Think you might be pregnant? If so, you’ve probably got a ton of questions, and one big one might be when to take a pregnancy test. Typically, you test the first day after you miss your period because most home pregnancy tests say they’re about 99% accurate.
Continue reading to learn about how pregnancy testing works and what you can do to ensure the most accurate results.
How Pregnancy Tests Work
When you get pregnant, your body produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Pregnancy tests check for hCG in your urine, but the kind of test you use can make a difference.
Timing matters when you’re taking a pregnancy test. HCG levels begin low and increase quickly. If you test too early, you might get a false negative, meaning the test says you’re not pregnant when you actually are.
That’s because the hCG levels are still too low to detect. That’s why most home pregnancy tests suggest waiting until you’ve missed your period to take the test.
Getting Pregnancy Testing
Although most home pregnancy tests are reliable, there’s a chance of getting an incorrect result if you test too soon or don’t follow the instructions properly. That’s why it’s a good idea to double-check your result with lab-quality pregnancy testing.
Oasis Medical offers lab-quality pregnancy testing that may be accurate even before a missed period. You can have testing done on-site in a clinical and private setting with greater than 99% accuracy and get results delivered during your appointment.
Confirming Your Pregnancy
While a pregnancy test is a good indication you are pregnant, an ultrasound is the only way to confirm you have a viable pregnancy. An ultrasound gives you key details such as:
- Gestational age: You’ll want to know how far along you are in your pregnancy.
- Location: On rare occasions, a pregnancy will develop outside the uterus. This is an ectopic pregnancy and is a potentially life-threatening emergency that always requires medical intervention.
- Viability: It’s estimated that roughly 26% of pregnancies will end in miscarriage, and often, a miscarriage doesn’t present with immediate symptoms.
Visit Oasis Medical
You don’t have to rely on ambiguous pregnancy symptoms or testing at home. Oasis Medical offers free pregnancy testing and limited obstetrical ultrasounds so that you can get the answers to all your burning questions from professional staff in a medical clinic.
Contact us today to set up a safe and confidential appointment.