If you think there is a chance you might be pregnant, you may be wondering when you can take a pregnancy test. Show
You are more likely to get an accurate result if you wait until the day of your missed period or after. Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be carried out as early as 8 to 10 days after conception (the day the pregnancy occurred). You can take a pregnancy test at home. Your GP or GP practice nurse will also be able to perform a pregnancy test for you. Home pregnancy testsYou can buy home pregnancy tests over the counter in your pharmacy. They are also sold in many shops and supermarkets. Read the instructions on the pregnancy testing kit before using it. The instructions that will tell you what the different colours or symbols mean. How pregnancy tests workPregnancy tests detect the levels of a hormone called hCG in your urine (pee). This hormone is produced during pregnancy. It is present in your bloodstream and your urine. In early pregnancy, the amount of the hormone in your system increases. The later you leave it to take a pregnancy test, the higher the hCG levels will be. The earlier you take the test, the more likely you are to get a 'false negative' result. A 'negative' result is where the test shows up as negative even though you are actually pregnant. Pregnancy tests that your doctor may doYour GP will probably do a urine pregnancy test to detect whether you are pregnant. It is always a good idea to bring a sample of urine to the GP surgery with you if you think you may be pregnant. This will mean your appointment is not delayed. It will also avoid the 'stage fright' that can occur when you are trying to pee and you know someone is waiting on you. The pregnancy testing kit that your GP will use is like the kits that you can buy over the counter. Your doctor may perform a blood test to check the level of hCG in your blood. This test is done if you have had some bleeding from your vagina or if you have severe pains in your tummy. Your GP may also carry out a blood test if you have severe morning sickness. Pregnancy tests and accuracyA positive pregnancy test is almost always correct. Some negative tests may not be correct if you tested too early. This is called a 'false negative' result. The result will present as negative, but you are actually pregnant. This happens for a few of reasons, because:
If the result of the test is negative, and you think you might still be pregnant, repeat the test a few days later. If symptoms persist after a few negative tests, make an appointment with your GP. What if the result is positive?A positive result generally means that you are pregnant. You should make an appointment to see your GP to confirm the pregnancy and to sign up for antenatal care. If you are not sure you want to be pregnant it is good idea to make an appointment with your GP to discuss your options. Your GP will listen and will not judge you. Free advice may also be available from a family planning clinic. Sometimes counselling can help you to work through your feelings about the pregnancy. It may help you make a decision on what is the right choice for you. www.myoptions.ie has details of the support services available to you. Most pregnant women find out they are pregnant by taking a urine-based home pregnancy test. Sometimes, doctors suggest that you also take a blood pregnancy test. In specific cases, there are multiple reasons why a blood test may be preferred, but usually, a urine test is all you need. Below, we explain exactly what a blood pregnancy test is and how it differs from a urine test. OverviewA blood pregnancy test is usually a quantitative blood test that shows how much human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is in your blood. This is the type of blood pregnancy test that most people are referring to when they talk about blood tests for pregnancy. To test your blood for hCG, a simple blood sample is taken from one of your veins, usually in the arm, through a procedure called a venipuncture. HCG is a hormone secreted in pregnancy and detectable beginning a week to two weeks (or more) after conception, depending on the test. Whether using a home pregnancy test that uses urine or a blood pregnancy test from your doctor, the results will be based on measurements of this hormone in your urine or blood. Both types of tests are very reliable, producing about 99% accuracy when used correctly. What's the Difference?A pregnancy blood test is more sensitive than a urine test and can offer more information. Most blood tests can detect slightly lower amounts of hCG, which means they can tell if you're pregnant a few days earlier. Urine tests tend to require slightly more hCG to read positive, making false-negative results a bit more likely with urine tests, although the rates are quite low overall. Urine hCG Test
Blood hCG Test
Qualitative TestsUrine tests are qualitative, meaning they either detect hCG in your blood, giving a positive reading, or they don't, which is a negative reading. You may also have a qualitative blood hCG test to measure hCG in your blood. Again, the results are very clear: yes, you are pregnant because we found hCG in your blood or, no, you are not pregnant because we didn't find it. Urine pregnancy tests can usually detect pregnancy by about 10 days after conception. Blood pregnancy tests can pick up hCG in the blood six to eight days past ovulation. It's recommended to wait a week (or at least a few days) after a missed period before taking a urine pregnancy test for optimal efficacy. Quantitative TestsAnother option is getting a quantitative hCG blood test (also called the beta hCG test). These tests can give your doctor or midwife more information than just whether or not you're pregnant. Quantitative hCG tests can pick up even tiny amounts of the hormone and measure exactly how much hCG is in your blood. This information can be compared over time. In general, your hCG levels will nearly double about every two days in early pregnancy. By having multiple blood tests about 48 hours apart, your doctor can track your hCG levels to get a better read on your pregnancy, if needed. These serial blood tests can help your provider monitor your pregnancy for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy as well as the possibility that you’re carrying multiples. Due to stress, expense, and other factors, these tests are not done routinely (or needed) for every pregnant woman. Talk to your doctor or midwife if you think that a blood test for pregnancy is right for you. If your specific circumstances don't warrant a blood test, you should be able to rely on the results of your home pregnancy tests (HPT) instead. When a Blood Test Is UsedIn routine pregnancies with healthy women, at-home urine tests are more than sufficient and effective. Blood tests are primarily used in doctors' offices, specifically, if there is a potential issue with the pregnancy or some other complicating factor (such as multiples), in which the greater sensitivity of the blood test is needed. Blood tests may be ordered for higher risk pregnancies, during fertility treatments, when urine tests read negative but a period hasn't come, to confirm or rule out a possible miscarriage or multiples, and to diagnose a potential ectopic or tubal pregnancy, as well as due to other pregnancy complications. Efficacy of Urine vs. Blood Pregnancy TestsUrine tests are low-cost, painless, easy-to-use, can be done in the privacy of one's home, and are very accurate (in most scenarios), which is why they are the standard test used for most pregnancies. A blood pregnancy test is warranted due to complicating factors. These tests are also very accurate, providing quick results that can give doctors more detailed information about your pregnancy. Interpreting the ResultsNormal results from a quantitative hCG blood pregnancy test would show that hCG levels are rising rapidly during the first trimester of pregnancy and then declining slightly after around 10 weeks. At around 16 weeks, the hCG levels stabilize for the remainder of the pregnancy. Abnormal results, on the other hand, can mean a variety of things. Higher hCG Than ExpectedA higher than normal level of hCG may indicate:
Lower hCG Than ExpectedLower than normal levels of hCG may mean:
RisksThere is very little risk associated with a blood pregnancy test. Aside from minor pain when the needle is injected, most people don't have any other side effects from having blood drawn. Occasionally, some people will have bruising at the site of the injection. In rare cases, some people experience excessive bleeding, fainting, or infection from having blood drawn. Let your doctor know if you have ever had an issue with having blood drawn. A Word From VerywellFor most women, a urine-based, at-home pregnancy test will more than suffice to confirm pregnancy. Occasionally, a blood pregnancy test, either the qualitative or quantitative type, is needed to provide more information, particularly in medically complex situations. Both tests are safe, simple, and effective ways to know if you are pregnant. Blood tests are best when something else might be going on. Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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 By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD,
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