How long after ovulation should you take a pregnancy test?

Those two pink lines at a pregnancy test may mean the world to some women. Especially if you have been trying for a while to conceive, you anticipate for those lines to appear. But getting there takes some time. Let’s see some valuable information about ovulation and pregnancy tests.

When is the right time to take a home pregnancy test?

It is widely recommended to take it 2 weeks after your ovulation. That’s because these tests are designed to detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine — and your body doesn’t start producing hCG until the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall. This is called implantation, and it takes about two-ish weeks after fertilization. 

The science behind a pregnancy test.

• When a fertilized egg implants into the uterine lining, the body starts ramping up production of hCG — increasing by roughly 50% every day during the early stages of pregnancy — in order to nourish the developing embryo.
• Urine-based pregnancy tests compare the levels of hCG in your urine to a predetermined hCG threshold that indicates pregnancy.
• For a positive result, urine generally needs to have about 20 mIU/mL of hCG. Urine that contains anything less than 5 mIU/mL of hCG will show as negative.

The instructions of most home pregnancy tests recommend waiting until the first day of a missed period since that’s when you’ll get the most accurate results. If you’re tracking your cycle, this means waiting around two weeks from the time of ovulation before taking a pregnancy test. There are also ovulation calculators (you can find them online) where you add the first day of your last period and the average days your period lasts in order to see which days are your “fertile window”. Signs of ovulations may include:

• Rise in basal body temperature, typically 1/2 to 1 degree, measured by a thermometer
• Higher levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), measured on a home ovulation kit
• Cervical mucus, or vaginal discharge, may appear clearer, thinner, and stretchy, like raw egg whites
• Breast tenderness
• Bloating
• Light spotting
• Slight pain or cramping in your side

You can find the ovulation calculator by WebMD here. If you have been trying for a while with no positive result, your fertility specialist will suggest taking an ovulation test. Ovulation test strips work by measuring levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. A rise in LH signals the ovary to release an egg — so when your levels reach a certain threshold, it’s safe to assume that ovulation will occur within the next 12 to 36 hours. And within those hours you should proceed at sexual intercourse.

What happens if you are tested too early?

Even being pregnant, if you take the pregnancy test before implantation happens, your hCG levels will still be too low to produce a positive result. 

What else can impact the test?

The most common issue women have while using the test is that they don’t use it correctly, resulting in a false outcome. An estimated 30% of people have trouble following a pregnancy test’s instructions,  which can lead to false readings. 

There are a few situations where the body produce high levels of hCG that mimic the levels in early pregnancy and cause a false positive result:

• During some fertility treatments, like egg retrieval and IVF, injectable gonadotropins will increase the production of hCG. In most cases, your body will usually be clear of the excess hormones a few weeks after the injection.
• Certain tumors in the reproductive system, even benign ones, can cause hCG levels to rise.
• A chemical pregnancy or recent miscarriage will elevate hCG levels because implantation occurred. If you get a positive result, then retest a few days later and get a negative one, it’s possible that you’ve experienced a very early pregnancy loss.

Although nowadays there are express pregnancy tests that guarantee you can have an accurate result even six days after your missed period, it is recommended to wait the 2-week period before testing. Just remember that until a fertilized egg has implanted on the uterine wall, any pregnancy test will read negative. So waiting those two weeks is critical for you to get the most valid results. 

That 2-week window -especially if you have been trying for months/years to conceive- may seem like years of waiting, but when you’ll finally see those two pink lines it will definitely be worth the wait! 

If you are having trouble conceiving, and you decide on proceeding with a specific fertility treatment, MEDIPASS is here to guide you through your fertility journey. By cooperating with highly experienced doctors, we guarantee that each case is treated independently and always according to the exact needs and wants. It’s all about your positive result when TTC after all!

P.S if you don’t know what TTC stands for, we have gathered all fertility acronyms in another article so as not to feel left out of conversations!