Mothers Haven

Pregnancy Test At Night or Morning?

Few women have the patience to wait until the day their period is expected to arrive to take a home pregnancy test. Those who wish so much to become pregnant find themselves wanting to test almost immediately after conception. However, we all know this is far too early. The pregnancy hormone that home pregnancy tests are designed to detect in your urine does not appear until the fertilized egg makes the journey through your fallopian tubes, into your uterus, and manages to implant itself into the wall of your uterus. Even then when your body begins to produce the pregnancy hormone, it’s too early to detect in your urine.

 

Should I Take A Pregnancy Test At Night Or In The Morning?

 

If you choose to take a pregnancy test prior to the day your period is supposed to arrive, you’ll need to take one of the more sensitive tests. These are the pregnancy tests labeled with information discussing how early it can provide you with positive results. However, unless you follow the instructions completely, you are less likely to get accurate results.

 

One of the most important rules for taking a home pregnancy test is when to take it. All pregnancy tests are designed to detect the pregnancy hormone hCG, but there are certain times of the day in which it’s more detectable. This leads to the discussion as to whether or not you should take a pregnancy test at night or morning.

 

The answer is in the morning. Your urine is far less diluted in the morning as it is in the afternoon or evening after you’ve consumed numerous beverages throughout the day. For this reason you should use your pregnancy test using your first urine of the day or risk not receiving an accurate pregnancy test result.

 

Can You Take A Pregnancy Test At Night?

 

While it’s far better to take a pregnancy test in the morning, it is possible to take a pregnancy test at night. However, it’s imperative you realize that the earlier in your pregnancy that you test, the less likely you are to receive a positive result as the day wears on.

 

When your body begins to produce hCG, it does so in very small amounts. In fact, it can take as many as three days for your levels of hCG to double or triple, which is significant. If your level is low and you’re taking an early results test, there might not be enough of the pregnancy hormone in your urine to register on a test used later in the day. If you wait until after your missed period to test, you have a higher chance of receiving an accurate result later in the day. However, your best results come first thing in the morning with the first urine of the day. The exception to this rule is if you save your morning urine and use it at night to test. For example, if you decide you want to test but don’t have a test to take, you can urinate in a cup and save it, using it that evening when you return home with a pregnancy test.

 

Is Taking A Pregnancy Test At Night Accurate?

There is no definite answer to this question. For one, you can’t tell whether or not a test is accurate until you’ve considered several factors. One factor is the result. If you take a pregnancy test at night and the result is positive, it’s probably accurate. False positive pregnancy test results are very rare and typically only occur to those women who are taking fertility drugs that include the pregnancy hormone. If your test registers the pregnancy hormone in your body at night, it means you have high enough levels to do so. However, if you are to receive a negative test at night, it may or may not be accurate.

 

A negative pregnancy test result at night is not necessarily inaccurate, but you simply won’t know if it’s accurate. You might be pregnant and simply not have enough of the pregnancy hormone in your urine detectable to your test. You’ll want to wait to test again in the morning using your first urine of the day. Additionally, you might not get a positive result then, either. To increase the accuracy of your home pregnancy test, wait until the first day of your missed period and test first thing in the morning prior to having anything to drink or eat.

When Is It Best To Take A Pregnancy Test?

 

It’s best to take a pregnancy test first thing in the morning. Your urine is not diluted from a day of consuming coffee, tea, milk, water, or whatever you like to drink throughout the day. Furthermore, it’s also best to wait until at least the first day of your missed period to test. This is when pregnancy tests are 99 percent accurate. Testing prior to the first day of your missed period lowers the accuracy of a pregnancy test taken at home.

 

However, there is some debate among doctors whether or not the first day of your missed period is the best day to test. Some doctors recommend you not test until your period is a week late. This allows your body plenty of time to increase your level of hCG to ensure a more accurate pregnancy test result. If you simply cannot wait, don’t. However, note that your chances of a seeing a positive result increase each day you wait to test. Furthermore, you can always call your doctor if you’re taking a test and your period is late and it’s coming up negative. Your doctor can perform a blood test that also tests for the pregnancy hormone. This test is completely accurate and can confirm your pregnancy even when your at home pregnancy test fails to do so.

 

In short, go ahead and wait until the morning you expect your period to test. Use your first urine of the day and be sure to follow the instructions carefully on your test to insure your results are as accurate as possible.