Am I pregnant? Take the quiz
Answer a few quick questions to see how many of your signs fit with pregnancy, and when a pregnancy test will give you a reliable answer.
Think you might be pregnant, but it's too soon to test? This quiz shows how many of your signs fit with pregnancy, and when a real pregnancy test will give you a reliable answer. Your answers stay on your own device.
What are the first signs of pregnancy?
The best-known signs are a missed period, sore breasts, tiredness, peeing more often and nausea. Some women also notice mild cramps or a little spotting around the time the embryo implants.
Many of these feel just like the days before a period. So on their own they say little, and plenty of pregnant women have none of them early on.
When can you take a pregnancy test?
Most home tests work from the day your period is due, and they get more reliable each day after that: on that first day, up to 1 in 5 pregnant women still get a negative result. Early tests can work a few days sooner, but they miss a pregnancy more often. Use your first pee of the morning, when the pregnancy hormone (hCG) is most concentrated.
Not sure when your period is due? The ovulation calculator shows when you probably ovulated and when your next period should come.
Negative test, but no period?
You may have tested too early, or ovulated later than you thought. Test again in a few days. If your period still hasn't come after a week or two and the tests stay negative, see your doctor.
FAQ
I see a very faint line. Am I pregnant?
If a faint second line shows up within the time on the instructions, it usually means you're pregnant, with only a little hCG so far. Test again in two or three days: the line usually gets darker as hCG rises. Lines that appear only after that time don't count.
I tested positive. What now?
Congratulations! Work out when your baby is due and call your doctor or midwife to set up your first prenatal appointment. US doctors like to see you before 10 weeks; in the UK, the first midwife appointment is at 8 to 12 weeks.
Can a home test be wrong?
False positives are rare. False negatives are more common, mostly when you test too early or with diluted urine.
Going through this right now? Talk to other parents in our Tests and ovulation forum.
Sources
- Mayo Clinic: Symptoms of pregnancy, what happens first
- Mayo Clinic: Home pregnancy tests, can you trust the results?
- NHS: Doing a pregnancy test
- FDA: Pregnancy (home use tests)
- ACOG: Prenatal care (FAQ)
- NHS: Your antenatal care and appointments
- Cleveland Clinic: Pregnancy tests
- NHS: Signs and symptoms that might mean you're pregnant