A missed period is often the first sign for some women that they may be pregnant, but there are earlier ones if you know what to look for for some women. These early pregnancy signs are not always the same from woman to woman, for example one pay complain of sickness whereas another may have some bloating, or a third may have both plus a tightening across the stomach.
When considering taking a home pregnancy test you need to be aware there is a timing factor and need to wait at least a fortnight after conception. Though there are sensitive tests now that can be used before a missed period, there still needs to be enough hCG in your urine to be detected. If you do opt for an early test take into account the accuracy drops to 90% from 97%. This means you may be pregnant but could still get a negative result because the hCG levels were not high enough. A re-test may be needed.
Until then there are signs you can look for to help gauge whether or not you are pregnant. These include: Being very tired and feeling fatigued. Morning sickness (that can actually happen any time of day or night). Spotting can happen 3 to 12 days after ovulation. Bloating. Breasts becoming tender, swollen and blue veins appearing. Needing to urinate often. Craving foods.
Women are all different in how their bodies react to the hormonal changes their body is undergoing. In some symptoms are severe and make them miserable, in others they are later on in the pregnancy and might be very mild.
Home pregnancy tests can give you the answer to your question am I really pregnant. They are easy to use but you do need to follow the instructions carefully, whether using a test strip as you pee, or peeing in a cup and then sitting it in the urine. Test are not all the same, some are digital, some are more sensitive, so choose carefully. However they do all work the same way, looking for hCG in your urine. If you are confident about the result even after a re-test, see your doctor and they can either do their own urine test, take blood for a lab to test and may also do a pelvic examination.
All there is to know about any early pregnancy test available and pregnancy testing in general. Today’s special: when to take a pregnancy test