Powerful Progesterone
Progesterone, also known as "the hormone of pregnancy", is one of the major hormones in the human body. It is constantly being produced in both men and women, although levels tend to be higher in women. While it fulfills numerous functions in the body, most of its 'work' takes place in pursuit of or during pregnancy, and it's helpful in getting the earliest pregnancy test results possible.
Progesterone is directly responsible for preparing the uterine lining to receive a fertilised egg, sending signals to the brain and uterus regulating menstrual flow, suppressing maternal immune response to allow for embryo implantation, and possibly triggering labor and lactation. Without progesterone, pregnancy would not be possible.
Progesterone: Building Your Pregnancy
Progesterone is like a little internal mother, preparing the bed for the cellular material that will make up your future infant, helping to feed and nourish it into the healthy fetus it will become over the next nine months. It's there to help the little embryo nestle itself into the endometrium, and it's there to bring the results of your earliest pregnancy test long before your 'baby' even resembles a baby.
Once the egg is implanted in the endometrial lining of the uterus, it is considered an embryo, and at this point begins to produce hCG - human Chorionic Gonadotropin - a hormone that signals pregnancy to your body and cancels your monthly periods. HCG is also considered a contributing factor to morning sickness.
When Will You Know?
While some women experience a little spotting on implantation (called 'implantation bleeding'), many others do not, and it is by no means a definitive sign of pregnancy. Six to ten days after ovulation, you will be ready to try the earliest pregnancy test options available on the market.
You shouldn't test before a week has passed since ovulation, as tests taken that early tend to read negative no matter what. Even the earliest pregnancy test needs to allow some time to pass before evaluating your body's level of hCG. A window of at least a week will give the earliest pregnancy test ample hCG to read, and may spell the difference between disappointment and delight. You may want to take your earliest pregnancy test several times over the course of a week, to further balance out the results and ensure greater accuracy. After all, even the earliest pregnancy test can't detect levels of hCG less than 20mlU/mL, and some women don't produce that much until they're into their second or third week of pregnancy!
The Earliest Pregnancy Test Results
Usually, because the hCG level may be low, your earliest pregnancy test will not show a 'strong' positive indicator (if it comes back positive at all). Testing over several consecutive days (ideally, a week) will give you a visual demonstration of the increasing amount of hCG in your system, as that 'positive' indicator you saw on your earliest pregnancy test grows gradually darker and bolder.
If your earliest pregnancy test results were negative but you believe you're experiencing pregnancy symptoms, or if the results of your earliest pregnancy test were positive but have changed to negative over the course of a week or two, consult with your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor can run a simple blood test to measure the amount of hCG in your system, and from there, guide you on your status and your choices.
