Is it possible to somehow predict pregnancy in the early stages before visiting the hospital with a high degree of probability, that is, without performing an ultrasound? Yes, you can. A pregnancy test is very informative in this regard. It is recommended to take a pregnancy test no earlier than the first day of your missed period. It makes no sense to use a test to determine the presence of pregnancy before a missed period.
There are different pregnancy tests, but the essence of their work is the same: the test indicator reacts to the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in his urine. This hormone begins to be intensively produced in the body within a day after the fusion of mother’s and father’s cells. With each day of progressing pregnancy, its amount increases. About 2 weeks after conception, the pregnancy test becomes positive.
Pregnancy tests are rarely false positive in healthy, non-pregnant women. If the test shows a negative result, and the woman sees probable and doubtful signs that she is pregnant, then she needs to do a test over time in a few days. It is better to do this in the morning, when the urine is more concentrated. If a woman has an ectopic pregnancy, the test will also be positive.
You can more accurately determine the gestational age without resorting to ultrasound using a blood test for hCG levels. Its laboratory-confirmed quantity can tell you how much time has passed since conception. Determining hCG over time is very informative in terms of pregnancy progression.