Beatrice,
Are you trying to become pregnant, since you had sex "throughout the entire month"? I'm assuming this was unprotected intercourse?
It would be too soon for a home pregnancy test to show up positive, and you would need to wait until you have missed your period. You may not be pregnant yet, although you could have a fertilized egg traveling into your uterus to prepare for implantation! A viable pregnancy does not occur until implantation, where your body begins sending out the "pregnancy hormones" (that are detectable on a home test).
The best home pregnancy tests "claim" on the box to be able to detect pregnancy hormones up to 5 days before a missed period, and they also say that the effectiveness is not as high. However, the most reliable results only occur once you have missed your period. This is because it actually takes a few weeks to become pregnant in the first place; it does not happen the instant you have unprotected sex. When the sperm meets the egg and fertilizes it...the fertilization actually occurs in the fallopian tubes. Plus, the sperm can "hang around" inside your body for up to 3-5 days (in "perfect" conditions), waiting for an egg to be released (ovulation)...which can further "delay" fertilization. Once fertilization occurs, the fertilized egg takes several days to travel down the fallopian tubes, into the uterus, and then takes some time to implant itself in the thick uterine lining. The entire process...from ovulation to implantation...can take anywhere from 10-14 days! And, if you do the math...you can see why you aren't even technically pregnant until around the time of your period. The average time of ovulation is about 14 days before a menstrual period, which is the time (if you miss your period) that a home pregnancy test would detect the "pregnancy hormones" in your body. These pregnancy hormones only occur after implantation.
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Beatrice,
Are you trying to become pregnant, since you had sex "throughout the entire month"? I'm assuming this was unprotected intercourse?
It would be too soon for a home pregnancy test to show up positive, and you would need to wait until you have missed your period. You may not be pregnant yet, although you could have a fertilized egg traveling into your uterus to prepare for implantation! A viable pregnancy does not occur until implantation, where your body begins sending out the "pregnancy hormones" (that are detectable on a home test).
The best home pregnancy tests "claim" on the box to be able to detect pregnancy hormones up to 5 days before a missed period, and they also say that the effectiveness is not as high. However, the most reliable results only occur once you have missed your period. This is because it actually takes a few weeks to become pregnant in the first place; it does not happen the instant you have unprotected sex. When the sperm meets the egg and fertilizes it...the fertilization actually occurs in the fallopian tubes. Plus, the sperm can "hang around" inside your body for up to 3-5 days (in "perfect" conditions), waiting for an egg to be released (ovulation)...which can further "delay" fertilization. Once fertilization occurs, the fertilized egg takes several days to travel down the fallopian tubes, into the uterus, and then takes some time to implant itself in the thick uterine lining. The entire process...from ovulation to implantation...can take anywhere from 10-14 days! And, if you do the math...you can see why you aren't even technically pregnant until around the time of your period. The average time of ovulation is about 14 days before a menstrual period, which is the time (if you miss your period) that a home pregnancy test would detect the "pregnancy hormones" in your body. These pregnancy hormones only occur after implantation.
Does that answer your question?
October 11, 2009 - 7:15pmThis Comment
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