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Good time to do a pregnancy test?
So my husband and I started trying to have a baby a week before my period started, then i got my period on monday, ended friday and we started trying again on saturday, is it to early to take a test? thanks
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Maybe give some free advice about: Pregnancy?
Well, this is entirely too early to test. If you test like this then expect to be throwing serious cash down the drain.
It takes about 7 to 9 (or more) days for implantation to occur after initial fertilization.
It takes another few days, to a few weeks, for the pregnancy hormone to build up within the bloodstream to create an accurate reading from a home pregnancy test.
A woman is usually most fertile mid-cycle. Many women can only become pregnant during ovulation.
To figure out when exactly you ovulate you can purchase over-the-counter ovulation predictor kits from your local store/pharmacy. You should monitor these results for 6 months straight to get an accurate idea of when your body usually releases an egg and is at the optimal fertility peak.
If you have no idea when you ovulate, and have no desire to dish out even more cash for a 6 months supply of ovulation tests, then you should wait until a missed period before testing.
Ovulation, for most women, happens mid-cycle. For a 28-day cycle this should occur on day 14. I, myself, am not even a "typical" woman though. I ovulate much later, around day 20. There's no way to know other than taking the tests though.
So, if you were "typical" and ovulated on day 14 and your egg was fertilized on day 14 then there is, at least, 7 to 9 days before implantation will occur. hCG is the pregnancy hormone that is released into a woman's bloodstream when she is pregnant. It can take up to another 2 weeks for that to accumulate enough in the woman's body before it can be detected on a home pregnancy test. A blood test can get an accurate read sooner though.
So, you're looking at having a fertilized, implanted egg at around day 23 of a 28 day cycle, at the very earliest, but not even being slightly detectable until about 7 to 9+ days later. It'll be another few days, to a few weeks, before enough hCG builds up in the system to be noticeable.
Around this time you should notice your period missing if you are, indeed, pregnant. The body doesn't have it's usual drop in hormones to say, "Alright, shed the uterine lining!" so there should be no blood. In rare instances a woman may very lightly bleed for 2 to 3 days during implantation.
So, hold off on testing until you actually miss your period. You should be charting your periods so that you know when to expect them, when your predicted ovulation day is, and when your period might be deemed late. When your period is a few days late then you can take you first pregnancy test. If it shows a negative then wait 1 week for your period, and if it doesn't show, test again.
For some women, hCG will take weeks to build up so test once a week if you stop having periods. When I was in high school I had a friend who consistently tested negative throughout her entire pregnancy, for whatever cause. She knew she was pregnant, by the obvious signs of a growing tummy and other bodily changes, but found that the home pregnancy tests never worked for her. She ended up having her pregnancy verified by a blood test in a doctor's office.
In short, yes, this is extremely too early to start testing for pregnancy. Wait until your period misses, give it a few days, and then begin testing. If the test shows (-) then wait 7 days for your period to show. If your period still does not show then you may test again, and thereafter until your period shows or once every week. Any more than that, you're just wasting your money.
If you have ANY fertility questions then please feel free to send me an inbox question. I've done quite a bit of research on fertility and conceiving. To be quite honest, studies show that you have only about a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month if you're a healthy couple. Most couples conceive within 9 months time of trying while others end up waiting 10 years for their bouncing bundle of joy.
When you're trying to conceive then it's very easy for the body to get run-down, over-stressed, or just try too hard. You should be having sex once every 3 days for maximum fertility (it gives the man's body enough time to produce health sperm). Take your prenatal vitamins NOW before even getting pregnant. Take care of yourself. Reduce your stress. Don't smoke. Eat right. Love each other.
If anything I said above was too complicated I will try my best to simplify it. For many women, the body is a complete mystery and all of this new information can seem overwhelming. If I came off as confusing or unclear then please let me know and I will rephrase.
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