If you keep sexually active it is normal that, with a late period, your first suspicion is the possibility of being pregnant. Regardless if you are planning a pregnancy or not, the only way to rule out that this is the reason for the delay is conducting a pregnancy test. But not all women know when to do it, so, on OneHowTo.com we explain when to take a pregnancy test and ensure that you get an accurate result.
Many women who are sexually active, when faced with a period that's a few days late, want to immediately discard the possibility of a pregnancy, going at once to buy a pregnancy test or to get a blood test done. The problem is that in many cases the result is a "false negative" and, after a few weeks, the woman discovers she is pregnant, why does this happen?
The presence of hCG in the blood or urine indicates if we're pregnant, this is produced by the placenta at the time of gestation to promote production of oestrogen and progesterone. What happens is that this hormone begins to be secreted 15 days after fertilization, and not immediately as some women believe.
So when you take a pregnancy test the day after having unprotected sex or a few days after, the result will always come out negative.
The time to make a pregnancy test and get a more accurate result, is when you are at least a week late. At this stage, the hCG will already be secreted and can be detected in a pregnancy test.
Some pregnancy tests promise to deliver results even before the date of your next period. The problem is they are not always accurate, so doctors still recommend that the best thing to do to avoid confusion or disappointing results, is to do the test when your period is a week or more late. Make sure how long to wait before a pregnancy test after a missed period so that you are 100% sure of the result.
In the case of women with irregular cycles, those who find it hard to identify ovulation days but who believe they are late, must make the pregnancy test at least 18 days after the date on which they believe to have become pregnant.
If you take an emergency pregnancy test following these instructions and the results are negative, but after five days your period is still late, it is best to repeat the test following all the instructions. If you do not trust the results of a home pregnancy test it is the best to perform a blood test.
In the event that the result is negative again, visit your gynaecologist for a detailed review.
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