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I THINK I'M PREGNANT

If you’ve missed your period and have been sexually active, it’s time to take a pregnancy test. Make an appointment for a free consultation and confidential medical grade pregnancy test.

How Soon Should I Take a Pregnancy Test?

Healthline states, “You should wait to take a pregnancy test until the week after your missed period for the most accurate result.

If you don’t want to wait until you’ve missed your period, you should wait at least one or two weeks after you had sex. If you are pregnant, your body needs time to develop detectable levels of HCG. This typically takes seven to 12 days after the successful implantation of an egg.

You may receive an inaccurate result if the test is taken too early in your cycle.”

Should I take a home pregnancy test?

According to a healthy lifestyle article on the Mayo Clinic website, “Taking a home pregnancy test can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’re not sure you can trust the results. Know when and how to take a home pregnancy test and some of the possible pitfalls of home testing.”

If you are unsure when the best time is to take the home pregnancy test and take the test too early, check the test results too soon, use diluted urine or have been taking fertility drugs or medications containing HCG, there is a chance the results will be inaccurate.

Home pregnancy tests such as First Response, ClincialGaurd, Clearblue, Pregmate, New Choice and Wondfo, advertise to be 99% accurate.

National pharmacies and retail stores offer generic and store brand pregnancy tests including Walgreen’s One Step, Target’s Early Results Pregnancy Test-Up&Up, CVS Early Result Pregnancy Test, and Wal-Mart’s Equate Early Result Pregnancy Test.

All over-the-counter tests recommend if you think you are pregnant, you should contact your health care provider.  That is where Options Pregnancy Clinic comes in.  We can help you confirm your pregnancy and discuss your options for the future.

Use the calculator below to help approximate a likely due date if pregnancy is possible.

Note: This is not a sufficient/accurate tool for calculating fetal gestation. We highly recommend a medical-grade pregnancy test, followed by an ultrasound, to be fully informed. Contact us to schedule an appointment.

How do pregnancy tests work?

There are two basic kinds of pregnancy tests, the first uses urine and can be purchased over the counter, and the second test uses a blood sample and is administered in a doctor’s office or clinic.  Both tests measure the level of the hormone hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin that indicates pregnancy.

According to Medicinet.com, “hCG is made when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus. This usually happens about six days after the egg and sperm merge. But studies show that in up to 10 percent of women, implantation does not occur until much later, after the first day of the missed period. The amount of hCG rapidly builds up in your body each day you are pregnant.”

Clinical pregnancy tests are more accurate than over-the-counter home tests.

A clinical pregnancy test is more accurate than an over-the-counter home test because of the experience and frequency with which the clinic administers tests.  At Options Pregnancy Clinic, we have given thousands of tests and are constantly updating our kits for optimum freshness and accuracy.

Many variables lead to inaccurate readings from a home test. At Options Pregnancy Clinic, we do our best to eliminate those variables, so you know for sure whether or not you are pregnant.

Healthline states, “You should wait to take a pregnancy test until the week after your missed period for the most accurate result.

If you don’t want to wait until you’ve missed your period, you should wait at least one or two weeks after you had sex. If you are pregnant, your body needs time to develop detectable levels of HCG. This typically takes seven to 12 days after the successful implantation of an egg.

You may receive an inaccurate result if the test is taken too early in your cycle.”

Should I take a home pregnancy test?

According to a healthy lifestyle article on the Mayo Clinic website, “Taking a home pregnancy test can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’re not sure you can trust the results. Know when and how to take a home pregnancy test and some possible pitfalls of home testing.”

If you are unsure when the best time is to take the home pregnancy test and take the test too early, check the test results too soon, use diluted urine, or have been taking fertility drugs or medications containing HCG, there is a chance the results will be inaccurate.

Home pregnancy tests, including such brand names as First Response, ClincialGaurd, Clearblue, Pregmate, New Choice, and Wondfo, advertise to be 99% accurate.

National pharmacies and retail stores offer generic and store brand pregnancy tests, including Walgreen’s One Step, Target’s Early Results Pregnancy Test-Up&Up, CVS Early Result Pregnancy Test, and Wal-Mart’s Equate Early Result Pregnancy Test.

All over-the-counter tests recommend if you think you are pregnant, you should contact your health care provider.  That is where Options Pregnancy Clinic comes in.  We can help you confirm your pregnancy and discuss your options for the future.

Use the calculator below to help approximate a likely due date if pregnancy is possible.

REFERENCES

Greenlaw, E. (2021, March 19). Foods to Avoid in Pregnancy. WebMD.

    1. Mayo Clinic Staff. Pregnancy Nutrition: Foods to avoid during pregnancy. Mayo Clinic.

    https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20043844

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    1. Food Safety First. Department of Health and Human Services.

    https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/pdf/hispanic-pregnant-women-soft-cheese-factsheet-508c.pdf

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    1. Can You Eat Aioli Sauce When Pregnant? Know Your Pantry.

    https://www.knowyourpantry.com/sauces/can-you-eat-aioli-sauce-when-pregnant/

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    1. Waggot, G. (2022). Can Pregnant Women Eat Ranch Salad Dressing? Is it Safe? Pregnancy Food Checker.

    https://www.pregnancyfoodchecker.com/pregnant-ranch-salad-dressing-safe/

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    1. Bouchez, C. (2008). Pregnancy Cravings: When You Gotta Have It! Grow by WebMD.

    https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/pregnancy-food-cravings

    back