There is nothing more nerve-wracking than the few minutes you wait for an at-home pregnancy test result to appear. Therefore, as far as how soon after sex you would be able to tell you were pregnant would probably be 10 to 14 days. However, you still may not get an accurate answer after that amount of time. Even in that timeframe, there still could be a falsely negative result, since hormone levels in early pregnancy can vary and the reliability of a home test depends on detecting a certain level of hormone, explains Dr. In most cases, however, with the sensitivity of modern urine pregnancy tests, blood tests are generally not necessary for pregnancy detection.

There is nothing more nerve-wracking than the few minutes you wait for an at-home pregnancy test result to appear. Therefore, as far as how soon after sex you would be able to tell you were pregnant would probably be 10 to 14 days. However, you still may not get an accurate answer after that amount of time. Even in that timeframe, there still could be a falsely negative result, since hormone levels in early pregnancy can vary and the reliability of a home test depends on detecting a certain level of hormone, explains Dr. In most cases, however, with the sensitivity of modern urine pregnancy tests, blood tests are generally not necessary for pregnancy detection. If you do take a test at home and feel like it may not be accurate, feel free to re-test. Hardy says.

But for the most accurate results, you want to wait at least 12 days after intercourse, or three weeks if you have an irregular period. Pregnancy tests work by detecting the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin hCG , which the body only begins producing after implantation when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the lining of uterus. But keep in mind, that still is on the early side. Even though some early pregnancy tests claim to be able to detect hCG over a week before menstruation is supposed to begin, you should proceed with caution when testing before your period is due.

A common misconception about pregnancy is that it occurs immediately after having sex. If you have had unprotected sex and are wondering if you might be pregnant, taking a pregnancy test is the first step. Avail NYC offers free pregnancy tests.