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Home pregnancy tests

A home pregnancy test will measure the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in your urine. This hormone is produced by the placenta and it’s secreted at the time the fertilised egg implants in your uterus. This is usually at around six days after fertilisation.

By the time of the first day of your missed period, the pregnancy test should be able to detect the presence of the hormone in your urine. Try not to drink too much fluid just before testing as this could dilute the pregnancy hormone in your urine.

Some home pregnancy test results show either blue or pink lines on the testing strip, while others reveal a red plus or minus sign in a window, or change the colour of the urine sample.

However, a negative result can happen when the levels of hCG have not yet reached a point where they can be detected by a test. This can be the case even by the day your period is due, so you may want to wait a few days, then take the test again.