How early will a test work?

[kaiya23]

Ok, so I haven't missed a period and I'm about two weeks away from the next one. I'm over heating and nauseus (like motion sickness) and have had a couple bouts of extreme exhaustion, like my energy completely disappeared. It's reminding me of my first tri-mester with my daughter, who's only 13 months old.

My question is, can I take a test this early and get the correct result? Or do I need to wait to miss a period. My main concern is that I'm on birth control and other meds that would cause harm to a baby and I need to stop them if I am pregnant...although I was on the same meds with my daughter for the first month before I knew... and she's healthy. I guess I could wait a couple of weeks... any thoughts?

[fuzzy]

I'm actually in the same boat right know! My son is also 13 months old..When I got pregnant with him,I had taken two of those "find out 4 days bfore your expected periods preg test" and they both turned negative.It wasn't until 5 days after I was supposed to start that a test was actually positive.
We actually started trying this months and I'm a week away from my expected period and I took one of those same test again(It was negative)but the accuracy rate is only 54% 5 days before your expected period and the percentage goes up the closer you are to your time of the month.I know it's hard cause you just want to know but I don't think unless you get a blood test done there is any pregnancy test out there that you're actually going to get an accurate response.If your concerned about the current meds you are on I consult the doctor and he/she will probably send you for a blood test.I hope this helps:)

[jenn_0629]

I always see tests that advertise that they can tell 5 days before your missed period. I would say that right now, it is best to probably just wait. If you think you are pregnant, you can just stop taking the birth control and hold off on sex for two weeks or use a different form to prevent pregnancy. I don't know how quick symptoms can kick in..but two weeks seems a little too early to me. And also, if you are taking the pill correctly, pregnancy isn't too likely. I would say just to wait until you miss your period, that is usually the first sign.

[cfbinnc]

I understand your concern about birth control - my husband and I have gone back and forth about whether to use hormonal birth control or "natural" family planning incpart because of this very concern. I got pregnant the month after stopping hormonal birth control back in December and suffered an early-term miscarriage. And even though all the doctors say BC can't cause a miscarriage, I had a hard time trying to get over the fact that there were added chemicals in my body and "what if..." So, I'd take the advice of jenn_0629 and "you can just stop taking the birth control and hold off on sex for two weeks or use a different form to prevent pregnancy"