When should i take my h.p.t.?

Question

My last period was on June 31 but was very light till the following day on july 1st. I know I ovulated somehwhere around the 15-18th from what the calendar says. I feel as if I am pregnant. when should i test? I had pink spotting on the 25th only once when i wiped, and then on the 26th i had the same pink spotting with a little brown it in only once when i wiped. I took a test yesterday evening around 7 p.m. but there wasn't alot of urine anyway, and i know i should have taken it in the morning. Here are my possible symptoms:

a little bloating i feel at night when i go to sleep

i am starting to get constipated like i did with my last pregnancy.

A little dizzyness, and light cramp (a.k.a. light pinching sinsation) in abdominal area.

I am not supposed to get my period till the 30th, but i am always a few days late anyway, never early. When should i test?

Answer 1

You should wait until your period is due, or if you pinpoint ovulation, until you are past your usual luteal phase length.  Then if your period does not come, you should take another test one week after the period was due.  If that test is negative as well, you probably did not really ovulate and you should see your doctor if you don't get your period the next month.  

You can use a test like the First Response Early Result, however even though the package says it tells 5 days before the missed period, the real truth is that only works for 69% of pregnancies.  At the exact due date of the missed period, 93% of women will test positive and at one week after the period due date 100% of women should test positive if their ovulation was not delayed for some reason.

Answer 2

Most doctors recommend to do a pregnancy test only after you miss your period so you won't be confused by a negative test. Testing before a missed period can often give you a "false negative" pregnancy test, a pregnancy test that's negative when in fact you are pregnant.

The #1 reason for a false negative HPT is testing too early.

A home pregnancy test (HPT) done 1-2 days before a missed period is positive in only 1 in 2 pregnant women , and even on the day of a missed period 1 in 4 women will have a negative pregnancy test.

Go ahead a do a pregnancy test as early as you want, just don't expect it to be positive even if you are pregnant.

Testing after a missed period will often give you a better answer to you question: "Am I pregnant?".