When To Take A Pregnancy Test

For the most accurate result, it is best to wait until your period is late to begin testing. If you are trying to get pregnant, however, you will not likely want to wait that long! Check out the Pregnancy Test Timing Calculator to help you decide when to take your first pregnancy test.   Share: Tweet Thank You!   Based on collected data from 28,373 cycles and 22,948 pregnancy tests, below is a list of the average days for test results.
Average Day for First Test The average day that women take their first pregnancy test.	9.7 days past ovulation
Average Day for First Negative The average day for the first negative result. (whether it is false negative or not).	9.1 days past ovulation
Average Day for First Positive The average day that women get their first positive pregnancy test.	12 days past ovulation

Every woman is different and the amount of time it takes for the fertilized egg to implant in the uterus wall varies widely. Implantation will usually occur somewhere between 6 and 12 days past ovulation. Once the fertilized egg implants, the developing placenta begins releasing hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) into the blood. Some hCG also gets passed into the urine. hCG levels usually double every 2-3 days in early pregnancy. Once the levels are high enough they can then be picked up by a home pregnancy test.

Pregnancy test sensitivity will be your next consideration. The sensitivity of home pregnancy tests vary quite widely from brand to brand - anywhere from 10 mIU to 250 mIU. The lower the level of hCG picked up by the test, the earlier you will see a positive result.

Remember many women get a negative test result before they get a positive, this is usually due to testing too early. To avoid unnecessary disappointment you should try and wait as long as possible before testing.