When you become pregnant, following implantation of your fertilized egg in your uterus, your body begins producing massive amounts of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). hCG is commonly known as the "pregnancy hormone" because while low levels of the hormone are always present in your body (at a level of around to 1-2 mIU), it is typically only found in mass-amounts when you are pregnant. In fact, the amount of hGC produced by a pregnant woman doubles everyday.
Home Pregnant Tests (HPTs) work by detecting hCG. Common HPTs can detect hGC levels between 25-50 mIU (typically 8 to 10 days past ovulation). Assuming you are pregnant and depending on when implantation occurs it can take between 7 and 14 days after ovulation for your HCG levels to reach a level high enough to trigger a positive result on a pregnancy test. And what test you choose will play a role as well.
After implantation your hCG production increases quickly. If you become pregnant with multiple babies (bless your heart!), your HCG levels will be much higher than shown below.
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