Home pregnancy tests: Your most pressing questions, answered

When using a home pregnancy test, the process should be fast, easy, and highly accurate. The included instruction booklet will tell you everything you need to know. However, we understand that this can be an emotional topic, and questions may still come up. Here’s what you should know.

How long should I wait before taking a home pregnancy test?

If you use an early detection pregnancy test, it can detect the hormone hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin), which can be found in your urine a few days before your missed period. Depending on the product, this could be up to six days before your missed period or five days before your expected period.

Here’s an example: Suppose you expect your period to arrive on the 10th day of the month. In this case, the 10th is the day of your expected period and the 11th is the day of your missed period. With a "six-days-early" test, you could test on the 5th—five days before your expected period and six days before your missed period.

Your body begins producing hCG once a fertilized egg implants in your uterine wall.¹ The amount of hCG remains undetectable until about eight days after conception.² During the first eight weeks of pregnancy, hCG doubles approximately every 48 hours.² Read the test’s instruction booklet to determine when you can start testing. Our online calculator can also help.

How long to wait for pregnancy test results?

Follow the instructions included with your test. If you choose to pee directly on a stick, keep the test stick in your urine stream for only the specified duration (for Clearblue® tests, usually five seconds). If you choose to dip the tip in a collected urine sample, refer to the instructions to determine the exact time (for Clearblue® tests, usually 5 to 20 seconds). If you’re not using a digital test, consider using a timer — waiting for results can feel like an eternity, but timing is crucial. Some additional tips:

• While urinating, place only the absorbent tip in your urine stream for the allotted time.

• Avoid getting the plastic housing of the test stick wet, whether you’re peeing on a stick or dipping it in a urine sample.

• If your container spills or your test falls on the floor (it happens), stop the timer and consider retesting. Use a clean, dry container that is stable enough to hold the test and urine without tipping.

• No matter how you test, always point the absorbent tip downward while sampling. After dipping or urinating on the stick, replace the cap and lay the test on a flat surface with the result window facing up.

What can affect pregnancy test results?

Variability in hCG levels, fluid intake, test storage conditions, and expiration dates can all affect pregnancy test results. Let’s take a closer look:

• The amount of hCG during pregnancy varies from person to person.³ While some may get a positive result four or five days before their expected period, others might not have enough detectable hCG until three days before their expected period. For reference, if using the Clearblue® Early Detection Pregnancy Test, 77% of pregnancies can be detected six days before a missed period. If you wait until the day of your expected period, Clearblue® detection rates rise to over 99%, provided you’ve tracked your cycle correctly.⁴
• If you haven’t missed your period yet, hCG is most concentrated in your urine first thing in the morning. To prevent dilution, limit fluid intake before testing.
• Store Clearblue® pregnancy tests at temperatures between 36°F and 86°F.
• Pregnancy tests expire - always check the expiration date before use.
• Additional factors, such as certain medications or medical conditions, could also impact results. Be sure to read the instructions included with your test.

How accurate are pregnancy tests?

If your period is late, you can trust that Clearblue® tests provide a positive result that is over 99% accurate. False positives may occur if you’re taking fertility medications that contain hCG, have a medical condition (such as an ovarian cyst), are perimenopausal or postmenopausal, have certain cancers, or have recently given birth, experienced a miscarriage, or a termination.^2,3 Some women may get a positive result and then experience early pregnancy loss this is not a false positive.

On the flip side, a negative test doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not pregnant. If testing early, hCG levels may still be too low to detect. You may also have miscalculated your expected period date. Additionally, using an expired or improperly stored test (see above) can result in a false negative.

If you think you’re pregnant and the test is negative before your expected period, test again on the day you expect your period. If you’ve missed your period but still get a negative test, try again three days later. If the test is still negative but you suspect you might be pregnant, talk to your healthcare professional.

What does a faint positive line mean? 

A faint line can be confusing. While digital pregnancy tests clearly display — “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant” — Clearblue® visual tests use lines to display the results. 

Faint result lines may occur if your hCG levels aren’t very high, if you tested too early or didn’t use your first-morning pee, if you drank too much liquid, or if you didn’t follow the instructions correctly. However, a positive line on Clearblue® pregnancy tests—no matter how faint—still means you're pregnant. If you see a positive line, in addition to the control line, you’re pregnant. Check out examples of faint lines here.

What if I take multiple tests and the results are different each time?

If your period is late, you can trust that Clearblue® tests provide a positive result that is over 99% accurate. A negative test rarely follows a positive one. If it does, it may indicate that you are no longer pregnant, which can be heartbreaking. However, repeated early pregnancy loss is uncommon, and most women go on to have successful pregnancies.⁵

In some cases, a positive test may follow a negative one. This is often due to the timing of the first test and a subsequent rise in hCG levels.

Pregnancy test: urine vs blood. Which is better?

Both blood and urine tests detect hCG levels in your body and both are similar in accuracy. However, blood pregnancy tests must be administered by a healthcare professional. Blood tests are often quantitative, meaning they measure the amount of hCG in your blood versus qualitative, which only detects its presence. Blood pregnancy tests are typically only done if your hCG levels need to be monitored. You may not always receive the results on the same day.

Home pregnancy tests are easy to use and provide results in minutes.

Gone are the days when your only choice was to visit your healthcare professional for a pregnancy test and wait for the phone to ring with the results. Home pregnancy tests allow you to gain important insights quickly, easily, and at a time that’s convenient for you.

Related Articles 

• Can you mess up a pregnancy test?
• When is the best time to take a pregnancy test?
• Debunking homemade “pregnancy tests”: What you need to know