Title: How early can home pregnancy tests show positive results? | Your Pregnancy Matters | UT Southwestern Medical Center
Headings: How early can home pregnancy tests show positive results?
Your Pregnancy Matters
How early can home pregnancy tests show positive results?
When is the best time to take a pregnancy test?
What can cause pregnancy tests to be wrong?
When should I see a doctor for a clinical pregnancy test?
Topics

Content: Urine from a woman who thought she might be pregnant was injected into a rabbit, which would then be surgically opened so its ovaries could be inspected. If the woman was pregnant, the rabbit’s ovaries would undergo noticeable changes due to the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) that develops early in gestation. The rabbit unfortunately didn’t survive. Thankfully, pregnancy tests have evolved substantially since the 20th century. Women now have access to advanced tests that can detect a pregnancy days before a missed period. In fact, a CBS News article outlined the best home pregnancy tests according to research from Consumer Reports, based on ease of use, ease of reading results, and effectiveness. Many tests today are marketed as simple and effective, but getting accurate results comes down to when the test is taken. When is the best time to take a pregnancy test? Ovulation generally occurs around day 15 of a 28-day cycle. In a normal pregnancy, an egg is fertilized in the fallopian tube and then travels into the uterus, where it implants itself in the uterine wall.