Will You Need A Blood Test To Confirm Your Pregnancy
Not necessarily. To make sure you’re pregnant, most healthcare providers use a urine pregnancy test, just like your at-home pregnancy test . But your provider may use a blood test instead. Just note: It may take anywhere from an hour to a day or more to get the results.
There are two types of pregnancy blood tests:
- A qualitative hCG blood test just shows whether there is hCG in your blood. The results return as “positive” or “negative.” You usually get the results in about the same time you would with a urine test.
- A quantitative blood test measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood. The results return as a number. This test is very accurate. It can detect hCG as early as six to eight days after ovulation, or about a week before your period is due. It takes longer to get results from a quantitative blood test, though.
Again, your provider may not give you a blood test. Oftentimes, a positive home pregnancy test is enough to get started with the prenatal care you need.
When Should I Talk To My Doctor
For most women, your doctor or ob-gyn will expect to see you approximately eight weeks into your pregnancy. If you have concerns that require testing for pregnancy very early, or if you have previously suffered a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, you should consider going to your doctor as soon as possible, as they will be able to perform an ultrasound or order a quantitative blood serum test to help determine if your pregnancy is progressing normally.
Where To Get A Test
At-home pregnancy urine tests are available at most drug stores and chain department stores with a health care section.
Blood tests for pregnancy must be administered by a healthcare professional. You can receive all your obstetric and gynecologic services in one place at NewYork-Presbyterians state-of-the-art medical facilities. Our expert obstetrician-gynecologists are available for you through every life stage, from child and adolescent needs to menopause and beyond.
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When Should You Test Your Blood Sugar
It depends on which type of diabetes you have:
- Type 1 diabetes. Itâs up to your doctor. They could suggest you test anywhere between four and 10 times a day. For example, you could test before meals and snacks, before and after exercise, before bed, and even during the night. You may also need to check more often if youâre sick, making changes to your daily routine, or starting a new medication.
- Type 2 diabetes. It depends on what you take to treat your diabetes:
- Insulin. The doctor may tell you to test a few times a day, depending on the type and amount of insulin you use. Youâll probably test before meals and at bedtime if you’re taking multiple daily injections. You may need to test only twice daily, before breakfast and dinner, if you only use a long-acting insulin.
- Medications. If you use drugs to manage diabetes, your doctor will tell you how often to check your blood sugar.
- Lifestyle changes. If youâre relying on diet and exercise, you may not need to test your blood sugar daily.
Show Sources
American Diabetes Association: “Choosing a Blood Glucose Meter,” tion: “Standards of Medial Care in Diabetes — 2014,” “A1C and eAG,” âChecking Your Blood Glucose.â
Mayo Clinic: âBlood sugar testing: Why, when and how,â âType 2 diabetes.â
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.
National Diabetes Foundation Program.
When Can Pregnancy Be Detected With A Test
To most accurately detect pregnancy with a home pregnancy test it is best to wait at least a week after your missed period. However, some tests are sensitive enough to detect pregnancy after the first missed day of your period. Some factors might affect the accuracy of a pregnancy test, including:
- Testing first thing in the morning is recommended, as the hormone hCG is more concentrated at that time. Additionally, taking certain tests that cant detect a smaller amount of the hormone hCG may affect accuracy. Check the product package for information regarding the level of hormone needed to detect pregnancy.
- If you test for pregnancy before the embryo has attached to the uterus, the hormone hCG has not had the opportunity to be produced
- Using an expired test could affect the accuracy of your result
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Why You Need A Pregnancy Blood Test
Used properly, urine pregnancy tests are between 97% and 99% accurate. With such accuracy, a pregnancy blood test isnt always necessary. So why would your provider prescribe a pregnancy blood test or why would you want to get one on your own?
- Increased accuracy. Both urine and blood tests are accurate, but blood tests are more accurate. Todays blood-based tests are approximately 99% accurate. Since pregnancy blood tests are performed by a medical professional, there is less risk of a mistake.
- Earlier detection. For the most accurate results with a urine test, youll need to wait a week after a missed period. Not up for waiting that long? A blood-based test detects hCG as early as six days after ovulation. That means you can find out if youre pregnant before missing your period.
- Extra information. Unlike urine tests, blood pregnancy tests can do more than confirm a pregnancy. They can also indicate how high your hCG levels are. This helps your provider determine how far along your pregnancy is. An excessively high or low level can also indicate that youre pregnant with more than one child, have miscarried, are anemic or are experiencing other pregnancy issues.
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Reasons To Take A Blood Pregnancy Test
Blood pregnancy tests are more sensitive than urine tests. They are typically used for those facing infertility or a suspected miscarriage.
A blood test can confirm pregnancy as early as 9 days after conception. Urine pregnancy tests take at least 10 days or longer.
Blood pregnancy tests have to be taken at the doctor’s office. Your doctor might advise you to wait until a missed period to do any type of pregnancy testing so you can get the most accurate result. Testing too early can produce a false negative.
Unlike home pregnancy tests, blood tests don’t give immediate results. You’ll have to wait for a blood pregnancy test result to come back from the lab.
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When Should I Take A Pregnancy Test
If you think you could be pregnant, its a good idea to take a test and make sure. Home pregnancy tests can differ in how early theyll detect a pregnancy. In many cases, you might get a positive result from an at-home test as early as 10 days after conception. For a more accurate result, wait until after youve missed your period to take a test. Remember, if you take a test too soon, it could be negative even if youre pregnant. If you get a negative test and then miss your period, take another test.
What time should I take a pregnancy test?
In general, the best time is when you have your first morning pee. However, some pregnancy tests are sensitive enough to detect HCG no matter what time of day you take the test. When possible, try to wait until its been three hours since your last pee before you take the test. You could also take two pregnancy tests to confirm you get the same result.
What To Do If You Feel Pregnant But The Test Was Negative
Talk to your provider if youve had a negative pregnancy test result, but are having symptoms of early pregnancy such as:
- Breast tenderness
- Sensitivity to smells
- Nausea and vomiting
Since the amount of hCG increases rapidly when you are pregnant, you may need to retest in a few days.
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Why You Should Check Your Blood Sugar
Testing blood glucose can help you manage diabetes by showing you:
- How well your diabetes treatment plan is working
- How exercise and food affect your blood sugar levels
- How things like stress and illness affect your levels
- How well your diabetes medication is working
- When your blood sugar levels are too high or too low
What Do The Results Means
Your results will show whether you’re pregnant.
A negative result means hCG wasn’t found in your sample, so you may not be pregnant. But a negative result doesn’t always mean you’re not pregnant. If you did a home urine test too soon, your body may not have made enough hCG to show up the test.
hCG levels increase every day during early pregnancy, so it’s a good idea to repeat the test again in a week. If you get negative results on two home tests, but you still think you’re pregnant, call your provider. If you get a negative result on a test that your provider does, ask your provider if you need another test.
A positive result means that hCG was found in your sample. That usually means that you’re pregnant. It’s important to see your provider as soon as possible to make sure you get the right care. If you did a home test, your provider may do another test to confirm your pregnancy.
If you’re taking medicine to help you get pregnant , your test results may show that you’re pregnant when you’re not. Your provider can check to see whether you’re really pregnant.
Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.
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Why A Pregnancy Blood Test
The SELFCheck Pregnancy Blood Test is a rapid home test for the detection of raised levels of human Chorionic Gonadotropin from a finger prick blood sample in just 5 minutes. Urine pregnancy test kits are usually able to detect hCG about 1 week after a missed period, but sensitive blood tests such as SELFCheck can show if you are pregnant earlier than most urine tests.
Blood tests can be more reliable than urine tests for showing that you are pregnant and, for this reason, are widely used in hospital labs to confirm a urine pregnancy test. Unlike urine pregnancy tests, blood tests can be used at any time of the day and are unaffected by dilution from drinks. Because of this, you may get a positive result with SELFCheck before you would with a a urine test.
An early pregnancy test result can help you consider changes to your lifestyle such as stopping smoking or drinking alcohol. You should speak with your doctor if you find out that you are pregnant before stopping or changing any medication.
It is important to take into account that using any blood or urine pregnancy test too early or, unknowingly misinterpreting the instructions, may result in an increased risk of false positive or false negative results.
How To Make A Homemade Pregnancy Test
Here are seven pregnancy tests you can make at home with instructions for taking them and interpreting the results.
Remember, none of these tests have been proven scientifically. The only reliable ways to confirm pregnancy are through store-bought pregnancy tests or a visit to your doctor.
For best results, use your first-morning urine and make sure your products are not expired.
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Home Pregnancy Test Kits
Home pregnancy test kits are available from pharmacists. These kits offer accurate readings if performed strictly according to the manufacturers instructions. However, many women who use home pregnancy test kits get inaccurate results.The most common mistake is to test for pregnancy too soon after the missed period. The manufacturers instructions will tell you when is the best time to use the kit. It is very important to follow the manufacturers instructions exactly.
When Can I Take An At
At-home pregnancy tests are getting better and better. But you’re still more likely to get the most accurate results if you wait to take a pregnancy test until the morning of your expected period. Waiting a few more days after that may provide an even more accurate result.
Some home pregnancy tests claim they’re sensitive enough to give you a positive result as early as five days before your next period. And some women will have produced enough hCG to get a positive result at that point. But, once again, every pregnancy is different.
If you’re eager to know if you’re pregnant, go ahead and do the test 10 or 12 days after you think you’ve conceived. If you get a negative result, no problem. Wait a week and test again if you still haven’t gotten your period.
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Other Factors That Affect Hcg
Sometimes, there may be a positive test result but the woman is not pregnant. High HCG can also indicate that some health condition has increased levels of the hormone.
This could be:
- a deficiency of immunoglobulin A , an important antibody in immune function
- gestational trophoblastic disease, a rare, pregnancy-related tumor
- gestational trophoblastic neoplasms, a rare uterine tumor
HCG can rise as a result of some types of cancer. These are transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and urinary tract, prostate cancer, renal cancer, and cancers of the gastrointestinal system. A pregnancy test may be used to assess for these.
Pregnancy tests are available at drugstores, pharmacies, and some convenience stores. Home pregnancy tests can be purchased for as little as a dollar, and some health centers offer them free of charge.
What To Do If You Get A Positive Home Pregnancy Test
Some women take more than one home pregnancy test just to be sure â but that’s not really necessary. Once you’ve gotten a positive pregnancy test, call your healthcare provider to set up a prenatal visit or to discuss your options if you’re not sure about continuing the pregnancy.
If you don’t already have a family doctor, ob-gyn, or midwife who can provide prenatal care, do some research to see who’s covered by your insurance, and ask for recommendations.
Doctors typically schedule the first prenatal visit when you’re about 8 weeks pregnant. But some providers will see you sooner, especially if you have a medical condition or have had problems with a pregnancy in the past. It’s especially important to see your provider sooner if you’re having nausea and vomiting, vaginal bleeding, or abdominal pain.
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How Accurate Is The Salt Pregnancy Test
The salt pregnancy test is best done as an all-in-good-fun experiment. It has no medical backing, scientific basis, or physician endorsement. Theres no reason to believe salt reacts with hCG. There are no published studies supporting this idea or the test in general.
You may get an accurate result because its bound to match reality some of the time, just according to the laws of probability.
We had a hard time finding anyone who felt they had a positive salt test and turned out to be pregnant. That doesnt mean this scenario doesnt exist but it speaks volumes about the credibility of this test.
One of our Healthline editors and her husband tried the test. Like many folks, they found the results hard to interpret.
Something definitely happened, so the tests results werent exactly negative. But cheesy or milky didnt exactly describe the mixture either. For both of them, the mixture was more clear at the bottom and over time developed a cloudy, salt glob-ish appearance at the top. Our best guess is that this is to be interpreted as positive.
Rest assured, though: Neither our editor nor her husband is pregnant.
How To Tell If Your Period Is Late
Many people have irregular menstrual cycles, either longer or shorter than others. Sometimes its hard to remember the exact date of your last period and when to expect your next period. Between 10% and 20% of pregnant people get a negative pregnancy test because they test too early.
Tracking your cycle can help you know a few things: when you ovulated, the first day of your last period, when to expect your next period, and a general idea of the length of your cycle.
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What Do The Pregnancy Test Results Mean
Results may show up as a line, a color, or a symbol such as a “+” or “-” sign. Digital tests show the words “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” It’s important to know what a positive or negative result means.
If you get a positive result, youâre pregnant. This is true no matter how faint the line, color, or sign is. If you get a positive result, you may want to call your doctor to talk about what comes next.
In very rare cases, you can have a false-positive result. This means you’re not pregnant but the test says you are. You could have a false-positive result if you have blood or protein in your pee. Certain drugs, such as tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, hypnotics, and fertility drugs, could cause false-positive results.
If you get a negative result, youâre probably not pregnant. But you may be pregnant if:
- The test is past its expiration date.
- You took the test the wrong way.
- You tested too soon.
- Your pee is too diluted because you drank a lot of fluids right before the test.
- Youâre taking certain medications, such as diuretics or antihistamines.
If you get a negative result, try retesting within about a week to double-check. Some home pregnancy tests suggest doing this no matter what your first results are.
If you take the test twice and get different results, call your doctor. A blood test is a good idea to confirm results.
If you have any other questions about the pregnancy test or the results, call your doctor or the telephone number listed with the test.