The best time to take a pregnancy test is:
- On the first day of your missed period. If your period is irregular or you don’t know when it’s due, wait at least 21 days after sex to test.
- If testing early (before your missed period), it’s best to do it in the morning with your first urine of the day, because the pregnancy hormone hCG is more concentrated then.
- Some sensitive tests can detect pregnancy up to 6 days before a missed period, but testing early may yield a false negative because hormone levels might not be high enough yet.
- For the most accurate result, waiting a week after your missed period can be better.
- If you’ve already missed your period, you can test any time of day as hCG levels should be high enough to detect.
- If you’ve used emergency contraception, test if you don’t get a period within three weeks.
- Blood tests can detect pregnancy even earlier, about a week before a missed period.
In summary, wait until at least the day your period is due, test in the morning if testing early, and for highest accuracy, test a few days after missing your period.
