The early urine pregnancy test is usually positive within 10-12 days after ovulation or 3-4 days after implantation
An early pregnancy test checks for the presence of the pregnancy hormone hCG human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine.
hCg is detectable in the blood only after implantation. Implantation, the attachement of the fertilized egg to the uterus, happens on average 7-9 days after ovulation with a range of 6-12 days. You need to find enough hCG in the urine to get a positive pregnancy test, and with most current pregnancy test kits (sensitivity 25 milli-international units per milliliter) the pregnancy hormone hCG can be detected in the urine as early as 3-4 days after implantation (9-15 days after ovulation), though oftentimes it can take longer because the urine may be diluted or there is not enough hCG yet in the urine, or implantation happens later than extected. Our pregnancy calendar will help you calculate the due date and other important dates, and our ovulation calendar will calculate your fertile days.
hCG levels are also higher in women carrying a female fetus when compared to women carrying a male fetus, so it is possible that the pregnancy test becomes positive later in women carrying a male fetus (Read HERE more).
Why does it take sometimes longer for the pregnancy test to become positive?
What makes the pregnancy test become positive?
Here are the expected positive positive home pregnancy tests in women who are pregnant based on a scientific study:
Expected Period (EP)
| Expected Menstrual Period | How often is the Pregnancy Test Positive? |
| 3 Days before Expected Period | 51% positive |
| 2 Days before Expected Period | 62% positive |
| 1 Day before Expected Period | 68% positive |
| Day of Expected Period | 74% positive |
| 1 day after Expected Period | 79% positive |
| 2 days after Expected Period | 85% positive |
| 3 days after Expected Period | 90% positive |
| 7+ days after Expected Period | 96% positive |
From: Wilcox in JAMA 2001; 286:1759