|  | Family Health | Womens Health

When Will Home Pregnancy Tests Work Best?

When you think you might be pregnant, a home pregnancy test can offer you immediate answers. The time of day that you take the test can affect the results, particularly when you are testing early. The day of your cycle that you take the test also influences your chances of getting an accurate result on a home pregnancy test.

  1. Time of Day

    • Taking a home pregnancy test first thing in the morning is more likely to show a positive result if you are pregnant. The level of pregnancy hormones in your urine are more concentrated in the morning, when you have not used the bathroom after sleeping all night. If you forget, it's possible to simulate the effect by avoiding the restroom for at least four hours before taking the home pregnancy test.

    Monthly Cycle

    • Keeping track of your monthly cycle can help you take the test at a time when it will offer the most accurate results. Taking a home pregnancy test at the wrong time in your monthly cycle may result in a negative result when you are actually pregnant. False positive results, however, are rare. Home pregnancy tests can give a positive test result 10 days after ovulation, but are most accurate when they are used more than two weeks after you ovulated, when your period is due to start. If you're unsure of the date you ovulated, it is typically about 14 days after the first day of your last menstrual period.

    Considerations

    • The instructions on a home pregnancy test should always be followed carefully, in order to avoid inaccurate results. Interfering with the dye transfer process, waiting too long to evaluate the results, or taking apart the test, can result in false positive results. Using the test at the wrong time of day, or the wrong time of the month, can result in a false negative result.

Womens Health - Related Articles