How soon would a home pregnancy test be accurate?

Hi ladies!

Well, my fiance and I were not trying to get pregnant (I am on the pill) but for the last 5 days or so, I have been having the following symptoms: mild cramping and pressure in my lower abdomen, very sore breasts and nipples, slight nausea (more like a motion sickness feeling) at random times of the day, bloated, have to pee all the time, etc.

I took a home pregnancy test this morning, and it was negative, but my period is still about a week away, so it might not be accurate yet? I had my period the week of August 18th, but it was actually shorter than normal....could that be a sign of something?

I guess that these symptoms could be ovarian cysts or something too, but I'm not having any pain or anything...

Obviously, if I do happen to be pregnant, I want to find out ASAP, so I am going to make an appt with my doctor this week, but thought you ladies might have some thoughts?

Thanks!

Oh, forgot to mention...obviously I am here on CC because I am tying to lose weight. I had lost a few pounds already, but in the last week I have gained some weight back, which I thought was weird, since I haven't changed anything else....

I know that something is going on with my body, I just wanna find out what!

I took an ept test about 4 days before my missed period and it came back negative, which was false.  The day after my missed period the pregnancy tests were positive.  You're going to have to wait the rest of the week to be sure. 

That being said, the weight gain sounds more like period related water weight than anything else.  You don't start gaining weight immediately upon becoming pregnant.  Peeing all the time is a symptom much later in your pregnancy caused because the baby is large enough to apply pressure on your bladder.  The rest of your symptoms can be both period related or pregnancy related.  The mild cramping can be either implantation or PMS. 

The home test aren't of any use until after you've missed your period by a couple of days.

It does sound like you're just as likely to be experiencing PMS rather than being pregnant, unless you've been on antibiotics recently.

Original Post by smwhipple:

The home test aren't of any use until after you've missed your period by a couple of days.

Not true. I tested at least 4 days BEFORE my missed period and got a faint, faint positive in return. It really depends on the sensitivity of the test (I used a First Response HPT), and the amount of pregnancy hormone floating through the body.

OP, I would probably wait another week, and test again. If it still comes back negative and another week later, you're still without a period, I would test again. =) Even for the most sensitive home pregnancy tests, you probably tested far too soon to tell. The only reason I tested as early as I did was I had pregnancy symptoms--yeah, they could have been PMS symptoms, but I never get PMS symptoms other than weight gain. I had a pretty strong idea I was pregnant 4 days before I even allowed myself to test, lol.

Thanks for the replies. I think I am going to make an appt to go see my doctor this week. If I do happen to be pregnant, I want to find out sooner rather than later, since I'm on the pill, and obviously I'd need to stop taking it ASAP. 

Something is definitely going on with my body....I don't feel sick, but I certainly don't feel like myself. I've been feeling really tired too.....just took the dog for a 1/2 hour walk and came home feeling wiped out.....and that's totally not normal. Plus the super sore boobies, bloating, etc...very weird. It's like PMS x 20! I guess we'll see....

It really depends on the sensitivity of the pregnancy test. A lot of websites recommend you wait until a week after your missed period to be sure not to waste money. Although, it also depends if you take the test as soon as you wake up (or maybe its waiting a few hours holding your pee in so that the HCG builds up..?). I'm currently 7 months pregnant with my first child. I took two pregnancy tests one week after my missed period as soon as I woke up around 5-6 am. Both came out positive (one dark line with one faint line on both tests) and I went to the ER to make sure later that day. Around 2-3 pm though, the peeing test they made me take said I was not pregnant but I argued with the doctor and even showed him my positive test results. I knew my body was NOT being normal. All my life I had been having regular periods and I never gotten PMS-like symptoms without my period for an entire week and still no period came. I did have to pee A LOT more than normal, contrary to it being a later pregnancy symptom. I also had very bad gas. My breasts were sore and bloated. My belly was also bloated and I had slight pain there. I had been very very tired the past week as well. It was never normal for me to take naps during the day at any point of my life. My family was concerned seeing me take mid-day naps so much lately. Anyway, the doctor agreed to letting me take a blood test. The result came back positive! I was confirmed to be around 1-2 weeks pregnant. As far as I know, blood tests are always accurate so if you have medical, you may want to take a trip to the ER if you're that urgent on knowing as soon as possible. It may be best to wait it out though, its entirely about your situation (money, medical, urgency..). Good luck!

Like others have said it depends on the amount of pregnancy hormone in your system and the sensitivity of the test.

Your symptoms sound just like mine when I first suspected--(before my period) especially the bloated, nauseous feeling and very sore breasts...I took a pre-period test and it came back positive but the chances of false negatives are pretty high before your period.

Original Post by aihimeko:

It really depends on the sensitivity of the pregnancy test. A lot of you may want to take a trip to the ER if you're that urgent on knowing as soon as possible. It may be best to wait it out though, its entirely about your situation (money, medical, urgency..). Good luck!

 WHY would you go to the ER to get a pregnancy test? Either buy a  home test for 10 bucks, make an appointment with your regular doctor, or go to a same-day clinic. Unless you for some reason suspect you have an ectopic pregnancy there is no reason you would need to go to an ER. Please only use the ER in a real emergency. They already tend to be over full and under staffed, you are just making people with real emergencies wait longer, and giving already overworked nurses and doctors more work and stress, and you'll probably piss them off for mis-using the ER.

Original Post by hayleymajayley:

Original Post by aihimeko:

It really depends on the sensitivity of the pregnancy test. A lot of you may want to take a trip to the ER if you're that urgent on knowing as soon as possible. It may be best to wait it out though, its entirely about your situation (money, medical, urgency..). Good luck!

 WHY would you go to the ER to get a pregnancy test? Either buy a  home test for 10 bucks, make an appointment with your regular doctor, or go to a same-day clinic.

Or you can just go to a dollar store and buy several pregnancy tests for a dollar. =P They're accurate, you just have to wait longer to use them, as they may not be as sensitive as First Response or Clear Blue, for example.

The suspense is killing me... Are you in fact pregnant or was it a false alarm?

False alarm! A few more home pregnancy tests, a blood test at the doctor, and my period, confirmed it. I actually started feeling better a few days after I posted this, so who knows....maybe it was PMS and a little stomach bug or something? It was definitely weird, but all of the symptoms are gone now!