How does the express pregnancy test work?
The principle of operation of all types of this diagnostic tool is based on the establishment of concentration in the urine secreted by the body, the chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone begins to be synthesized actively from the very first days after conception. At the same time every day, its concentration doubles and increases to 8-11 weeks of gestation. It is during this period that the concentration of hCG in pregnant women is maximal.
For the test, a woman should use only freshly collected, and preferably a morning portion of urine. The thing is that immediately in the morning hours the concentration of hCG in the body is maximal, which contributes to obtaining the exact result.
How does the cycle time affect the time of the test?
So, according to the instruction, which is available in each express pregnancy test, this kind of research can be carried out from the first day of the delay. In other words, from the moment of the supposed conception, at least 14 days must pass. This rule is valid when the woman's menstrual cycle is 28 days, and ovulation is 14 days.
The situation with diagnosing pregnancy in women with a long menstrual cycle is quite different: 30-32 days. In such cases, they assume that the test can be carried out earlier. However, this is not the case.
The thing is that the lengthening of the very cycle of menstruation in most cases is due to an increase in the duration of its first phase. In such situations, the reproductive system spends more time on the preparatory processes in the endometrial layer. At the same time, the duration of the second half of the cycle, the one that occurs after ovulation, remains unchanged. That's why it's useless to test before 12-14 days later. Such a term is called doctors for those women who are interested in when it is possible to do a pregnancy test with late ovulation.
When a woman should do a pregnancy test, if the cycle is irregular?
Considering the above, it can be concluded that such a parameter as the duration of the menstrual cycle does not in any way affect the time of pregnancy diagnosis with the help of an express test. However, the regularity of the cycle is of great importance. After all, at a time when ovulation is absent, pregnancy can not occur. However, it is very important not to confuse the monthly failure with a delay.
At the same time, it should be noted that if you use an electronic pregnancy test, then you can do it when it's 7-10 days after sex. The fact is that such diagnostic aids have a high sensitivity (10 mU / ml, versus 25 mU / ml in test strips).
Thus, summing up, I would like to say that the first pregnancy test can be done before the moment when the delay begins. However, this should be an electronic, highly sensitive test.