How early can pregnancy be detected
Summary: Gone are the days that a woman must wait for a missed menstrual cycle to determine if she may or may not be pregnant.  And in todays 'want it now 'society most women who suspect that they might be pregnant ask the question, "How early can pregnancy be detected?"

The answer falls in a gray area because each woman's body is different and each woman will have a different experience.  The rule of thumb is to wait for your missed cycle or approximately 15 days after ovulation before testing.

The most widely available home pregnancy tests on the market recommend testing your morning urine.  There is a midstream test, which is used by holding the test strip in the flow of urine, and the dip test, which is dipped into urine.  Equally accurate, these tests check the urine for the presence of HCG, (Human Chronic Gonadotropin).  HCG is a hormone produced by a developing placenta within the uterine lining, when a fertilized egg implants itself - This hormone doubles daily during your pregnancy, and in the early days of your pregnancy it is hard to detect, which is the reason for using morning urine, as it is more concentrated.  

The more sensitive pregnancy tests can be used earlier than those that are not as sensitive, i.e., a pregnancy test that detects 20 mIU/ml (measured International Units) is more responsive and will register a reading quicker than a test that detects 50 mIU/ml. These more receptive tests theoretically can determine pregnancy as early as seven or eight days after conception, (the moment the egg is actually fertilized), though testing this early bears some warning for false-negative results (a negative test result when you truly are pregnant) because it relies on the levels of HCG, which are low in the early stages of pregnancy.  If you suspect that you are pregnant and your home pregnancy test indicates a negative result it is recommended that you wait two days and test again.  If you test and find a faint line on the indicator strip it is generally accepted to be interpreted as a positive result, as the faint line is an indication that HCG is present, just in minute quantities; a second test in a couple of days after finding the faint line should be much more clear.

Regardless of the type of test that you use, make sure to read the directions in their entirety before taking the test, and if possible, review them the evening before.  This way you have a clear understanding on what steps need to be taken the morning of the test and you will know exactly what to expect.  If for some reason you are not comfortable taking a home pregnancy test or the test you take indicates a positive result, it is vital that you make an appointment and see your doctor immediately.  Your doctor can offer a pregnancy test that tests blood or urine.  A developing fetus needs consistent medical care from the time of conception through birth.  Your doctor can start prenatal vitamins and begin the necessary care for you and your unborn, giving you every possible opportunity to carry and deliver a healthy, full term baby.

HCG is not the only indication of pregnancy.  Often women will report that they can feel changes amidst their body just days after conception. This is completely logical considering all the changes that are taking place.  And it is not unusual to experience light spotting (for one or two days), have feelings of nausea, unexplained fatigue or general flu like symptoms during the days of implantation.  Some women also experience tender or swollen breasts early in their pregnancy as well.

Within the first 24 hours after the time of conception, the egg, now called a zygote, begins to divide into many different cells and make it's way through the fallopian tube into the uterus, where the implantation process begins.  During it's journey through the fallopian tube the zygote undergoes additional changes, including another name change, where it becomes the blastocyst. The blastocyst endures one more change before the final implantation occurs.  Despite the difficult names, from the moment of conception through the first eight weeks of your pregnancy, your developing baby is called and "embryo".  From the ninth week through the point of delivery your baby is called a "fetus".

You will carry your baby an estimated 280 days, which is broken up into 40 weeks or 13 week trimesters.  Your obstetrician will supervise your pregnancy and monitor the health of your unborn by using ultrasounds, sonograms and other types of testing.  However, at any time during this period you should immediately notify your doctor if you experience any pain, bleeding or other unusual symptoms.