How Soon Can A Doctor Tell If You’re Pregnant?

A doctor can tell if you’re pregnant about 6 to 8 days after you ovulate.

The two types of pregnancy tests that your healthcare provider will use are:

1. Blood tests
2. Urine tests

Although blood tests can tell if you are pregnant sooner (6 to 8 DPO) than urine tests (10 to 14 DPO), the type of test your doctor will order will be based on your medical history.  

Unless you have a medical reason, most doctors will only do a urine test after your missed period.  

So, if you’re really eager to know if you are pregnant, there are at-home tests that you can take so you don’t have to wait for a doctor’s appointment.  

Why Is Early Detection In Pregnancy Important?

Of course, the excitement and anticipation of starting your family are great motivations to take a pregnancy test, but there are other reasons why knowing you’re pregnant is important:

• Start Taking Care of Your Body: Eat good foods, get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated.
• Stop Smoking and Drinking: Drugs, alcohol, and tobacco are completely off the table during pregnancy.
• Prenatal Care: There are–what seems like–a million prenatal doctor’s appointments to make sure your little bean is healthy.
• Prenatal Vitamins: To ensure your body has all the nutrients it needs.
• Testing: Some pregnancy tests, like the 13-week ultrasound, are time-specific, so getting an early pregnancy test is important.

How Do Pregnancy Tests Work?

It might be helpful to understand how pregnancy tests work so that you understand the difference between at-home and in-office tests.

All pregnancy tests work the same way, regardless of whether you’re taking them at home or in the doctor’s office—all tests screen for the pregnancy hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG).

HCG is only found in the body during pregnancy.

✅ Which makes it pretty easy! If there is hCG, you’re pregnant!

HCG is produced right after implantation, but in the very early days, the amount is so small that tests can’t detect it. Meaning if you take a pregnancy test too early, you might get a false negative. 

As the baby grows, more hCG is released into the body. Most at-home tests will be most accurate the day after your missed period.

If you’re eager to know if you’re pregnant before that, you have the option of early over-the-counter pregnancy tests and a blood test at the doctor’s office. I love First Response pregnancy tests. They are cheap and tell you sooner than any other urine tests if you’re pregnant ?.

In-Office Pregnancy Tests

There are three types of in-office pregnancy tests that a doctor can do to see if you’re pregnant:

1. A urine test
2. A blood test
3. An ultrasound

Urine Tests

This is the most common pregnancy test that is done at your doctor or gynecologist’s office. They are inexpensive, quick, and 99% accurate the day after your missed period.

Blood Tests

A doctor might want to do a blood test at 6 to 8 days past ovulation if there is a medical reason. 

Blood tests (also called beta hCG tests) usually detect lower quantities of hCG than urine tests so that they can pick up pregnancy sooner.

Urine tests are qualitative tests (they only give you a positive or negative result). Blood tests are quantitative to give the exact level of hCG in the blood.

A pregnancy blood test can only be ordered by your healthcare provider. There are no at-home pregnancy blood tests.  

Ultrasound

Unless your OB feels necessary, most doctors won’t order an ultrasound until you’re 8-12 weeks pregnant. It’s difficult to pick up the pregnancy before then.

At-Home Pregnancy Tests

If you’re going to test at home, your only option is a urine test. There are three ways of taking a pregnancy test:

1. In-Stream: Pee directly on the stick.
2. Dip Strip: Pee into a cup and dip the stick in the urine.
3. Cassette Test: Pee into a cup and drop urine onto the test with a dropper.

You’ll also find four types of pregnancy tests on the shelves:

1. Standard Pink Ink: These tests will show one line if negative and two parallel lines if positive. The lines are pink.
2. Standard Blue Ink: These tests will show one line if negative and a cross if positive.
3. Digital Tests: These tests will display the words “pregnant” or “not pregnant” digitally. These are the easiest to read!
4. Early Response Tests: Brands like First Response have more sensitive tests than others, which can tell you if you’re pregnant as early as six days before your missed period.

Other Pregnancy Diagnostic Tools

Once your doctor confirms your pregnancy with a blood or urine test, they will schedule your first prenatal appointment.  

Your first prenatal visit occurs during your first trimester, usually between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy.  

Your doctor will do a physical exam, usually including a pelvic exam, to check the uterus and cervix.  

Finally, you will likely have a series of transvaginal and transabdominal ultrasounds throughout your pregnancy to make sure things are progressing correctly. 

Once you hit the halfway mark of your pregnancy, your doctor’s visits, ultrasounds, and testing will start to increase until the end of your pregnancy. This is to monitor you and your child as you advance in your pregnancy.

When To Get A Pregnancy Blood Test 

Blood tests are more invasive and costly than urine tests, so most doctors don’t routinely do them just to check for pregnancy (although some practices do, so don’t worry if that’s standard at your doctor’s office). 

A doctor will examine your medical history, previous pregnancies, and risk factors to determine whether a blood hCG test is necessary. Here are some reasons why your doctor might want an hCG blood test:

• You’ve undergone fertility treatments.
• Have a history of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancies.
• Are of advanced maternal age.
• Have a high-risk pregnancy.

Your doctor might also order a blood test if you’ve missed your period, but your urine tests are negative.

Blood Test Results 

If your doctor orders a blood pregnancy test, you will give a blood sample, and it will be sent to the lab to test your hormone levels and see how much hCG is present. 

While urine pregnancy test results are ready in 5 minutes or less, blood test results can take 24 hours or longer.  

In addition to telling you if you’re pregnant or not, the results of your blood test can tell your doctor a lot more than a urine test.  If you have a high level of hCG in your blood:

• You might be farther along than you think.
• Have a molar pregnancy. 
• Have multiple babies. 

If you have a low level of hCG in your blood: 

• Might not be as far along as you thought.
• Have an ectopic pregnancy. 
• Have a blighted ovum. 
• Be having a miscarriage. 

If your blood test results concern your doctor will likely have you do blood test checks every 48-72 hours to tell your doctor if things are progressing normally. Your doctor might also do additional tests like an ultrasound or pelvic exam.