The period when you’re waiting to find out whether your period will come or you’re pregnant is extremely stressful. The well-known “two-week wait” from ovulation to the expected period is full of questions and anxiety for women trying to conceive.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a pregnancy test from the very first day of conception? If you could know immediately after ovulation whether you succeeded and will soon become parents?

The truth, however, is that unfortunately a pregnancy test cannot detect pregnancy from the first day of conception nor from the first day of implantation. Even the most advanced early-detection pregnancy tests need a few days before they can detect a pregnancy that has just begun.

Let’s take a look below at why this happens and what you need to know in order to properly use pregnancy tests.

Can pregnancy be detected from the first day?

Pregnancy cannot be detected from the first day—and this has nothing to do with how advanced a pregnancy test is, but with the way conception and embryo implantation work in the human body. These are two distinct stages that unfold over a period of 10–14 days.

Initially, during ovulation, the egg is released from the woman’s ovary and waits for about 24 hours in the fallopian tubes for a sperm to fertilize it. This is why intercourse one day before ovulation and on ovulation day is very important in order to significantly increase the chances of conception.

You can easily and quickly find out which day you ovulate with ovulation tests.

If a sperm meets the egg and fertilizes it, the newly formed embryo begins rapid cell division. At this stage, it travels from the fallopian tube toward the uterus, where it will implant approximately one week later. However, it’s important to note that before implantation, we cannot speak of a pregnancy, because it has not yet begun.

The implantation stage begins a few days after ovulation and conception. Once the embryo implants in the uterus, the woman’s body begins producing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone responsible for maintaining the embryo in the uterus and supporting its development.

This is the hormone that all pregnancy tests detect. However, for a pregnancy test to show a positive result, this hormone must reach specific levels (25 miu/ml). Each pregnancy develops differently, and hCG levels rise at different rates, but reaching these levels requires at least 2–3 days after implantation.

Therefore, it becomes clear that it is impossible for a pregnancy test to detect pregnancy either from the first day of conception or from the first day of implantation.

While there are early-detection pregnancy tests that can show positive results even 6 days before the expected period, we do not recommend them—and we will explain why below.

How should I use pregnancy tests?

Based on the above, it’s good to pay attention to certain things regarding how to use pregnancy tests in order to avoid stress and disappointment.

Start early but not too early

No matter how anxious you are to see if you’re pregnant, there’s no point in taking a pregnancy test earlier than 6 days before your period is due, because it will show negative even if you are pregnant.

You can find strips with many pregnancy tests at low cost so you can start testing as early as possible, but testing *too* early is pointless and will only cause additional anxiety.

The important thing is the line getting darker

If you start pregnancy tests very early (6 days before your expected period), you should know that there is a very high chance it will show negative even if you are pregnant. Otherwise, you may see a very faint line, because the test will barely be detecting the hCG hormone, which will only just have begun to rise.

In this case, it’s important to test again on the following days to see whether the line becomes darker—meaning the hormone is increasing. This indicates that the pregnancy is progressing normally.

If the line becomes fainter, it means the pregnancy is not progressing. Unfortunately, many pregnancies do not continue. In fact, if the woman had not tested early, she might never have known she was pregnant. This is called a biochemical pregnancy, which ends before the period, so if no test had been taken, the pregnancy would have gone unnoticed.

Take the test in the morning

Morning urine has higher concentrations of hCG, making it more likely to be detected even very early.

Use the appropriate test

We recommend Hometest pregnancy tests—certified and trusted by thousands of women (since 2007) for their reliable results. In most cases, they show positive results up to 4 days before the expected period.

Pregnancy test comparison

At Hometest you can find reliable pregnancy tests so you can learn as early as possible whether you’re pregnant. You have three options, all equally effective. Let’s see what’s best depending on your needs.

Midstream pregnancy tests

Midstream pregnancy tests are the classic tests we all have in mind. They are very easy to use, as the tip can be dipped into a urine collection cup, or you can apply urine directly onto the absorbent strip.

The result appears in a few seconds and is displayed as lines. One line means negative; two lines mean positive.

Midstream tests cost about €1–1.5 each, with discounts for packs containing more tests.

Pregnancy test strips

Pregnancy test strips work exactly the same way as midstream tests and show two lines if the result is positive.

The difference is that strips have no plastic casing, making them significantly cheaper. A test strip typically costs less than €1, and in larger packs the price per test can drop to well below 50 cents!

The only drawback is that you cannot urinate directly on the strip, as there is no protective casing. So, these tests must be used with a urine collection cup.

However, they are a very economical option if you want to start testing early and follow how the pregnancy develops day by day.

Digital pregnancy tests

Digital pregnancy tests offer the most functions and the clearest results. They are extremely easy to use and can be used both with direct urination on the test tip or by dipping the tip into a urine collection cup.

The result display is also very user-friendly—not with lines, but with a clear YES/NO indication.

However, digital tests have two disadvantages. First, they cannot be used early, as they are intended for use from the first day of a missed period. Second, they are more expensive, costing around €3.


So, if what you want is to start testing early and take one (or two) tests per day to quickly determine whether you are pregnant and whether the pregnancy is progressing normally, then pregnancy test strips are the most economical and effective solution.

If you’re looking for a very easy-to-use test, then midstream or digital is a good choice. However, digital tests should be used after your missed period and don’t allow you to evaluate the faintness of the line or track pregnancy progression. They are, however, very simple and clear in their display.

With HomeTest pregnancy tests, you can find out quickly and with absolute accuracy whether you’re pregnant—even 4 days before your expected period. Find them all here and get ready for the best news of your life! Do you think you might already have the first symptoms? Check our guide on pregnancy symptoms by week to see where you might be.