How long after sex can a woman take a pregnancy test?

In the early stages of pregnancy, a woman's body will undergo a series of changes, and she will be prone to nausea and fatigue. So how long after sex can a woman take a pregnancy test? And how can a woman take a pregnancy test at home? Let's take a closer look.

How long after sex can a woman take a pregnancy test?

After sex, as long as the egg and sperm combine successfully, the test can be detected in 7-10 days at the earliest. If you want to accurately test for pregnancy, you should do the test more than one week after sex, when the menstrual period is delayed. The results of the self-test are more accurate.

How to determine whether you are pregnant

Temperature changes: Women's body temperature is lower before ovulation and rises after ovulation. If menstruation is delayed and the body temperature remains high for more than 18 days, you should be aware of the possibility of pregnancy.

Increased urination: Similarly, you may experience increased urination in the early stages of pregnancy. This is because the enlarged uterus presses on the bladder. Generally, the frequent urination phenomenon will be alleviated in the second trimester as the position of the uterus changes.

Breast pain: Around 8 weeks of pregnancy, under the combined effects of estrogen and progesterone, the breasts will gradually grow larger, the color of the nipples and areola will deepen, and dark brown scabs will appear around the nipples. The breasts will also continue to swell and ache due to enlargement.

Amenorrhea: Amenorrhea is the most obvious and important sign of early pregnancy. Generally speaking, if a woman of childbearing age with a normal menstrual cycle has a delayed menstruation for more than 10 days after having sex, she should suspect she is pregnant. If her menstruation is amenorrhea for more than 2 weeks, she should go to the hospital for examination.

Nausea and fatigue: Most women will experience early pregnancy symptoms at 5-6 weeks of pregnancy, such as dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, etc. Morning sickness is most obvious in the early morning or on an empty stomach, and this condition lasts until about 12 weeks of pregnancy, and the symptoms are alleviated in the second trimester. For some people, the early pregnancy reaction is more severe, and the duration is relatively longer.

How to take a pregnancy test at home

Pregnancy test stick

The pregnancy test stick is used to test for pregnancy by detecting HCG contained in urine. HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone produced in the body of pregnant women, mainly present in human urine and blood. The pregnancy test stick uses the reaction of the single or multiple HCG antibodies in the device and the antigens in the urine to determine whether the pregnancy is present.

It should be noted that you should try to use the first morning urine for testing, as the hormones in the urine are most easily detected at this time. If you test for pregnancy at other times, at least make sure that the urine is in the bladder for more than 4 hours. In addition, do not drink more water just to get urine quickly, as this will dilute the hormone level in the urine, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the results. To be on the safe side, if the operation is correct and two bars are measured, you can test for pregnancy again after 3 days. If you test for pregnancy twice in a row, you can basically be sure that you are pregnant.

Pregnancy test paper

Because of its convenience and simple operation, pregnancy test strips are the most widely used pregnancy test method. However, it should be noted that the results obtained by pregnancy test strips are not necessarily accurate, and the accuracy rate usually ranges from 50% to 98%. In addition, improper operation and other reasons will reduce the accuracy of the test results.

The principle of pregnancy test paper

The same is true for testing HCG values. This hormone will appear in urine a few days after pregnancy. It is not easy to detect at the beginning, and it usually takes 10-14 days to become obvious. It is the same as the pregnancy test stick. Usually the first urine in the morning is the best.

When using a pregnancy test strip, if two red lines are displayed on the test strip, it is positive, which means you are pregnant; if only one red line appears on the upper end of the test strip and no red line appears on the lower end, it is negative, which means you are not pregnant. However, if the test result is positive but not obvious, it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up. If the test result is negative and menstruation still does not come after 1 week, you can take another pregnancy test strip test.