2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43
From what time after conception does the test show pregnancy?
Modern pregnancy tests allow you to determine it even in the early stages. However, this does not mean that the test can be positive or negative immediately after intercourse. To determine on what day after conception the test will be able to give a reliable result, you need to know the device of these devices, navigate in their types and understand what this or that threshold of sensitivity means. The fact is that some devices can detect pregnancy at an earlier date, while others show the result only on the first day of the delay in menstruation. Therefore, before doing the research, you need to collect some information about the testing systems.
Content:
- How do pregnancy tests work and how do they work?
- On what day of pregnancy do different types of tests show conception?
- On what day after intercourse can the test show pregnancy?
How do pregnancy tests work and how do they work?
All pregnancy tests have a fairly simple principle of operation. They are equipped with special indicators that notify a woman about an “interesting position”. It is very easy to conduct research and evaluate the result at home. Any test has a reagent that is sensitive to human chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone begins to be produced in a woman's body immediately after conception, but its level in the urine rises gradually. It is urine that will be required for the study. When that concentration of the hormone accumulates in it, which allows the test to react, it will give a positive result. Accordingly, when there is little hormone in the urine, the test response will be negative.
A reliable result can almost always be obtained on the first day of a delay in menstruation. All test manufacturers indicate that the accuracy of their instruments is 99% if the testing procedure is carried out within the specified time frame and the instructions are strictly followed.
Many modern testing systems allow you to determine pregnancy a few days before the expected start of menstruation, but this does not mean that conception can be diagnosed as early as 1-2 days after intercourse. The hCG hormone begins to be produced in large volumes only a week or more after the egg has been fertilized. At the same time, the level of gonadotropin in the urine 7 days after conception will still be insufficient for the test to give a positive result. However, starting from the next week, the level of hCG increases several times and, using tests with an increased sensitivity to this hormone, it will be possible to determine the presence of pregnancy.
On what day of pregnancy do different types of tests show conception?
There are several types of tests on the market that allow you to determine early pregnancy. They have a single principle of operation, but the information content and accuracy of the results obtained differ somewhat depending on the type of device.
When does the test strip show pregnancy?
A test strip or strip test is the simplest and most affordable device for detecting early pregnancy. To conduct the study, you will need to lower the test into a container with urine up to the mark and hold it there for 10 seconds. Then the device must be removed from the urine and left alone for three minutes. After this time, the result is evaluated. Two lines on the test indicate pregnancy, and one line indicates no pregnancy.
Although test strips are highly popular with the female population, they have several disadvantages. One of these is the ability to diagnose pregnancy only from the first day of missed period. This means that a woman will need to know exactly the date on which her periods should begin, since there is no point in conducting research before that. The result will be invalid. This problem is especially relevant for those of the fairer sex who have an unstable menstrual cycle.
The sensitivity of the test strips is 25 mIU / ml. Such a concentration of the hCG hormone in a woman's urine is not always achieved even on the first day of a delay in menstruation, since the individual characteristics of the body should be taken into account. Therefore, despite the assurances of manufacturers that their tests determine pregnancy on the first day of a delay in menstruation with an accuracy of 99%, in fact, this percentage is equal to 90%. In the future, on the second and third days of delayed menstruation, the reliability will increase. As statistics show, with an accuracy of 99%, it is possible to determine pregnancy using a test strip only on the seventh day of the delay in menstruation.
Another disadvantage of strip tests is that the reagent used to confirm pregnancy is applied to a paper or tissue layer. When trying to determine early pregnancy, the result may be unclear, that is, the band is often either blurred or dim. This misleads most women, makes them nervous, go shopping for a new pregnancy test, waste time, own funds, etc.
Nevertheless, all the obvious shortcomings of test strips can be forgiven for their low cost and a rather high percentage of reliability, especially when conducting a study starting from the first day of the delay in menstruation.
When does the tablet test show pregnancy?
The tablet test is the most accurate rapid test device on the market today. It allows you to determine early pregnancy 2-3 days before the delay in menstruation.
The fact is that a study using a tablet test is as close as possible to diagnostics in laboratory conditions. For the analysis, a few drops of urine are introduced into the urine collection bag on the tablet test. This is done using a special pipette, which is always included in the kit. The reagent inside the test interacts with the incoming urine, after which the result appears in the control window.
The sensitivity of the plate tests is 10-15 mIU / ml. This is a fairly high threshold for the determination of the hCG hormone in the urine, which provides women with the opportunity to diagnose pregnancy a few days before the expected start of the next menstruation. It is very convenient to use such tests for the fairer sex who have an unstable cycle. In this case, you do not need to know with an accuracy of one day the date of the next menstruation.
However, such devices have their drawbacks. The first one is the higher price compared to strip tests. The second disadvantage can be considered the low level of reliability of the study results when it is carried out too early in pregnancy.
If on the first day of a delay in menstruation, the accuracy of the result obtained is equal to 99%, then on other days it has the following threshold:
- 1 day before the onset of menstruation - 98%.
- In 2 days - 97%.
- For 3 days - 90%.
- For 4 days - 66%.
These indicators must be taken into account when conducting research early. When a woman does not know the timing of the onset of the next menstruation, device manufacturers advise to perform testing no earlier than 19 days after a possible conception.
When does an electronic inkjet test show pregnancy?
Electronic tests are the most modern and most expensive devices for early diagnosis of pregnancy. However, their high price is justified by the accuracy of the result and its unambiguous interpretation. Moreover, electronic tests are much more informative than strip tests.
It is very simple to carry out the testing procedure, it is enough to substitute the test under a stream of urine, hold it for 5 seconds, and then evaluate the result. Conveniently, the test gives it out in words or signs, and not in strips. Moreover, the answer is displayed on the electronic board.
The sensitivity of most electronic tests starts at 10 mIU / ml, which allows the study to be carried out as early as 5 days before the start of menstruation. As for the accuracy of the obtained result, depending on the day of the study, it is similar to those percentages that are typical for tablet tests.
An important advantage of the electronic test is that it allows you to determine the gestational age in weeks. Moreover, there are modern devices equipped with a USB port on the market. This makes it possible to connect the test to a computer and receive maximum information about your pregnancy.
On what day after intercourse can the test show pregnancy?
Of course, if a woman suspects that she may be pregnant, she cannot wait to find confirmation of her assumption. But be that as it may, you need to understand that the level of hCG cannot rise at one moment, since all processes in the body are smooth and gradual. In the blood, the level of the hormone is always much higher than in the urine, therefore, the timing of pregnancy determination using the test is somewhat distant.
So, with the help of a standard strip test, it will be possible to find out about your position no earlier than 11-15 days after ovulation. If the sensitivity of the test is high, for example, like with electronic devices, then you can find out about your position a little earlier - after about 8-10 days from the release of the egg from the ovary. At the same time, you should not count on an undoubtedly accurate result.
It should be noted that the result of a pregnancy test can be both false positive and false negative. This can happen for a number of reasons. For example, a test may not show an existing pregnancy if the test was done too early, or there is a threat of miscarriage immediately after conception. A false positive result is a consequence of a woman taking hormonal drugs or the presence of a hormone-producing tumor in her body. Failure to follow instructions for use may distort test results. The test may not work even if its expiration date has expired or the storage conditions have been violated.
If a woman knows exactly the date of ovulation, then a test with a sensitivity of 10 mIU / ml can be performed after 7-10 days from unprotected intercourse. Moreover, the lower the sensitivity threshold of the device, the less reliable the result will be. If a woman doubts whether the device worked correctly, then the testing procedure can be repeated after another 2-4 days. The optimal time to take a pregnancy test is the first day of your missed period.
When the test gives a positive result, in which the woman is confident, it is necessary to contact the gynecologist and undergo additional examinations. If the test results are negative, and menstruation does not start on time, then a visit to the doctor's office is also mandatory.
The author of the article: Lapikova Valentina Vladimirovna | Gynecologist, reproductologist
Education: Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology received at the Russian State Medical University of the Federal Agency for Healthcare and Social Development (2010). In 2013 completed postgraduate studies at N. N. N. I. Pirogova.
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