Pregnancy Test
Reviewed
Also called: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Test, HCG Test, Qualitative hCG Blood Test, Quantitative hCG Blood Test, Beta-hCG Urine Test, Total Chorionic Gonadotropin
A pregnancy test can tell whether you're pregnant by checking a sample of your urine (pee) or blood for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
Specimen: Urine or Blood
Why this test may be ordered
- To find out if you are pregnant
- To confirm pregnancy before medical treatments that could harm a fetus
- To monitor pregnancy if you have a high risk of miscarriage
- To check for ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy
- As part of prenatal screening for certain fetal conditions
Preparation and collection
If you're doing a urine test, don't drink large amounts of fluid before collecting your sample. Taking medicine to help you get pregnant (fertility drugs) could affect your pregnancy test results.
The steps for doing a test depend on the brand, so it's very important to follow the instructions that come with your test. Blood tests are done at your provider's office or a lab.
There is no known risk to having a urine test. There is very little risk to having a blood test.
Understanding results
Your results will show whether you're pregnant.
- Positive (hCG detected): A positive result means that hCG was found in your sample. That usually means that you're pregnant. Limitation: In some cases, a home test may say that you're pregnant when you aren't. Taking a pregnancy test while also taking fertility medicines could lead to a false-positive test result. Next step: It's important to see your provider as soon as possible to make sure you get the right care.
- Negative (hCG not detected): A negative result means hCG wasn't found in your sample, so you may not be pregnant. Limitation: If you did a home urine test too soon after getting pregnant, your body may not have made enough hCG to show up in the results. Next step: If you get negative (not pregnant) results on two home tests, but you still think you're pregnant, call your provider.
- Home urine tests are 97-99% accurate when done a week or two after a missed period, but false-negatives can occur if tested too early.
- False-positive results can happen, especially with fertility medications.
- Blood tests can detect very small amounts of hCG and may show pregnancy before a missed period, but they are less commonly used because urine tests are faster and cheaper.
- Quantitative blood tests measure exact hCG levels and can help monitor pregnancy health, but they are not routine for initial pregnancy detection.
What to do next
It's important to see your provider as soon as possible to make sure you get the right care. If your results are positive but you think you might not be pregnant, talk to your provider.
- When did you last have your period?
- Have you taken any fertility medications?
- Do you have any symptoms of pregnancy, such as nausea, breast tenderness, or fatigue?
- Have you had a previous ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage?
- Are you experiencing any unusual pain or bleeding?
Evidence source
Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus). Practices and reference ranges may differ in your country.