whats the earliest an at home pregnancy test can pick up??

Answer 1

http://www.peeonastick.com/hptfaq.html#1
1. 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:

Answer 2

If you implant at the earliest time possible, which is 6 days past ovulation, and you have the most sensitive test on the market (only needing levels to be at 20) then you can pick it up at 7 days past ovulation. I got a very faint posiitve with my first pregnancy at 7dpo, which was 7 days before my period was even due. This time around I got my first positive at 10dpo, which was 4 days before my period was due. Most tests on the market today can tell you a couple of days before your period is due, but for some you need to be a few days late already before getting a positive. Alot depends on when you implant, since the range is 6-10 days past ovulation when it occurs. If you test before a missed period and get a negative, I'd test again afew days later. Good luck.

Answer 3

Technically, you can take some up to 4 days before your period is due, but they only have about a 60% accurate rate at that point. Try at least 16 days after whenever you think you got pregnant, or 3 days after your period is late if you don't know when you conceived for the best results. Generic brands work just fine.

Answer 4

It depends on the woman really. Each pregnancy is different and each HPT is different. First Response says that it can detect it 5 days before your missed period. I used First Response with my first pregnancy and it came out negative. I didn't get a positive until almost 3 weeks after my missed period. It all depends on how high or low the hcg hormone is in your body!

Answer 5

less than a week, around 5 days

Answer 6

i know of one that can telll you five days before your missed period, but most can only tell you after you miss your period. i believe its called loestrin 24.

Answer 7

three days before you are suppose to start