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Early Pregnancy TestAn early pregnancy test can detect pregnancy as early as a week before your period is due. The more sensitive the test, the earlier it can detect hCG, which is the hormone that is produced during pregnancy. 
This is Megan. I helped her to get pregnant fast, and I sent her two early pregnancy tests. Megan tested 9 days after conception, and got a positive result. The line was faint, but definitely there. I asked her to test again three days later, just to be sure the line was getting a little darker, which would be a sign that her hCG levels were rising. It's important for hCG levels to double every 2 to 3 days in order to sustain pregnancy. If you test one day and get a faint postive, and then test again 2 days later, and the line is gone, it's an indication that you were pregnant, but that the pregnancy didn't "stick". That happened to me once. I got a faint positive (my period was late) and then 2 days later I got a negative (no line) and my period started 2 days after that. For whatever reason, God didn't want me to carry that baby. He did bless me with another pregnancy just 6 months later, and I carried her to term, giving birth to my fifth child at the age of 40. God's ways are always perfect. Here are some frequently asked questions: Can I get an early pregnancy test at my local store? Many of the pregnancy tests at the local stores are sensitive to detecting the hCG hormone at 50 mIU/mL and 100 mIU/mL. Some are sensitive at 25 mIU/mL, and those typically will be labeled with the word "early". I have not found a brand, yet, at the local store that is sensitive at 20 mIU/mL. The ClearBlue digital pregnancy tests that read "pregnant" or "not pregnant" detect hCG at 50 mIU/mL. There are many women that like this test because they don't have to interpret the results. But they are expensive and you have to wait longer to get a positive reading. How soon can I test with the early pregnancy test you recommend? You can test as early as 7 days post conception. I suggest you wait until at least 9 days after conceiving because it takes 8 days for the baby to implant in your uterus, and once baby implants, your hCG level should double every 2-3 days. So, an hCG level of 11 on day 8, could be 21 on day 10 or 11, which would be high enough for the early pregnancy test to detect. What will a positive early pregnancy test look like? Here's a picture of Megan's positive tests taken at 9 days and 13 days after conception. Both test lines are very faint (look closely) but you will notice that the one on the bottom is easier to see than the one on the top. The one that's easier to see had a higher concentration of hCG in the urine. Both tests indicate a positive pregnancy. You'll have to look hard because this is an untouched photo (I did not enhance the line). I want you to see this because this is what a very early faint positive test looks like. You can definitely see a line, but it's very faint. I've placed arrows just above the lines to help you find them.
But doesn't an evaporation line look like this too? I've seen my fair share of evaporation lines, and I would have to say "no". For me, an evaporation line was even lighter than this. It was the type of line that you really had to look for - almost a shadow of a line. There was one brand in particular that consistently gave me an evaporation line every time I used it. The ONLY reason I used it was because we got an employee discount at the store, and it was the cheapest test they had. I changed brands, and got no evaporation lines. White as white could be when not pregnant, and a definite line when pregnant (like the ones above). How long after testing can I read the results? My midwife will sometimes wait 30 minutes to read an early pregnancy test result. At 10 minutes there have been times when the test was showing negative, and at 30 minutes, it shows positive (and her client was pregnant). The directions will say not to read the test after 10 minutes. I don't do this. I read my tests up to 30 minutes after testing, and if I got a very faint line at 10 or 15 minutes, I find the line darkens slightly after an hour. So if I had a light line at 15 minutes, I would look again an hour or two later, and the light would be more prominent and a little easier to see. That's for a positive early pregnancy test. I've created a video with my best tips for knowing just when you're ovulating so that you can make love at the right time and get pregnant fast. You can view the video here. Wishing you a quick pregnancy,
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