Key takeaways:
A pregnancy test can’t detect a pregnancy until about 2 weeks after you have unprotected sex.
For the most accurate result, it’s best to wait until the first day of your missed period.
The longer you wait before taking a test, the more accurate the result.
If your periods are irregular, it’s best to wait 2 to 3 weeks after having unprotected sex for a reliable pregnancy test result.
It’s helpful to know when the best time is to test for pregnancy after having unprotected sex. After all, there’s little point in taking a test if you can’t trust the result. It can be tempting to test every day, or even several times a day, if you think you could be pregnant. But that strategy won’t give you the best answers.
How soon a pregnancy test can be reliable depends on a few things, including the type of test and how regular your menstrual cycle is. Here’s what you need to know.
When should you take a pregnancy test after unprotected sex?
The best time to take a pregnancy test is on the first day of your missed period, if you have regular periods. If your periods tend to be irregular, waiting 2 to 3 weeks after unprotected sex is more likely to give you an accurate result.
That might seem like a long time to wait. But the earliest a pregnancy test could be positive is about 10 to 14 days after unprotected vaginal sex. That’s because you don’t get pregnant as soon as you have sex. It takes time for your body to produce the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Pregnancy tests are positive if they detect hCG in the urine or blood.
Recommended timeline for pregnancy testing
After sex, it can take up to 1 week for the sperm to fertilize the egg. Then it takes up to another week for the fertilized egg to implant into the uterus. This implantation is what prompts hCG production. So, testing too early (before hCG starts to rise) could give a false-negative result. This means the test gives a negative result even though pregnancy is happening.
Here’s a typical timeline of testing after your period and results:
After 7 to 10 days: too early; high chance of a false negative
After 14 days: minimum wait time for reliable results
After 21 days: most accurate results
Taking a pregnancy test 1 day or more after your period is supposed to start gives you the best chance of an accurate result.
If you don’t want to be pregnant
If you had unprotected sex and you don’t want to be pregnant, you don’t have to wait 2 weeks to find out. Emergency “morning after” contraception is available and stops a pregnancy before it starts. It works best in the first 3 to 5 days after you have unprotected sex.
What is the best time to take a pregnancy test?
The best time to take an at-home urine pregnancy test is first thing in the morning. That’s because your urine is the most concentrated right when you wake up from a night’s sleep, before you drink anything. The more concentrated the urine, the easier it is to detect hCG if you’re pregnant.
Add GoodRx as a trusted source on GoogleAdd GoodRx as a trusted sourceThat said, you can take a test at any time of day. It doesn’t have to be in the morning.
Types of pregnancy tests
There are two types of pregnancy tests. Both test for the pregnancy hormone, hCG. One is a urine test, while the other is a blood test.
Urine pregnancy test
This is the most common type of pregnancy test. It has many advantages:
Convenient
Available in most drug and grocery stores, health clinics, hospitals, and at a healthcare professional’s office
Inexpensive, or even free at some health and family planning clinics
Gives you an immediate result
Accuracy of 97% to 99%, when used correctly
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Blood pregnancy test
Blood testing for pregnancy is less common, since it requires a blood draw by a healthcare professional. A quantitative blood test measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood, whereas a qualitative blood test just determines if hCG is present or not.
Blood testing may be more expensive, and you’ll have to wait for a result. But it does have some advantages over the urine test:
Can detect pregnancy slightly earlier than a urine test
Over 99% accurate
How many pregnancy tests should you take?
If you take a test after the first day of your missed period and you get a positive result, you can be confident that you’re pregnant. There’s no need to take any more tests. At this point, call a healthcare professional to make an appointment.
If you got a negative result after a missed period but need reassurance, then it’s reasonable to test again in a couple days. Here’s why: Once a fertilized egg implants in the uterus, hCG rises fast. In fact, it doubles about every 2 days.
Remember: If your cycles are irregular, or you tested too soon after having unprotected sex, the results are less likely to be accurate.
When should you see a doctor about a possible pregnancy?
The timing for talking with a healthcare professional about a possible pregnancy depends on your own plans to become pregnant. Here are different scenarios to help guide you.
You have a positive pregnancy test and you want to be pregnant
Once you have a positive pregnancy test, call a healthcare professional to schedule an appointment. Typically, the first prenatal visit is scheduled about 8 weeks after your last period.
You’re worried you could be pregnant and you don’t want to be
If you’ve had unprotected penis-in-vagina sex or your contraception failed and you don’t want to become pregnant, see a healthcare professional or visit a local pharmacy quickly, within days.
Morning-after pills — like Plan B (levonorgestrel) — are available without a prescription and can prevent pregnancy before it starts.
You have a positive pregnancy test, but you don’t want to be pregnant
If you don’t want to be pregnant, but you tested positive, here are some options:
Reach out to a healthcare professional as soon as possible to confirm the pregnancy.
Discuss your options with a healthcare professional you trust.
If you're thinking about abortion, you’ll need to find out what your options are. These will depend on where you live and how far along your pregnancy is.
Whatever your unique situation, help and resources are available.
You’re not pregnant, but you’re thinking about getting pregnant
The best time to see a healthcare professional about a possible pregnancy is when you’re considering getting pregnant.
Caring for yourself and your baby during pregnancy starts before conception. This includes:
Avoiding alcohol and tobacco
Taking supplements like folic acid
Reviewing any medications you take that may affect your pregnancy
You want to prevent pregnancy
Here are some things to keep in mind if you want to prevent pregnancy:
If you’re sexually active and want to avoid pregnancy, there are a number of birth control options available.
Various birth control methods have different levels of effectiveness and suitability.
A healthcare professional can help you find the best contraception for your specific needs, and you can also consider over-the-counter (OTC) birth control options.
Quiz: Am I pregnant?
Frequently asked questions
The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can be detected as early as 10 days after conception in some cases. It can take up to 3 weeks, however, for the hCG level to rise to an amount that a pregnancy test will detect.
No, you won’t be able to determine that you’re pregnant only 2 days after having unprotected sex. The fertilization and implantation processes take longer than that. It usually takes at least a couple of weeks to start feeling physical changes of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness or fatigue.
The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can be detected as early as 10 days after conception in some cases. It can take up to 3 weeks, however, for the hCG level to rise to an amount that a pregnancy test will detect.
No, you won’t be able to determine that you’re pregnant only 2 days after having unprotected sex. The fertilization and implantation processes take longer than that. It usually takes at least a couple of weeks to start feeling physical changes of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness or fatigue.
The bottom line
The most accurate time to take a pregnancy test is after the first day of your missed period, or at least 2 weeks after having unprotected vaginal sex. A blood test can detect pregnancy a few days earlier than a urine test. If you get a negative result, but you think you could be pregnant, take another test in a few days if you still don’t get your period.
Why trust our experts?
References
Better Health Channel. (2022). Pregnancy testing. Victoria State Government.
MedlinePlus. (2024). HCG blood test - quantitative.
MedlinePlus. (2025). Pregnancy test.
National Health Service. (2022). Doing a pregnancy test.
Office on Women’s Health. (2025). Knowing if you are pregnant.
Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). Pregnancy tests.
Sundermann, A. C., et al. (2026). Home pregnancy test sensitivity by test timing and cycle length with real-world use among pregnancy planners who conceived. Fertility and Sterility.
