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When actively trying to conceive - the time comes to think about taking a home pregnancy test(HPT). When to test is often the most asked question. And that answer depends on what brand of test you choose. Many can be used before the first day of the missed period.
Implantation of the fertilized egg usually takes place at around 7-10 days post ovulation. Though it can occur as early as 4 days and as late as 12 days. When you chart your cycle you will find out how long your luteal phase is - this will determine when menstruation should begin and thus should tell you when to take a test. However, if you a real attuned to your body - and can identify possible pregnancy symptoms before the menstruation is missed - you could see a positive pregnancy test sooner.
There are many different brands of HPT's that detect as little as 25 mIU/hCG (human chorionic gonadatrophin- the hormone produced when implantation occurs.) Below is a chart that shows averages of hCG starting with week 3 to week 40.
Week from the Last Menstral Period (LMP) Amount of HCG in mIU/ml 3 5 - 50 4 3 - 426 5 19 - 7,340 6 1,080 - 56,500 7-8 7,650 - 229,000 9-12 25,700 - 288,000 13-16 13,300 - 254,000 17-24 4,060 - 165,400 25-40 3,640 - 117,000 A woman can test as early as 8 days post ovulation and receive a positive HPT reading. On the other hand, it can take up to 17 days to see a positive HPT reading. And some women, though few, will never see a positive reading HPT - even though they are indeed pregnant.
The next decision is to decide which brand of HPT to buy. Below is a list of HPT's - though not all that are available - and the amount of hCG they detect.
These tests detect 20-25 mIU/hCG Affordable Pregnancy Tests detects 20 mIU AimStick Pregnancy Test detects 20 mIU Clearblue Easy (U.K.) detects 25 mIU Confirm 1-Step detects 25 mIU CVS detects 25 mIU Day Seven (CDN) detects 25 mIU Health Check detects 25 mIU Insta Test hCG detects 25 mIU Lifesign One-Step detects 25 mIU LifeSign 1 Midstream detects 25 mIU One Step Be Sure detects 25 mIU Rapid Self-Test (U.K.) detects 25 mIU QuickVue detects 25 mIU These tests detect 40-50 mIU/hCG Boots (U.K.) detects 50 mIU Clearblue Easy (U.S.) detects 50 mIU Early Bird One Step (U.K.) detects 50 mIU Early Pregnancy Test detects 50 mIU e.p.t. detects 40 mIU First Response (U.K.) detects 40 mIU Hannaford detects 50 mIU Predictor (U.K.) detects 50 mIU Rite-Aid detects 50 mIU Selfcare detects 50 mIU Target detects 50 mIU These tests detect 100 mIU/hCG Answer detects 100 mIU Conceive detects 100 mIU Equate (Wal*Mart) detects 100 mIU First Response (U.S.) detects 100 mIU Precise detects 100 mIU Q Test detects 100 mIU Walgreens detects 100 mIU These tests detect 150+ mIU/hCG Fact Plus detects 150-250 mIU Pregnancy Test Ordering Information:
Affordable Pregnancy Tests: A good resource for various types of pregnancy tests at an affordable price. Also available: Ovulation Tests.
MoonDragon's Obgyn Information & Discussion - Home Pregnancy Tests
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