In disbelief many women take two, three, or even more home pregnancy tests before the reality of the pregnancy (or not) sink in. No worries about seeming extreme by the way. Plenty of women really do take multiple tests. When I was pregnant with my son, I took three pregnancy tests before I believed the results (all positive).

That said, you probably don’t need to waste money taking home pregnancy tests over and over. Home pregnancy tests are pretty darn reliable. Most of the research on home pregnancy tests note that they are anywhere from 97% to 99% accurate.

How reliable are they really? Most home pregnancy tests claim to be 99% reliable even as soon as the first day of a missed period. However, the U.S. Department of Health and research included in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) both note that pregnancy tests are much more reliable at about a week after your first missed period. The reliability rate of most home pregnancy tests is almost 100% if you take the test correctly and take it one week after your missed period.

Can’t a home pregnancy test be incorrect?

Yes, but research shows that you’re far more likely to get a false negative result. This means if you take a home pregnancy test and it says you’re pregnant, you almost certainly are. False positive pregnancy tests are extremely rare.

While false positive home pregnancy tests are rare they do happen. The Mayo Clinic says that blood or protein traces in your urine, various prescription drugs, or a damaged or expired test kit may all cause a false positive result. However remember these are very rare, do not put off prenatal care because you think you may have a false positive test - it’s much more likely that you’re really pregnant.

False negative home pregnancy test are more common. Many issues can cause a false negative result such as…

• Taking the test too early.
• Drinking a lot of liquid before a test, which will dilute your urine.
• You did not follow the test directions.
• You have low levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). When you’re pregnant your body produces HCG. Home pregnancy tests detect this hormone in your urine, so if your levels of HGC are low the test may miss them.

If you get a negative home pregnancy result and you don’t get your period within a week take a second test. If you get another negative result and you still don’t get your period or you’re having any basic early signs of pregnancy make an appointment your your health care provider.

Also see - can you get pregnant while on the pill and learn how to accept a surprise pregnancy.

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