Question about pregnancy tests

I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings but I am trying to understand something. It seems like a lot of people on here are testing BEFORE they miss their period....why would you do that? It seems like you are setting yourself up for disappointment that way....meaning, if you didn't miss a period what would make you think you were pregnant? Then people are upset over a negative but really if you didn't miss a period what other evidence do you have that would make you think you were pregnant to make you test in the first place?

I'm not saying this to be mean or because I think it's wrong to do or anything, I just am confused about the whole thing.

I know tests can pick up a pregnancy before a missed period but I'm not sure I understand the whole testing early thing.

Maybe this concept is confusing to me because we aren't actually TTC yet. Is the feeling to want to know that strong that you can't help yourself and you test without missing a period? Why not just wait to see if you skip a period? It seems less depressing that way...and less expensive...

I just never heard of anyone testing before they missed a period IRL but it seems very common on here?

I would have never thought to buy a pregnancy test and start testing in between having sex and my period - but now that I see so many people doing it on here I am wondering am I missing something?

I don't know, I think I would rather wait and see if I miss my period and then test, rather than test every month and keep seeing negative results on the stick. For some reason when I picture seeing negative on a stick it seems sadder than having your period come.

Is it because I am not trying yet that I don't relate?

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

i'll answer for me personally

in the beginning i did it b/c honestly when we first started trying i was so excited that i really couldnt wait - and i thought each month "this is it"

now i test early b/c i want to know if i have a chemical - sometimes you could get a BFP but loose it before or around when AF is due so you would never know you were pregnant. Having a chemical for me would at least let me know i could get pregnant and multiple losses can signify a problem.

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

Well for me I tested early mainly b/c I was excited. Also I felt different: my boobs hurt (I was getting sharp pains & they were super sensitive); I had some implantation bleeding and I was exhausted. The first time I got a BFP the day b4 AF was due.

Second time I didn't get BFP until 2 or 3 days after AF was due.

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

You ask a good question.
Everybody's different.

It is very possible, that when you start TTC you will absolutely be so excited/hopeful, that the wait will likely be insane-especially the first month.

I noticed when we started TTC that immediately I became hyper sensitive to every twinge/ache/cramp/etc which made the 2WW insane. I literally drove myself crazy the first month.

Our first month of trying I tested twice before AF showed up...the wait was killing me. Of course she showed up right on time.
I did decide after that, that I wouldn't drive myself so crazy. For me I was so consumed with the hysteria of "am I or aren't I" that the entire 2WW I stopped my life for it. For me, I couldn't put myself through it again and again.

For our 2nd month TTC I really held out. I actually was so busy with work during the 2WW that I barely thought about it. I tested the day AF was due-I tested around noon (AF always came first thing in the morning so I knew something was off), but got a BFN. After AF was almost 4 days late, I re-tested and then got a BFP.

So to answer your question, while it's logical to wait until AF is late to test, that 2WW is a killer. Whenever you decide to test is up to you. But don't beat yourself up over it if you test early-it's a very exciting possibility you've got going on.

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

i Felt the same way you have- why test if you dont have a miss AF., but after reading the post about the chemical pg's i get it.

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

thank you girls for understanding that i am just curious and for not taking the question the wrong way...

i am a really impatient person and i can be pretty anxious, i HATE waiting and not knowing things....i don't know what i am going to do when we try and i have the 2ww...i'll probably also drive myself crazy! which is why i was thinking i would be better off not to test at all until a missed period, but at the same time i can see how you might not be able to resist knowing earlier if you are or are not - it makes sense...

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

For me, every extra day of not knowing if I was possibly pregnant was driving me crazy! I'm speaking about last month which was our first month TTC #2. I'm not sure if I will be as insane this month, but you never know

When TTC DS, I tested at a couple of days early (just for the sheer novelty of testing) I didn't think I was pregnant, I thought it would take us longer....First I got a BFN and the next day a BFP.

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

i personally dont test most of the time bc i try to wait for the missed period. also those tests are sooooo expensive. i would rather spend the $ on going out to dinner with DH or something. everybody is different.

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

For myself...........I simply cannot hold out 14-16 days to test. When I was pregnant with my DD I tested negative at 9DPO but positive at 10DPO which is 4 days before my period was due. I KNEW I was pregnant. I had a ton of symptoms starting at 5DPO so honestly, I just couldn't hold out any longer. I needed to know and my instincts were right.

Also, because the HPT's today are so sensitive you don't need to wait until a missed period to POAS which is why many of the girls here don't hold out. Yes it's disappointing when you test early and get a BFN but I know full well that a BFN can turn into a BFP and you're not out until AF shows!

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

My cycles were so irregular, I couldn't really predict when AF was late or not. I tested around CD 30 the first month TTC and it was negative. AF came around CD 35. The second cycle I never tested and AF came around CD35 too.

The third cycle I "felt" pregnant but got a BFN on CD37. I went to my GP and did a BT and it was also negative on CD42.

I got my BFP on CD67. It was funny because we had been out of the country for 10 days and came back on Mother's Day and I wasn't going to test, but AF still hadn't shown... so I figured I'd give the stick one more shot.

I guess AF was late, but it wasn't really easy to tell.

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

Posted by Hofstra26

For myself...........I simply cannot hold out 14-16 days to test. When I was pregnant with my DD I tested negative at 9DPO but positive at 10DPO which is 4 days before my period was due. I KNEW I was pregnant. I had a ton of symptoms starting at 5DPO so honestly, I just couldn't hold out any longer. I needed to know and my instincts were right.

Also, because the HPT's today are so sensitive you don't need to wait until a missed period to POAS which is why many of the girls here don't hold out. Yes it's disappointing when you test early and get a BFN but I know full well that a BFN can turn into a BFP and you're not out until AF shows!

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

Honestly before TTC I used to read these boards and think, "Man these broads are crazy for testing so early and obsessing over every cramp and sensation!" But now Ive been trying since March and I am one of those crazy broads lol

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

All I have to say is wait until you're in the 2ww!!!



it's torture

Re: Question about pregnancy tests

Depends on the person, sometimes you cannot wait and are too anxious. and if youre TTC , even if you dont have pregnancy symptoms, you still want to know if this cycle is a positive test for you.

when i was preg with my daughter, my period wasnt even late ( i tested the day it was suppose to come) and got a negative result.....i just knew i was pregnant even though it was negative, i wasnt TTC, but i was eating like a maniac.....
because of that, i knew something was up.

TTC can be a hard time to be patient, and a lot of people get excited.
but a lot of people do wait till their AF is late, because getting a negative result can bevery disappointing