Family Planning Plus

Yes, the best way to know about a pregnancy would be to wait until your next period. Most pregnancy tests will not be positive until you are, at the earliest, about 4 weeks along.

An ovum (egg) is fertilized in the fallopian tube. It takes approximately 7-10 days for the fertilized egg to travel down the tube and into the uterus. There, it may take another 10-14 days to implant into the uterine lining. It is not until after the fertilized egg is well implanted in the uterus that one would be able to detect HcG (pregnancy hormone) in the urine. The pregnancy hormone level begins at low concentration in the urine, then becomes higher in the early months of pregnancy. This is why you can do a pregnancy test too early and obtain a false negative. The first morning urine is usually the best one to test, because it would be the most concentrated.

Keep in mind, though, that being without birth control pills is an adjustment for your body. Your next period may be earlier or later than you would expect. It can take your body 1-3 months after discontinuing the pills to return to regular monthly periods.

It would be best to wait until your next period is more than 1 week late. In the meantime, do not have unprotected intercourse. If your period doesn’t occur, do a pregnancy test.  If your period occurs, it is safe to restart your birth control pills, the Sunday after your period starts. If your period does not occur but your pregnancy test is negative, wait another week and repeat the test. If it is negative, call your doctor or clinic for further instructions especially if you’re interested in restarting the birth control pills. If it’s positive, you may want to call a clinic for options counseling.