How Soon After Sex Can I Take A Pregnancy Test?

You start asking questions whether or not you may be pregnant because either your contraception failed or you have missed your period.

If you want a baby, you might feel flutters of hope. However, if you this isn`t a suitable period in your life for a pregnancy, trepidation and fear might set in.

There`re lots of questions that go through your head right now, and no matter the result of the pregnancy test you just took, you feel the need to repeat it.

Instead of letting concerns overwhelm you, let`s find answers to a few questions that may worry you right now, like “How soon after sex can I take a pregnancy test?” or “How many days do you have to wait for a pregnancy test?”

After How Many Days Pregnancy Can Be Confirmed by Urine Test?

When 10 – 14 days represent the standard period of time for taking a regular pregnancy test that you can buy from your nearest pharmacy, you should already be aware why most pregnancy tests are manufactured to function at optimal levels after so many days has passed after an unprotected sexual contact.

Regular pregnancy tests bought from local stores need to detect the hCG hormone from an urine sample, a hormone that the body of a woman starts producing after she has conceived.

Still, this particular hormone isn`t produced at sufficient amount levels until around 14 days has passed since the conception date.

If the pregnancy test is taken too early after the moment of unprotected sex, especially in less than 10 days since that particular time, you`ll most definitely won`t receive a positive pregnancy result.

Why Do I Need to Wait At Least 10 Days to Take a Pregnancy Test?

Although 10 days might feel like a lot of time to wait when a pregnancy is involved, it`s very important to understand you need this time frame to pass until interpreting the result of a pregnancy test.

The simplest answer would be that 10 days is the average period of time for a fertilized egg to travel to the uterus and implant itself inside the uterine lining. However, going a bit into details may clarify things more.

When a pregnancy is involved, there are a lot of variable that need to be taken into account. First of all, ovulation – that particular event when a woman`s ovary erupts and the egg is released – it happens on the 14^th day of a regular menstrual cycle.

The average menstrual cycle of a woman takes around 28 days, and the day when the egg is produced takes place 2 weeks after the very first day of a woman`s last menstrual cycle, more commonly known as LMP.

Remember that this 14^th day issue represents an average mark, as for certain women ovulation might occur after 14 days.

The egg cannot live more than 12 to 24 hours and if it isn`t fertilized, it will be flushed away through menstruation.

On the other hand, sperm live around 72 hours on average. This means women are most fertile 3 days before ovulation as well as 1 day after ovulation. If she experiences sexual contacts without protection at that particular time, fertilization might take place.

Once the egg is fertilized, then it`s swept down the uterine tube towards the uterus`s central cavity. The entire process might take between 6 and 12 days.

The implantation of the egg starts once it reaches inside the uterine cavity, this representing the process of embedding the egg into the thick uterine lining. This is where the pregnancy will start developing.

As soon as the egg gets implanted inside the uterine lining, an attachment starts developing which will become the placenta in the end.

Additionally, the pregnancy hormone, known as human chorionic gonadotropin, starts being produced. However, a blood test or urine test can detect it only when its levels are sufficiently high in the bloodstream of the future mother.

At 3 weeks of pregnancy, or 1 week after conception, the hCG level in a pregnancy considered normal might range from 5 to 50 mIU/L.

Regular pregnancy tests that can be used in the comfort of your home are quite common and convenient nowadays. You can use them to detect the pregnancy hormone`s presence in your urine somewhere in the range of 20 to 25 mIU/L, which completely normal for around 10 days from conception.

How Soon After Sex Can I Take a Pregnancy Test?

You need to wait until taking a pregnancy test for at least a week after your period is late to get an accurate pregnancy result.

If you don`t really want to wait to see if your period is late, you still need to wait around 1 – 2 weeks after your last sexual intercourse. If you may have conceived, the body still required time to develop levels of hCG that can be detected. This normally takes around 7 to 12 days after implantation.

Obviously, you might get an inaccurate pregnancy result if you take the test too soon.

If you have had unprotected sex or you don`t really want to remain pregnant from personal reasons, you need to take urgent contraception in the next 5 days from the sexual intercourse in order to reduce any chances for the pregnancy to install.

Are Home Pregnancy Tests Reliable?

Almost manufacturers of home pregnancy tests claim on the test packages that these tests are 99% reliable and accurate. These tests shouldn`t be affected if you have sex before taking the test, take antibiotics, birth control pills, fertility enhancers or consume drugs or alcohol.

In addition, urinary tract infections or yeast infections cannot lead to false positive results when taking home pregnancy tests. Even soap or vaginal washes don`t prevent pregnancy. Actually, they never lead to inaccurate pregnancy test results when it comes to standard pregnancy tests that can be bought from your nearest pharmacy or drug store.

How Soon Can You Feel Pregnancy Symptoms

Typically, your period comes every 4 weeks. But if you are expecting a baby, the clearest symptom right now is your missed period. Lots of women still feel rather normal 1 month after conception, but other ones might start noticing fatigue, nausea, sore breasts or frequent urination. Around 1/3 of women start experiencing morning sickness and nausea 4 weeks from the sexual contact that led to the pregnancy.

When You Have Doubts, Test!

Women who are sexually active in their reproductive years are able to remain pregnant each month of their life, sometimes even if they use protection. There are specific signals that your body throws at you to make you suspicious whether or not you need to take a pregnancy test.

For the best possible results, you should take the pregnancy test after you believe your period is late. Take the test the first time you visit the bathroom in the morning, or simply hold it for a few hours to increase the level of pregnancy hormone which your test will measure.

Taking the pregnancy test early aids you to make sure you receive actual care for yourself and, if necessary, antenatal care for the future baby. If your pregnancy result is positive, get in touch with a doctor immediately to talk about any possible options and possible steps to take.