The Best Time Of Day To Take A Pregnancy Test Isn't Necessarily What You Think
Many people believe that pregnancy tests must be taken in the morning, but is that necessarily true? Do you really need to hold back your excitement (or anxiety) to take the test in the morning?
According to Healthline, you can take a pregnancy test at night if you want, but whether or not it will be as accurate is another matter. Experts generally recommend taking a pregnancy test in the morning because your urine will be more concentrated after an entire night of not eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. This makes it easier for the test to detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that rises quickly during the first few months of pregnancy.
Of course, this assumes that you have a regular sleep schedule. For example, if you work a night shift and sleep during the day, the UNC School of Medicine says that in the context of a urine sample, a "morning urine" is whenever you wake up for the day, regardless of whether it is technically morning.
How to ensure an accurate pregnancy test
The U.S. National Library of Medicine recommends taking your pregnancy test with your first urine of the day. But there are steps you can take to ensure an accurate result at other times throughout the day as well. According to Verywell Family, the key is to take the pregnancy test when you haven't used the bathroom for at least four hours. This will increase the chance that your urine is concentrated when you take the test, just as it is during your first urine of the day.
If your pregnancy test comes back positive, you are likely pregnant, says Healthline. False positives are rare. However, if the test comes back negative, Healthline suggests retaking a test another day after waking up. You may want to retake it after your missed period, as it will give hCG more time to build up.