When Should You Take A Pregnancy Test & What Food To Avoid During Pregnancy?

When it comes to medical needs, especially pregnancy, having assurance to yourself is one of the strongest weapons to deal with a situation. You can forget to take a pill, or you are trying to conceive, no matter what the situation, taking a pregnancy test can help you to be assured in such time.
The need for taking a pregnancy test can create doubts as well as confusion. You can look up on the internet how to take pregnancy tests, and you will be jumbled with different ways to take these tests.
It is why in this article, we have cleared out the commonly asked questions when you are thinking of taking a pregnancy test.

How Soon Can You Take A Test?

Some tests are comparatively more sensitive. And they can even show if you are pregnant before your period is due. The answer to when to take a pregnancy test is always tricky. If we are talking generally, you can take a pregnancy test after the first day of your missed period or for better pregnancy results, you can take the test after a week.

You are advised not to take pregnancy tests early because these sorts of tests work by measuring and evaluating the HCG levels, which is a hormone that is present only when you are pregnant.
The body only releases HCG during the process of implantation, which is when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterus. The process of implantation occurs after 10 days of the conception process when the sperm fertilizes the egg.
Traces of HCG are there even after 6 days of implantation. However, it generally takes at least 7 to 10 days after implantation for the body to build up sufficient HCG that can show up in a test.

If you have an irregular cycle and often get your periods before you expect them, then it is best that you take a pregnancy test after 21 days. Any sort of early test will show false results.

Step-By-Step Guide On Taking A Pregnancy Test

Early signs of pregnancy may not be as evident as you expect it to be. Whether you are scared of your birth control going wrong or you are trying to conceive, a pregnancy test can effectively tell you whether you are pregnant or not. If it is your first time doing a test at your home, here is a small guide on how you can take a test and not depend on the symptoms of pregnancy:

Store a little bit of urine in a collecting cup. After that, dip a testing stick into the cup that contains your urine.
Collect a little bit of your urine in a containing cup. Then use an eyedropper to suck in a small amount of the urine and place it in the special container.
One of the easiest ways would be to hold or place the testing stick somewhere where you will catch your urine midstream.

If you wish to get accurate pregnancy test results choosing labs like Dr. Lal PathLabs would be the best thing to do. However, there are certain tell-tale signs as well and we have discussed them here:

Five Signs To Tell If You Are Pregnant

Some obvious symptoms of pregnancy can be an indicator that you should take a test soon:

One of the biggest symptoms is a missing period. It can be difficult for everyone to detect a missing period, as it can vary from the normal 28-day timeframe to 38 days. It is strongly advised to take a pregnancy test if you have not had your period over 30 days.
Implantation sometimes also seems like period cramps. You feel discomfort and are under the impression that periods are close by, but they never arrive. If this occurs, consider taking a test.
Too much nausea, exhaustion, and frequent urination can also be a symptom. Take notice of these changes. Over time, if these become strong, take a test.
No birth control measure provides 100% assurance. Therefore, do not disregard such symptoms just because you have had protected sex.

What Foods Do You Need To Avoid During Pregnancy

There are a selective number of foods during pregnancy that you can take. If in the case you are pregnant, here are some of the foods to avoid right away:

High amounts of mercury can cause damage to the development of babies and also harm your body as well. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to take any high-mercury fish off your diet.
With pregnancy, your days of eating fish and stake on rare and medium rare are over. Bacteria can threaten you as well as the little ones growing inside you.
Say no to processed cheese and processed foods as a whole. And stop taking raw or unwashed vegetables.

Wrapping up

While taking a pregnancy test is a little tricky if you are doing it for the first time, you can always seek assistance from the experts. There can be times when doing this all by yourself is a little scary. During those times, it is extremely beneficial to seek assistance. Check out Dr Lal PathLabs and book a pregnancy test for accurate results.