How Soon Can I Take a Pregnancy Test

Updated on September 20, 2011
M.B. asks from Phoenix, AZ
7 answers

Hi to all you Moms! I am asking this questions to the moms that have taken a pregnancy test "before" the start of their period and wondering what is the soonest you took one and got a positive result. I know that of course you will get the best result if you wait till the first day of your missed period, but I just wanted to know if anyone has actually taken it before and how far before. I believe I was ovulating on September 10-11 and had intercourse on Sept 10. About 4 days after that I started getting "period like cramps" which I still have. I am not sure if that is a sign of anything, but I never ever get period cramps unless I'm menstrating and that is usually only for a day. I have read that that is a possible symptom of implantation, but of course won't know until I take a test. Any advice? Any similar symptoms??

Thanks as always.

M.

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I.S.

answers from Boston on

M., When I got pregnant many years ago I had those same period like symptoms, cramps, back pain and breast tenderness. I don't recall how some after I took a pregnancy test but it was VERY soon after. With that pregnancy I wasn't in a place in my life to have baby and had an abortion.
I became pregnant in September 2007, my OBGYN did a pregnancy test and it was positive, I was ONLY two weeks pregnant at the time. So, I would say if it's been two weeks to a month since you had intercourse I'd go ahead and take a test. You can always try those early detection tests.
Best of luck.

1 mom found this helpful

M.R.

answers from Rochester on

I think I bought an extremely early test (the box said 5 or 6 days early) and I was not really regular, but it was probably the equivalent of 5 days early and positive. If the test itself does NOT say that early, you're wasting money to use it that early. Follow the directions for how early, but it is still just measuring your hormone levels, which may be high or low. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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C.C.

answers from Flagstaff on

It really depends on how much HCG your body produces. Some women produce lots of HCG (the pregnancy hormone), and therefore a test will show positive sooner. You could test now, but there is no guarantee that you won't get a false negative just because you don't have enough HCG (yet) to be detected by the test. By 14 days from the date of conception, there is enough HCG in any pregnant woman for a negative test to be accurate. It never hurts to test early, for a positive test would be a reason to celebrate! I agree with others that the dollar store tests work great, and you can take one every day because they are so cheap!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I bought one 10 days after ovulation and it was positive. (Very faint) Was early result type with two pink lines.

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K.O.

answers from Atlanta on

with all 4 of my pregnancies, I tested positive around 10 days past ovulation.

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J.K.

answers from Milwaukee on

The earliest that I ever had a positive pregnancy test was 6 days before my missed period, using a dollar tree test (which is one of the most sensitive tests available.) I think I was 8 days post-ovulation. However, it didn't show up positive until after the "5 minute deadline"....it wasn't until 2 days later that I got a positive result within the timeframe.

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H.1.

answers from Des Moines on

With my first pregnancy - I used tests from the dollar tree and got a positive a day before my missed period. Supposedly they work quite well (better than some name brands) and they're CHEAP so you can test as often as you want to which is really nice.

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