Whether you’re trying to make a little version of yourself or wish to avoid that fate, it makes sense that you’d want to know as soon as possible if, to borrow a phrase from “Juno,” your eggo is preggo. Show Unfortunately, if you test too early, it’s possible to get a false negative. This could cause you and your partner(s) a false sense of joy, relief, or disappointment. So when should you take a pregnancy test after unprotected sex, exactly? And what the heck are the next steps once you receive your result? This guide covers it all.
If you track your period, and it’s regular, most doctors recommend waiting until your period is late before taking a pregnancy test. If you don’t know when your period is supposed to be, or if your period is irregular, experts recommend waiting 9 to 12 days after unprotected sex. About 15 percent of those who menstruate don’t have a regular cycle, estimates Halle Tecco, the founder and chief women’s health officer at Natalist, an online retailer that sells pregnancy and ovulation tests, prenatal supplements, and more. Ultimately, your move here is going to vary based on whether you’re interested in becoming pregnant or not. If you want to get pregnant, there’s not much for you to do beyond twiddling your thumbs. (Maybe twiddling your thumbs while falling down the “Pregnancy TikTok” rabbit hole?) If you do not wish to be pregnant, you have two options to consider to reduce the risk of pregnancy. The first option is to take a morning-after pill, like Plan B or ella. Despite their name, oral emergency contraceptives can be taken up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy. Another option would be to get a copper IUD ASAP. When implanted within 120 hours of having unprotected sex, the copper IUD helps prevent pregnancy from a recent unprotected sexual encounter, as well as any future encounters you have with the IUD in place.
If you’ve been tracking your period *and* have a regular period, it’s going to be easier for you to pick the best time to take a pregnancy test. To understand why that is, you need to understand a little more about how pregnancy tests work. Ready? Pregnancy tests measure a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), which is colloquially known as the pregnancy hormone, explains Mary Jane Minkin, MD, an OB-GYN at Yale University. Here’s the thing: While the amount of the hormone the tests can detect varies depending on whether it’s a urine or blood test, typically your body doesn’t produce enough of this hormone to be detectable until at least 10 days after the sperm has successfully implanted the egg. And the sperm does *not* implant the egg immediately. It takes some time for the egg and sperm to travel together down the fallopian tubes, where they first meet, down to the uterus where it implants, Minkin explains. Once the fertilized egg implants in the wall of the uterus, it starts dividing. It isn’t until the fertilized egg starts dividing when it starts to develop the placenta, which is where the pregnancy hormone is, she says.
Blood tests can measure the exact amount of pregnancy hormone in your blood, and they may be able to tell you your pregnancy status sooner. For example:
You might not have tracked your period before, but you have an opportunity to track it now! This time you’re going to track (read: count) the days since you had unprotected sex. Once you’ve hit 10 days, you can take your first test, says Alan Copperman, the medical director at Progyny and co-founder of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York. It’s also a good move to take the test again after 12 days have passed since the sex. Blood vs. urine test For the most accurate reading, Copperman recommends taking the test first thing in the morning, which is when your urine is the most concentrated with HCG. “If you take it later in the day, make sure you don’t drink a lot of liquid in the hours before testing,” Tecco says. “This way, if you’re pregnant, there will be more HCG for the test to detect.” And please make sure to take the test correctly. That means following the instructions that came with your pregnancy test e-x-a-c-t-l-y as they are written. Cost-effective options It *is* possible to get a false-negative, meaning you test negative when you’re actually pregnant. According to Copperman, a false-negative is most likely to happen if you:
“Ultimately, if you get a negative test but have missed your period or still think you might be pregnant, take another one,” he says. “Even better would be to talk with your doctor to have a blood pregnancy test or sonogram.” If you tested negative and don’t want to get pregnant anytime soon Before you let your emotions take over, keep in mind that “it’s possible [to get] a false-positive result if you have blood or protein in your urine, where the test says you’re pregnant when you actually are not,” Copperman explains. Some medications can also cause false-positive results, such as:
If you’re taking any of those and receive a positive result, Copperman recommends taking a blood test to confirm. That said, urine tests are somewhere between 95 and 99 percent accurate. Once you’ve confirmed your pregnancy status, know this: You are going to be OK! And that stands, whether you’ve been wanting to become pregnant for a long while, or not. If you want to continue the pregnancy, it’s best to reach out to a doctor or other healthcare professional to book a prenatal appointment. If you don’t wish to continue the pregnancy, or if you’re unsure if you want to continue the pregnancy, make an appointment at your local Planned Parenthood or family planning clinic. They’ll have professionals who can answer any questions you have and offer judgment-free, medically accurate advice and information. It takes time for a pregnancy test to register that you are indeed pregnant. And, unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to make time go faster. But the good news is that, no matter what the test ends up indicating, you have options. So breathe easy — you will get through this waiting period, and you will know your pregnancy status soon enough. Gabrielle Kassel is a New York-based sex and wellness writer and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. She’s become a morning person, tested over 200 vibrators, and eaten, drunk, and brushed with charcoal — all in the name of journalism. In her free time, she can be found reading self-help books and romance novels, bench-pressing, or pole dancing. Follow her on Instagram. Will a pregnancy test show positive 2 weeks after intercourse?Two Weeks Later
Many women test according to the “two weeks” rule. This means waiting to take a test until two weeks after unprotected sex. It can provide accurate results for women who are on a predictable 28-day cycle and who ovulating once and at a regular interval.
How accurate is a pregnancy test 14 days after intercourse?Pregnancy tests are generally considered accurate when taken 14 days after you have sex with a risk of pregnancy. A negative result on a test taken less than 14 days of a risk of pregnancy is not considered accurate since it can take up to 14 days for the hCG hormone to reach detectable levels in urine.
How accurate is a home pregnancy test at 2 weeks?The pregnancy tests you get at the drugstore work 99 out of 100 times. They're just as accurate as a urine pregnancy test that you'd get at a doctor's office.
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