Title: When is the best time to take pregnancy test? | Ohio State Medical Center
Headings: When is the best time to take pregnancy test?
When is the best time to take pregnancy test?
Author: Amber Bondurant, MD
Tags:
Brand name versus generic pregnancy tests
How to prevent a false negative result
Medications and test results
When to see your doctor

Content: The production of this hormone begins slowly and increases as the pregnancy grows. Standard urine pregnancy tests will detect the HCG level when it reaches 20-50 milliunits/milliliters. If you take a test too soon (before you've missed your period), the levels of HCG may not be high enough to detect a pregnancy and it could cause a negative result, even though you're actually pregnant. I advise my patients to wait at least one day after you miss your period. If you wait one week after a missed period, the chance of a false negative is very low if you have a normal monthly menstrual cycle. Brand name versus generic pregnancy tests
Home pregnancy tests, both brand name and generic, are very accurate at detecting the HCG hormone and any positive result, even a faint line, can be considered positive. HCG is only produced by a pregnancy; any positive result indicates a pregnancy. You don’t need a serum (blood) pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy. Both urine and blood detect HCG, although the blood test is more sensitive and can detect HCG levels at much lower levels than a urine test.