If you are reading this, you are probably planning to get pregnant or suspecting that you are pregnant. Either way, we hope this article provides you with guidance in your journey to successful parenthood. There are pregnancy tests that you can purchase over-the-counter in your local pharmacies. If you get a negative result, we recommend a second pregnancy test at your family doctor. This is because if you get a positive result from your pregnancy test, it is almost certainly accurate, while a negative result can be less reliable.

There are many pregnancy tests available on the market. All of them are designed to detect if your blood or your urine contains “human chorionic gonadotropin” (hCG) – a hormone that your body produces around 6 days after your egg is fertilised and attaches to your uterine wall.

For most over-the-counter pregnancy tests, you will find a long stick (or 2 long sticks) inside the box. What you need to do is to place a few drops of your urine on the stick and wait a few minutes for the result to appear. Since all pregnancy tests are slightly different, always remember to read the instruction that comes with the pregnancy test kit!

So when exactly can you take a pregnancy test? Well, as mentioned before, pregnancy tests rely on the presence of hCG in your body to tell if you are pregnant. Your body does not produce hCG until 6 days after fertilisation. Since if you are probably suspecting that you are pregnant because of a missed period, remember that you can do a pregnancy test from your missed period, as early as the first day. This is why if you are planning a pregnancy, always keep a good record of your menstrual cycle. Rest assured though – if you have not kept a good record, you can still get an accurate result from a pregnancy test 21 days after your unprotected sexual intercourse. There is no “good time” of the day to obtain your urine sample for the pregnancy test. You can obtain it any time of the day.

As mentioned in the beginning of this article, if your test result is positive, we recommend a second test to be conducted with a professional. Visit your doctor as soon as you get a positive pregnancy test result.

Good Luck!

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