

Pharmacy tests look for increased levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that begins to be produced after a fertilized egg implants in or outside the uterus. The concentration of hCG reaches its maximum values during the period 7–11 weeks of pregnancy, and then begins to gradually decrease.

It is the increased level of hCG in a woman’s urine that causes that very strip to appear on the test (or a plus sign, or digital confirmation - depends on the test you are using).

When can a pregnancy test show results?

The most accurate result will be shown by a test taken a week after the delay from the expected start date of menstruation.

If you are really impatient, you can take a test one to two weeks after unprotected intercourse. It takes time for the fertilized egg to implant, and it usually ranges from 7 to 12 days—it is after implantation that your hCG levels begin to skyrocket.

The results of a pregnancy test taken before the delay may be negative, despite the fact that pregnancy has occurred - which is why it is better to repeat the test at the optimal time (and here you can read why there may be a pale or barely visible second line on the test) .

When can you donate blood to determine pregnancy?

Another way to find out whether you are pregnant or not is to take a blood test for the same hCG content. A blood test can determine pregnancy earlier than a pharmacy test, or will help you figure out if you have a delay and symptoms (more about them below) but still don’t have a second strip.

Blood for hCG analysis is taken from a vein, and the analysis itself can be of two types: qualitative and quantitative. A qualitative analysis is more like the same pharmacy test - its result will be the answer “yes” if the hCG level is elevated, or “no” if there is no pregnancy. Quantitative analysis is more detailed - it allows not only to determine whether pregnancy has occurred or not, but also to find out approximately how far along the woman is. Also, a quantitative analysis for hCG helps to identify a frozen pregnancy if the level of the hormone does not correspond to the gestational age.

What are the earliest symptoms of pregnancy?

As a rule, when a woman shows the first signs of pregnancy, she already knows about her “situation”. However, if you notice the following symptoms, it is better to check again to see if it is pregnancy.

The earliest signs of pregnancy include:

A missed period is, of course, the most obvious sign in women with regular cycles.

Cramping pain: sometimes the implantation of the fertilized egg causes approximately the same sensations as the onset of menstruation. However, if there is no menstruation, but there is pain, this is a reason to double-check.

Swelling and increased sensitivity of the breasts (again, many women experience this during menstruation).

Feeling strange: nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to smells, weakness, frequent urge to urinate.

In general, if you feel strange, and in this cycle you had at least one chance to get pregnant (do not forget that contraception sometimes fails, and ovulation sometimes occurs earlier or later), then it is better to play it safe and do a test for pregnancy is for your own confidence.

Can a pregnancy test show results a week before your due date?

In anticipation of the exciting joyful events associated with pregnancy and childbirth, many girls begin to check for stripes almost every day. Already a week before the expected menstruation, a pregnancy test becomes a daily ritual for them. Dear ladies, you will definitely get your coveted two stripes.

We already know that the amount of hCG in the body of any woman is 0–5 units. In urine this figure will be significantly lower.

The first increases in pregnancy hormone readings are observed on the third day after conception. After ovulation, this will happen around day 7.

The amount of hormone content in urine will change as follows:

Day 7 p/o - 2–10 units;
Day 8 p/o - 3–18 units;
Day 9 p/o - 5–21 units;
10 day p/o - 8–26 units;
Day 11 p/o - 11–45 units;
Day 12 p/o - 17–65 units;
Day 13 p/o - 22–105 units;
Day 14 p/o - 29–170 units.

If there is a delay, on the first day errors in diagnosis are already excluded, the hCG content rises to 39–270 units.

How do rapid tests work?

Performing a home pregnancy test involves testing urine containing a specific hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The same substance is detected when diagnosing blood from a vein. When the egg is fertilized, hCG rises in the blood, sufficient to perform an effective analysis within 48 hours. In urine, the amount of substance required for a pregnancy test is reached approximately seven days after the estimated date of conception.

An express pregnancy test, which contains a chemical substance, reacts with gonadotropin at a certain volume of the hormone in the urine. Depending on the characteristics of the test and the amount of hCG produced by the body, the chemical reagent interacts with the hormone that reaches the surface of the strip. If hCG is absent or minimal levels are observed at the time of the test, the reaction will not occur and the test will display a negative response as a single line.

The sensitivity of a standard test to detect early pregnancy is within 25 mUI. This allows you to find out the answer approximately 10-14 days after conception. Some Frautest tests are more sensitive, so they can confirm pregnancy 2-3 days before the approximate time of the new menstruation.

When should you take a rapid pregnancy test?

It is worth choosing a suitable date for the test so that it gives a true result. With a standard menstrual period of 28 days, ovulation begins on the 14th day. From the day of ovulation, the egg can be fertilized for three days. After the sperm is reunited with the egg, it takes 4-5 days for the embryo to attach to the placentation site in the uterus. After this, hCG begins to reproduce, the presence of which in the urine can be seen within a few days. We can say that a highly sensitive test determines the state of pregnancy 10 days after ovulation or approximately on the 24th day of the period.

If the duration of the menstrual cycle is disrupted, the date of possible diagnosis depends on the time of ovulation. A woman can determine ovulation by her own feelings or with the help of a special test. A pregnancy test is performed 15 days after the expected date of ovulation.

The Frautest home test does not depend on the time of day. But experts recommend performing express diagnostics early in the morning. The need for morning diagnosis is due to the fact that in the morning there is an increased level of hCG in the urine. During the day, this level may drop if you drink large amounts of fluid. If the estimated gestational age is more than 18 days, the time of day at which the test can be performed does not matter, since the level of hCG in the urine becomes stable. But in the first days of pregnancy, it is better to test in the morning. If it is not possible to perform a diagnosis at the beginning of the day, then the test is performed after several hours of abstaining from drinking liquid.

Rules for conducting express tests

To ensure that the pregnancy test does not show a distorted result, you should follow some recommendations from experts:

Test readings in damaged packaging or with an expired shelf life may be incorrect, so you should not trust them.
The answer received from testing is valid for 10 minutes. Any changes occurring after this will not be considered valid.
You should not take diuretics or drink too much liquid 2-3 hours before testing.
If your pregnancy is short, the optimal time to perform the test is in the morning, after sleep.
The package should not be opened in advance.
For preparations in the form of a strip, urine is collected in a specially prepared clean container.
Before the test, it is advisable to carry out standard hygiene procedures.
If the answer is positive, you should contact your doctor for registration.
If the result of the second test is negative, and menstruation continues to be delayed, you need to visit a doctor to identify the cause of the delay.

Types of pregnancy tests: instructions for use

Frautest's assortment includes different types of express tests, ranging from the simplest to the most sensitive. Any test comes with detailed instructions, following which it will be easy to carry out the procedure correctly and get an answer that corresponds to reality.

Testing is performed within the time limits recommended by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer warns that the result is available from the first days of the delay, then the answer received during this period will be absolutely reliable, but there is a possibility of revealing the fact of pregnancy before the indicated period.

Frautest Express test strip

One of the most inexpensive and accessible ways to diagnose pregnancy. Made in the form of a special thin paper strip with a plastic base, the material inside of which is impregnated with a chemical reagent. When urine is ingested, the strip turns red in the form of one or two lines, indicating a negative or positive result, respectively.

Testing at home is very easy. It is enough to collect the urine in a clean container, dip the strip for 20-30 seconds to the marked line, remove it and leave it for a while on a dry horizontal surface. The Frautest result is assessed in 1-10 minutes. Depending on the level of hCG hormone in the blood, the strip may have a pale color, indicating early pregnancy.

Frautest Expert tablet tests

Plate tests have the same mechanism of action as strips. The main difference is high laboratory accuracy, which is achieved by dispensing liquid using a special pipette. The contact point between urine and the reagent is limited by a small internal window.

Urine is collected in a clean container, which is included in the kit. Using a special pipette, 4 drops of liquid are dropped onto the tablet window. The result appears in the next window.

Frautest comfort jet tests

The Frautest inkjet pregnancy test is one of the most accurate and sensitive tests, providing maximum comfort and hygiene. The strip is placed under a stream of urine for 10 seconds, and the result is assessed after 1-10 minutes. The manipulation can be carried out anywhere at a convenient time without the need to collect urine.

Pregnancy Test Review

The fact of pregnancy is easy to keep under control if the duration of the menstrual cycle is monitored. It can last 24–36 days. It is not a fact that once a month it will always last 28 days. A woman can more accurately monitor the processes in her body by measuring her basal temperature.

Varieties

Pharmacies sell four types of pregnancy tests. Let's look at them in more detail.

Test strips, which are paper plates impregnated with a chemical reagent that reacts to the content of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin. To carry out diagnostics, the plate is immersed in a bottle of morning urine for 5–15 seconds. After 5–10 minutes, the final result appears in the form of one or two colored stripes. Such devices are in demand due to their low price and availability. They have many disadvantages. It is necessary to monitor the time the test strip remains in the urine: the result may be incorrect if the plate is overexposed or underexposed to the test material.
Inkjet testers are either disposable or reusable. They are convenient to use: just remove the lid and hold them under a stream of urine. A fairly accurate result will appear in 10 minutes. These tests cost 5 times more than paper tests.
Tablet diagnosis testers are a plastic box with paper strips inside. A drop of urine is applied to one of the windows using a pipette. The result appears after the time specified in the instructions. The sensitivity of this test is 10–20 units. Manufacturers recommend using this device after the end of the delay. But theoretically, this test can determine the onset of pregnancy with a delay of 1–3 days.
Digital tests have a high sensitivity threshold and accurate results. When taking measurements on a small screen, the result is displayed not in stripes, but in inscriptions.

Attention! It is advisable to do tests with morning urine. Because the highest concentration of substances from the body is collected in urine overnight.

When purchasing a test, pay attention to its sensitivity:

tests, with a sensitivity threshold of 10 units. can be used to determine pregnancy 5 days before regular menstruation;
if a threshold of 20 units is indicated, pregnancy can be determined 3 days before the start of a new cycle;
strips with a sensitivity of 25 units. determine the onset of conception 2 weeks after conception.

Manufacturers

Many expectant mothers are concerned about the question of which tester is best to choose. When choosing a test, it is preferable to use the products of the most trusted companies. According to reviews, women most trust devices from Frautest, Evitest, Mom test, BB test, Test for Best.

Frautest express - has a sensitivity of 15 units. The manufacturer recommends doing this ultra-sensitive test 2-3 days before your expected period. The device produces quick results, 99% correct. The instructions indicate that the test can be used at any time of the day or night, but it is preferable to do this procedure in the morning. To carry out diagnostics, the strip is immersed in a container with urine for 10 seconds and displays the result after 10 minutes.
Evitest - determines the exact result one day before the predicted menstruation. The manufacturer recommends repeating the test after 48 hours to confirm the final result. The manufacturer guarantees the accuracy of this product to be 99%.
Premium Diagnostics is one of the earliest testers. The manufacturer claims that it does not necessarily require the presence of morning urine. A fairly accurate result appears in five minutes. after the start of the diagnosis. Such a test can show the onset of pregnancy 5-6 days before menstruation.
The BB test differs in that it is sensitive only to hCG. It produces results that are closest to real ones.
Test for Best is a highly sensitive test for home and professional use. The correct result can be obtained seven days before the expected critical days. The result appears literally 40 seconds after the verification procedure.
Mom Test is a highly sensitive diagnostic device that promises accurate results 2 days before your period. Since its threshold is 10 units, then theoretically, this pregnancy test can show the result already 4-5 days before your period.

When can you do the test before the delay?

After fertilization, the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin begins to actively increase in the female body. It is synthesized by the fertilized egg, and subsequently by the formed placenta. Almost all rapid pregnancy tests determine conception precisely by the amount of this hormone. It must be at least 10 mIU/ml for the strip to show a positive result.

The hCG hormone reaches this concentration only 8–10 days after fertilization. That is, a few days before the critical days. In each female body, the hormone is synthesized individually. Therefore, in some women, the maximum concentration of hCG is observed already on days 4–5 after fertilization.

According to doctors, it is best to carry out home diagnostics within 1–2 days of delay. If you urgently need to find out whether conception has occurred, then it is advisable to do this 2-3 days before the expected menstruation.

After how many days you can take a pregnancy test, your obstetrician-gynecologist will tell you.

What affects the test readings

Before diagnosis, in order to achieve truthful readings, it is necessary to take into account important factors.

It is advisable to carry out many diagnostic tests 2 weeks after the expected conception.
Test results may turn out to be falsely negative if a girl heavily drinks liquid that reduces the concentration of the pregnancy hormone in the urine.
If there are malignant tumors, then the hCG level will also be increased and the result in the absence of pregnancy may be positive.
Taking psychotropic drugs based on aminazine negatively affects the credibility of tester results.
The correct period of time when conducting diagnostics. Strictly follow the instructions when diagnosing and viewing the results. The diagnostic maintains correct results for three to ten minutes.
For an ectopic pregnancy, diagnostic indications will also be positive. Be careful here.

Attention! If a weak second line appears on the test before the delay, this may be an ectopic pregnancy. See your doctor immediately.

When choosing a tester, you should not rely on the most sophisticated and expensive devices. According to reviews from many mothers, the results of inexpensive strips turned out to be no less accurate than the readings of electronic devices. When buying a tester, first of all pay attention to the sensitivity threshold, price tag and expiration date.

When is the best time to take a pregnancy test using a hCG blood test?

HCG is a test that is carried out on the basis of a urine or blood test (in laboratory conditions): they determine the concentration of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, which reports the fact of conception. An analysis of the concentration of hCG in the blood serum is more reliable than a urine test and the results of any pharmacy tests.

If you assume that conception occurred on a certain day, just wait 7 days and get tested for hCG. If there are no such assumptions, then you can wait until the first day of your missed period and contact your gynecologist with a request for a referral for hCG. True, it is in the first two days that the results of the analysis may be unclear. Therefore, it is better to carry out the test on the third day of the delay: the concentration of hCG at this time is already high enough to show a clear result.