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How Soon Can You Do a Pregnancy Test?

How soon does hcg double?

Women, who are planning a pregnancy, are always very excited to know whether it worked or not the current month. The earliest diagnostics that can be done is a banal pregnancy test. So, a woman with a sinking heart is going to a pharmacy but there’s a question: how soon can a pregnancy test be done? How soon can you expect to see the long-awaited 2 lines? It’s usually recommended not to do the test until your period is delayed. Let’s try to calculate the possibility of the test’s positive result, depending on which day after ovulation you do it.

How Does a Pregnancy Test Work?

The test reacts to the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the blood or urine of a pregnant woman. If you use a test with a sensitivity of 25 mIU/ml, it will show the positive result when hCG in your urine is above the level of 25 mIU/ml. HCG is produced by the body right after the embedment of the embryo into the uterine wall. It’s found first in the woman’s blood and a bit later in urine. Actually, implantation occurs between the 7th and 10th days after ovulation. However, the level of hCG doesn’t reach the expected level immediately but rises gradually, increasing twofold every 24-48 hours.

  • Example#1. If implantation occurs on the 7th day after ovulation and by the end of the day the level of hCG rises by 2 mIU/ml, the next day it will double and make 4 mIU/ml. On the 9th day after ovulation we can expect 8 mIU/ml. The pregnancy has definitely occurred, although by the 9th day the level of hCG is still too low for the test with a sensitivity of 25 mIU/ml. Therefore, at this point it will still be negative. Only on the 11th day after ovulation (5th day relative to implantation) the level of hCG for the first time will go above the mark of 25 mIU/ml, and the test will reveal the 2nd line, still quite a vague one though. Deviations are possible since hCG content in urine can be much lower than in blood. Moreover, every woman is individual.
How soon does hcg double?

A rise of hCG levels in early pregnancy

  • Example#2. Implantation may occur only on the 10th day after ovulation which is also the norm. According to the calculations in the previous example, the 1st line on a pregnancy test can be seen only on the 14th day after ovulation. This example explains why it’s usually recommended to do the test only after you are late on your period. Here is a definite answer to the vital question: “How soon can you do a pregnancy test?” Normally the 2nd phase of your menstrual cycle lasts for about 14 days. That’s why it’s advised to do the test on the 15th day after ovulation the earliest, i.e. after a delay in your period.

Implantation On the 3rd – 12th Day After Ovulation: What Are Your Chances?

As we have already mentioned, implantation usually happens on the 7-10th day after ovulation. However, early or late implantation is possible as well. Here’s the percentage of implantation possibilities, depending on the day after ovulation (DAO):

  • 3rd – 5th DAO – 0,68%
  • 6th DAO – 1,39%
  • 7th DAO – 5,56%
  • 8th DAO – 18,6%
  • 9th DAO – 36,81%
  • 10th DAO – 27,78%
  • 11th DAO – 6,94%
  • 12th DAO – 2,78%

You might have been too impatient and did the test before a delay in your period. Many women do so and get a false negative pregnancy result. Now you know why. If the same happened to you only because the test was done too soon, don’t get discouraged, take your time and do another test. Good luck!