Don't drink too much water, or any liquid, before taking a pregnancy test. Excess fluids can impact the accuracy of the test results, so if your urine is diluted or pale yellow, hold off on taking a test. Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results.
In most cases, a urine sample taken the first time you urinate in the morning is best. This is when urine is the most concentrated and has enough HCG to be detected.
Should I dip my home pregnancy test in urine, or pee on it? Most tests allow you to either place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for (usually) five seconds or dip the tip in a collected urine sample for five to 20 seconds. Accuracy is not dependent on the method as long as you follow the instructions.
Remove the test stick from the wrapper and take off the cap. Place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for 5 seconds. Or, if you prefer, dip into a urine sample collected in a clean, dry container for 5 or 20 seconds, depending on the test you're using.
For example, if you get off work at 7:00am and sleep from 10:00am to 6:00pm, your first morning urine will be the first urine you void when you wake up for the day at 6:00pm.
Drinking too much liquid before testing, using an expired test or not storing it properly (pregnancy tests should be stored between 36° and 86°F) can also result in a false negative. If you think you're pregnant but the test result is negative and you tested early, test again on the day you expect your period.
Excess fluids can impact the accuracy of the test results, so if your urine is diluted or pale yellow, hold off on taking a test. Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results. Take a test when you naturally need to pee.
A test will only show a false positive if you have hCG in your system for another reason such as you were recently pregnant, are taking fertility medications containing hCG, or if you have a medical condition, like some rare ovarian cysts.
Although you may take a pregnancy test at night, the test may be a false negative since urine tends to be more diluted at night. This is why doctors recommend taking a pregnancy test in the morning, especially in the first couple of weeks of pregnancy.
Pregnancy tests used to recommend using your first pee of the morning, when more hCG is present. But now they're sensitive enough to work at any point in the day, although it does help if you're taking the test early.
HCG is at its highest level in the morning when urine is fresh and not diluted by the liquid you drink during the day. If you test in the afternoon, your urine may not have enough HCG to detect.
Use First-Morning Urine
This makes it more likely to get an accurate test reading. 1 If you're worried you'll forget to collect it when you first get up, close the lid to your toilet and set the pregnancy test on top. Some say that if you hold your urine for more than four hours it is the same as first-morning urine.
Symptoms of rising hCG levels can include fatigue, nausea/vomiting (aka morning sickness), dizziness or light-headedness, breast tenderness, and feeling emotionally sensitive.
If you feel as though you're pregnant but got a negative home pregnancy test result, your symptoms could be down to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or you may have taken the test too early.
It is possible that although an egg may be fertilized, your body has not started secreting enough hCG to register as positive on a test. Your body needs time for the hormone to rise to a high enough level to be detected. Most brands instruct you to wait until the first day of your missed period to test.
Just be sure to wait a few days—taking a second test in the same sitting won't give you a different result. When should you take a pregnancy test? As great as it would be to know whether you're pregnant immediately after you have sex, pregnancy tests don't work like that.
Clearblue Early Detection Pregnancy Test provides early detection of the pregnancy hormone. 71% of pregnancies can be detected 6 days before the missed period (5 days before the expected period) and 94% of pregnancies can be detected 5 days before the missed period (4 days before the expected period).
Coffee's going to have to wait a second! Levels of hCG will be strongest with first morning urine — more concentrated urine guarantees a more accurate test. Your test will still be valid if it's the afternoon or you've already had water, but first morning urine will result in a stronger results line.
This usually ranges between a couple of minutes up until 10 minutes later. If you see a positive result beyond this time frame, you may be left second-guessing the results. However, always remember that a pregnancy test result is only accurate within 10 minutes.