You can test for pregnancy most reliably about 10 to 14 days after unprotected sex, which generally corresponds to the time of a missed period. This timing allows for the fertilized egg to implant in the uterus and for your body to produce enough of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to be detected by a pregnancy test
. Here's why testing sooner is usually not accurate:
- Fertilization can take up to 5-6 days after sex.
- After fertilization, the fertilized egg needs several days to travel to and implant in the uterine lining.
- Only after implantation does your body start producing detectable levels of hCG, which can take 2-3 weeks from intercourse
Some early detection pregnancy tests claim to detect pregnancy a few days before a missed period (up to 4-6 days early), but their accuracy is lower (about 76–93%) compared to testing on or after the day of your missed period, when accuracy exceeds 99%
. For the most accurate results:
- Wait until at least the day your period is due or later.
- Use first-morning urine, which has the highest concentration of hCG.
- Follow test instructions carefully
In summary, while you might be able to test a little earlier with sensitive tests, the best time to test for pregnancy is about 10-14 days after unprotected sex or when your period is late. Testing too early can lead to false negatives because hCG levels may not yet be detectable
