Should I do an HPT or should I wait?

Question

The first day of my last period was Sept. 2... I haven't started yet. Should I test or should I wait? How long should I wait?

My husband and I have been TTC for 3 1/2 yrs

I am usually pretty regular but sometimes I'll start late. I am a tester! Usually I test about now and it is always negative. Then I'll start the next day or a couple days later.

I just wanted the opinions of some non-biased people! I want to test because I am hoping I am pregnant this time but I don't want to get a negative. (especially from testing too early)

I am crampy, my back aches, I have very tender breasts, it doesn't seem to matter how much or little sleep I get or what I do, I am still EXHAUSTED by the end of the day and I have a small amount of mild nausea occasionally. But that is it. Do you think I am pg?

Answer 1

You could take one now. I would get one of those first response ones that tell you 5 days before your missed period. They work great!Theres no reason to stress your self out waiting when a HPT could probably tell you now. :)

Answer 2

If you do not have a history of missed period then now would be an OK time to test, try to do it first thing in the morning when the prenanacy hormone is strongest.
I know it is hard to be patient when you are TTC, it took my husband and I 4 1/2 years to create our little girl. But beleive it or not the whole wives tale about when you stop trying is when it happens does hold some truth. I lost my job and we stopped focusing on a new baby because of the income issue. When I went a month and half later to get back on the pill I was pregnant.
If this next test does not come back positive then you might try to take a break from the planning, temperature taking etc and have a weekend away with just you and your husband. Spend the whole time spoiling yourselves, do not think about babies, go somewhere you are guranteed not to see babies, even try to not have sex. Just have some time for you. It might help you relax enough to stop focusing so much. Reducing stress levels has been shown to be a key factor in conception.
Good luck!

Answer 3

As a 2x surrogate mother, I was ALWAYS testing as soon as I could! Kudos to you for waiting this long - I would never have lasted until now! LOL Here is what I have found from my many experiences:

First Response Early Detection and Answer tests both detect the pregnancy hormone earlier than most other over-the-counter tests. Make sure you do the test first thing in the morning, as HCG is most concentrated in first-morning urine. Read the test within the alotted amount of time. If it shows positive during the first 3-5 minutes - CONGRATULATIONS!

Good luck - I know what it feels like to try and try with no results. Hopefully this is your month!

Answer 4

I would test, you are already late. If you are usually regular. Make sure you take it first thing in the morning, that is when the hormone level will be the highest if you are pregnant.
If you do get your period late sometimes, wait about a week to see if it is going to come or not.
Good luck, I'll hope for a positive for you!!

Answer 5

How soon can I test? Well, first you gotta know how the test works. Briefly: the home pregnancy test (HPT) works by detecting a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG.) When an egg is fertilized, it takes about 6 to 12 days to implant in the uterus, and then it begins to secrete hCG. It takes another day or two for enough hCG to build up and make its way into your pee. So, generally speaking, the earliest you can expect a positive HPT is 8 days past ovulation ("DPO") and the latest would be about 16 DPO. It is possible to get a positive test earlier or later, but not as common. In my experience, if you use a sensitive "early" test (anything that detects 25 mIU/mL of hCG or less) you can test around 12-14 DPO and feel reasonably secure with your results (the later you test, the more secure you can feel in its accuracy.)

If you do not chart or monitor your fertility in any way, and you think you may have conceived, you should wait 19 days (or longer) after having sex to test. Why 19?! Sperm can live approximately 5 days in the proper environment; if the sperm managed to live until you popped an egg, the actual conception could have taken place several days after the sex act that got the sperm there. To make sure you're not testing too early, assume the sperm had very long lives (5 days is considered a very long sperm life) and that conception occurred then. Then allow 14 days for the embryo to implant and develop enough hCG to show up on a pregnancy test (96% of pregnant women will test positive by then.)

Note: some HPT's say "test 5 days before your period is due!" or some such thing. Please note they are assuming a textbook 28-day cycle, with ovulation on Day 14. "5 days before your period is due" thus really "translates" to 10 DPO.

Essentially, you should remember that your high school biology textbook was WRONG. NOT all women have 28-day cycles and NOT all women ovulate on Day 14. For more info on this type of thing, see the Fertility Info section.

Here's an example. This is the textbook-perfect 28-day cycle with ovulation occurring on day 14 (in pink.) 10 DPO and later are reasonable days for testing (in green.) This is the cycle the HPT companies have in mind when they say "test 5 days before your period is due!"



Well, not everyone's body works this way. Here's another 28-day cycle-- but this one has ovulation occurring a little bit later, still well within the normal range. Watch what happens to your (green) testing opportunities!



All of a sudden, "5 days before your period is due!" is way too early for you to expect a positive test! (I tend to ovulate later myself, so by the time the "gold standard" of testing at 14 DPO is applicable, my period is already 3 days late! I needed to use an "early detection" test on the first day of my missed period. A "regular" test would probably have been negative-- even though my daughter is living proof that I was, indeed, pregnant ;)

Of course, it works in reverse, too. If you're an early ovulator, you're lucky! Check it out:



In this scenario, you could test even sooner than 5 days before your expected period.

Ultimately, it's important to remember that implantation is a variable thing. You may be able to detect a pregnancy very early on, but then again, you may not! If you can't, don't despair.


This came from http://www.peeonastick.com

Go to http://www.mymonthlycycles.com and put in your period info and it will calculate when you will be fertile and ovulating.
It is a free and helpful site.

Here is the name of a great doctor that helps with fertility. He is the best.... Dr. Richard Levin and his website is at http://www.babies-by-levin.com
You should check him out. He most likely could help you and he is worth every cent.

Good luck

Answer 6

I would go ahead and test but that's only because I am TTC also and I cant resist testing. If its negative then wait 2 days and test again. If its still negative after that then I would make an appt. with you obgyn and see if everything is OK.

Good luck

Answer 7

When was your period due. If you are past your due date, go ahead and take a test. Your symptoms are consist ant with pregnancy, but sometimes they could be psychosomatic when you want to be pregnant so bad.

If you don't get pregnant this month and haven't consulted with an OBGYN yet regarding ttc, then please do so. So many women wait way too long to seek professional help. My advice to anyone ttc is to go to their OBGYN first and get examined and have them run routine tests to eliminate any potential problems that could interfere with ttc.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Well are you late?
If you are only a little bit late then just wait another week and then test..But its entirely up to you!
Good Luck!

Answer 9

wait for a week... then if you still have not started take a test. periods are different each month they are so unpredictable.

Answer 10

Take a test/or go see your doc