Am I Taking a Urine Home Pregnancy Test Too Soon?

Hi, I had an actual early period last month. I started on the 28th and always start on the 2nd of every month. About a week after my period my breast were getting extremely sore, heavier and sensitive and still are. I’m urinating more frequently and have recently been having slight pain, a little more intense than cramps at times in my way lower stomach, along with headaches. Im not due for my next period for a couple of weeks and have taken a pregnancy test but show up negative. I’m I testing to soon? Can a urine test from a doctor detect earlier if I’m pregnant? This is frustrating because I know for sure my body feels different and am anxious to find out.

Thank You,
Bella (31)

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Dear Bella,

Are you having sex regularly and/or trying to get pregnant?

A home pregnancy test relies on detecting an adequate level of hCG within the urine. While some tests claim they can be used before your next period, in my experience I’ve found that even the most sensitive home pregnancy tests typically give better results when you wait to take them on the day that your next period would have ended. Based on when ovulation took place and when fertilization took place, a girl may have detectable levels of hCG in her urine at an earlier time. However, it really comes down to how many pregnancy tests you want to take (and how expensive they are where you live). If you have a whole bunch of home pregnancy tests and don’t mind burning through them, then you could take one each day, starting around the time that your next period would have started. It’s best to take the home pregnancy test first thing in the morning with your concentrated urine from sleeping, so that if there is any hCG in your urine, you’ll have the biggest chance of detecting it in that concentrated urine.

In your case, yes, it does sound like you are taking a home pregnancy test too early. However, a urine based pregnancy test from a doctor would pretty much have the same level of sensitivity as most urine based pregnancy tests you can purchase from a store yourself. Doctors do have two different types of blood based pregnancy tests at their disposal, though, so you might inquire about these:

(1) the quantitative hCG tests measure the exact level of the hCG hormone in your blood (and, thus, are very accurate);
(2) the qualitative hCG tests just check your blood to see if the pregnancy hormone is present or not (and these have about the same accuracy as your over the counter urine home pregnancy test).

If you do choose to go to the docs and have any type of blood based pregnancy test done, you’ll want to check in advance what type of blood pregnancy test your doc offers so you won’t be wasting your time (and money) on a useless test.

Best luck,
Hannah