6 Weird, Early Pregnancy Symptoms Before Your Missed Period

This is tricky. Those all sound like promising pregnancy symptoms, but the negative tests certainly confuse things. If you can, I would grab a First Response brand and test with one of those. I had a friend who could get a positive pregnancy test until she was technically six weeks pregnant (and two weeks late for her period).

This is not medical, it's completely anecdotal, but I've noticed that the later my period gets, the weirder my symptoms will get, even though I'm not actually pregnant! If this continues to be an issue for you and you continue to experience nipple discharge, you should talk to your doctor because these can be signs of a very treatable thyroid condition. (However, if you've breastfed within the last three years, it's also possible that your body is just still randomly lactating - so fun - and something to let your doctor know about).

Stomach cramps, as in, the kind you might get when you have a stomach bug are not indicative of pregnancy, and neither is a fever. However, being warmer than is usual for you and experiencing period-like cramps is normal for early pregnancy.

It's possible that you have a late period because you're dealing with a virus which could be the cause of your fever and stomach cramps while your other symptoms could be attributed to PMS.

To be sure, you should take an at-home-pregnancy test. If the test is negative and you do have a fever you should call your doctor. If it's positive, you should call your doctor anyway.

In a word: no. Not yet, anyway. If you're sure of when you ovulated, then you most likely wouldn't be experiencing pregnancy symptoms yet. That's because if a sperm does fertilize your egg during ovulation, it still takes seven to twelve days after that for the fertilized egg to implant in the wall of your uterus. Once that happens then your body starts responding to the pregnancy.

All of that being said, I do believe that there are women who experience symptoms right away after fertilization. However, it's debated by medical professionals.

It's most likely that the cramps you're experiencing are post ovulation cramps - a normal response to ovulation.

In six days, at ten DPO, you should be able to start testing for pregnancy with a fair amount of accuracy.

If it's been two weeks since you had unprotected sex and the pregnancy test is coming up negative, I would attribute your symptoms to the likelihood that you're about to start your menstrual cycle.

You're probably anxious to know for certain though, so I would wait two more days, and if you still don't have your period, take another test. You can continue testing every 48 hours until you either get a positive test or you begin your menstrual cycle.

The reason to test every 48 hours is that on the slight chance you are pregnant, the pregnancy hormone will double every two days (48 hours).

The reason I think your negative test is probably accurate is that if you had sex two weeks ago, you likely would have experienced implantation within the last two weeks and would have enough hormone by now to get a positive on a pregnancy test. However, since you don't know for certain when (or if) you ovulated there is still a possibility you could be pregnant and it's just too early to get a positive test.

Keep in mind that sore breasts, back pain and abdominal cramps are not uncommon before you start your period.

That's really frustrating. I'm sorry that you're dealing with a late period and a negative pregnancy test.

There are a lot of things that can lead to a late period, even if you're not pregnant. Some of the most common reasons for this are that you didn't ovulate this month or you ovulated late, that you were recently sick which can delay ovulation, or that you're stressed out which can delay ovulation.

Yes, there's a pretty good chance that you're pregnant. I'd say that if you still haven't gotten your period it's time to take a pregnancy test right now.

Since you still have 14 days until your next cycle starts, that means you're probably halfway through your cycle right now, and the symptoms you're experiencing are almost for sure ovulation pains. Ovulation causes a rise in hormones that can also make you feel sick.

However, I'd definitely keep an eye on things and take a pregnancy test in 12-14 days since it sounds like there was a possibility of conception.

In my experience, once you're late for your period, you can usually take a pregnancy test at any point in the day, and you'll get an accurate result. However, I do know a couple of people this wasn't true for! If your period continues to be late, then I would take another pregnancy test, but take it in the morning with your first urine of the day and trust that result.

I too get really exhausted right before and during the first day of my period. It's not fun, but it's not that uncommon. If it continues to be a problem for you, you can talk to your doctor. Extreme fatigue around your menstrual cycle can also be a sign of a treatable condition (like low iron, or a simple thyroid issue).

You're probably wondering if this is implantation spotting and it very well could be, especially since the bleeding started earlier than your normal cycle. A good way to tell the difference between implantation and the start of your period is if there's a flow. Do you have to change pads or tampons? If you are, then I would say this is just an early period.

Either way, just to reassure yourself, take a test on the day your period was supposed to start. If you really are pregnant, you should be able to get at least a faint positive at that point.

Yes, these symptoms can be indicative of pregnancy. The first thing you should do is take a pregnancy test. If it comes back negative, you'll want to call your doctor and let them know what's going on. These symptoms can also be as a result of a treatable thyroid condition.

If your period came on time, after the spotting, then I would say it was just a little random mid-cycle spotting.

However, if you're saying that you had some spotting 11 days before your period was due and now you're having pregnancy symptoms, then it's possible that the spotting was implantation bleeding. Having implantation bleeding 11 days before your period is due isn't common since implantation usually happens a couple of days before your period is due. But, periods, ovulation, and conception can be weird, and there's always the possibility that your dates are a bit off.

Once your period is only two or three days away, I would say it's okay to start testing. If the tests come back and you get your period, then just keep an eye on anymore mid-cycle spotting. If it happens again, let your doctor know.

I think that if your period is regular and you're already five days late, then you're at a good place to take a test.

That being said, if you're scared, whether it be because you're hoping it will be positive or hoping it'll be negative, then waiting a few more days might just stress you out more! Take the test now and if the result isn't what you want it to be then that gives you more time to decide how you want to move forward.

Yes, you could. A common misconception is that if you have intercourse during your menstrual cycle, you are less likely to get pregnant. However, since sperm live up to five days, if you were to ovulate shortly after your period ended, there's a possibility that you could become pregnant.

For me, it felt like it was heavy and bloated - like I was going to start my period. My stomach felt crampy and achey. To the touch, it didn't feel any different than it normally would. Your stomach doesn't start feeling hard on the outside until well into the pregnancy. For me, that was around 16 weeks.

Yes, it's very possible that you're pregnant if you had unprotected sex while you were ovulating. If you haven't taken a pregnancy test already, then you could take one right now and get pretty accurate results.

You should definitely take a pregnancy test if your period is two weeks late, especially considering you haven't had a period since January. If your test comes back negative and you're still feeling sick please call your doctor.

Yes, you can take a pregnancy test even if you haven’t missed your period yet. First though, you need to make sure you’re close enough to your period to get an accurate result. If you take a home pregnancy test (sometimes called an HPT) an entire week before you’re expecting your period to start, you could end up getting a test that says you’re not pregnant when you actually are. That’s because it takes time for pregnancy hormones to build up enough in your body to produce a positive result on the test.

If you’re anxious to find out, pick up a test that can detect pregnancy early. My favorite is First Response Early Response (not the digital). Read the directions on the box, but personally I’ve been able to get a positive result with these as early as five days before I’m supposed to get my period. They’re pretty sensitive!

The most likely reason is that you're gearing up to start your period. However, if you've recently had unprotected sex, then the next best possibility is early pregnancy symptoms! If you haven't started your cycle yet, then I would take a pregnancy test because today would be your official "late" day.

The answer isn’t a simple yes or no, even though it should be. According to most home pregnancy test kits, any second line, no matter how faint it may look to you, means the test is positive. The problem with this explanation is that it’s only true if the line appeared within the test limit (that means, for most tests, the line needs to appear within five to ten minutes of exposing it to urine). That’s because sometimes, something called an “evaporation line” can occur when a used pregnancy test begins to dry. This line is simply the indent where the test line would have showed a positive result, it doesn’t mean you’re pregnant, it just means that your urine soaking into the test has made the indent visible.

If your test looks negative and you trash it and then pull it back out hours later to look at it again and find that it has a faint second line, it could very well be an evaporation line, not a true positive result. An easy way to tell the difference between a true faint positive line and an evaporation line is whether or not the line has color. If you’re taking a pink dye test, this faint line can still be considered positive within the testing limit (those first five to ten minutes) if it looks pink and not gray. Likewise, with a blue dye test, this second line, no matter how faint, needs to have a blue color to it in order for it to be considered positive. These blue dye tests can be tricky to interpret as gray can sometimes look blueish and vice versa.

So, simply put, if the second line is faint but still shows up within 5-10 minutes of taking the test and has obvious color to it, yes it’s positive!

Since you took the Plan B within 72 hours of the unprotected sex, then according to Plan B's website, you have an "up to 89%" chance of NOT conceiving.

Also according to their site, it's not uncommon for women to experience, among other symptoms mentioned, breast tenderness and nausea caused by the Plan B.

If I were you, I would take a deep breath and know that you took the steps to prevent pregnancy, and just try to relax in that. Any time any of us have sex, even if we're using the most effective form of birth control, there's ALWAYS a chance of conceiving.

But right now, the odds are very much so in your favor, and there's only a slim chance you'll get pregnant from this.

If you're saying that your period has been late and now you are suddenly bleeding, then it's possible that your period was just delayed. That's not uncommon, especially if you've recently dealt with stress, illness or a change in your sleep schedule. If you're suspicious that you may be pregnant go ahead and take a pregnancy test. At this stage, it should be accurate.

It's possible, and I've heard stories from friends who didn't get a positive test until a couple of weeks later. However, at this point, I would stop into your doctor for a simple blood test to confirm. If their test comes back negative, then at least they'll also know that your period is delayed and can help you get it back on track if it doesn't take care of itself.

I think that you probably tested too early to get an accurate result either way. It's good that you checked for a UTI, that's really smart, and something that more women need to be aware of; sometimes what seems like pregnancy symptoms are indeed symptoms of a urinary tract infection. I'm glad that in your case they're not.

I think that it's likely you're actually experiencing symptoms of ovulation. Ovulation symptoms CAN cause some weird, unpleasant stuff like sore breasts and pain in pressure in the lower abdomen/pelvic region. Actually, I always get a lot of pain there during and following ovulation. My OB/GYN explained to me that that's because some women are extra sensitive to ovulation as small cysts form and burst during the release of the egg.

Since your period is due on Saturday, April 21st, you should hold off on taking another pregnancy test until Tuesday, April 18th at the earliest and from there take one every two days until you either get your period or a positive pregnancy test.

If, when you wrote this, you were 13 days late then the last time you tested was when you were only six days late. Since it's possible that you ovulated later than you expected it's also possible that you weren't as late as you thought you were when you first took the test.

You should take another pregnancy test, there's a possibility you're still pregnant. If, at the two-week mark, you're still getting negative tests and no period you should call your doctor and let them know what's going on. They may want to do a blood test to confirm whether or not you're pregnant.

Based on your timing, I don't think your symptoms are pregnancy related. That's because typically, pregnancy symptoms like vomiting usually don't start until after you have implantation and implantation is most common seven to ten days after you ovulate. So even if you did conceive, it's unlikely that implantation has happened yet. The more likely cause of your symptoms is a stomach virus, since it's the season for those.

That being said, any time you have sex there's a possibility of becoming pregnant. I would hold off on taking a pregnancy test until you're about four days away from starting your period. At that point, if your symptoms are pregnancy related, then the test will probably be able to turn positive by then. If it comes back negative and your symptoms don't clear up, let your doctor know just to rule out an infection.

All of those symptoms are certainly common in early pregnancy, but they're also common before the start of your period too.

The thing that makes me think you need to take a pregnancy test though, is the four days of spotting. If this was truly spotting, which would only be enough to need a pantyliner and not a tampon or pad, then it could be implantation bleeding.

Take a test and if it's negative wait a couple of more days and try again. If it's still negative, then it's possible you had a very light period which isn't necessarily a big deal. If your cycles continue to be light though you should let your doctor know because it can be a sign of a treatable disorder (like a thyroid disorder).

If the test comes back positive then, of course, you should still call your doctor.

Sore breasts can undoubtedly be a sign that your period is coming but they can also be a sign of early pregnancy, especially if the sides and underarms are sore as well. Since your period is late, now is a great time to take a pregnancy test. You could opt for a less expensive and less sensitive test at this point in your cycle, too.

Between four and six weeks, but they get progressively more noticeable as time goes on.

Something to keep in mind about pregnancy symptoms is that though you may have unprotected sex during ovulation and an egg may be fertilized, most women won’t notice this part and any symptoms felt during this time are actually symptoms of ovulation, NOT pregnancy since you’re technically not pregnant yet.

Fertilization (which again, is when a single sperm meets the eggs that have been released during ovulation) usually happens around two weeks before your period is due to start.

After that happens, it can take over a week for that fertilized egg to implant into the uterus. At this point, you’re just days away from the due date of your period, but this is when many women report they began to feel early signs of being pregnant.

Does that mean you can’t feel symptoms before implantation? No. You could, since a fertilized egg creates a change in your body that can affect your hormones. However, the symptoms will get stronger once the fertilized egg has implanted into the uterus and begun to send out signals to your body (the same signals that turn urine and blood pregnancy tests positive) to say “Hey, we’re definitely having a baby over here!”

I've certainly heard of women not getting a positive result for two weeks after their missed period - one of my good friends is one of those women. She found out with her first that she was pregnant when she was already six weeks along!

If you've been taking at home tests, though, and they're negative, then the chance that you're pregnant isn't super high (but it's not out of the realm of possibility either).

You're doing the best thing by going to the doctor for confirmation. If their test comes back negative, then they can help you troubleshoot why your period hasn't started. That's almost always an easy fix, and it isn't usually a big concern.

I hope you get the answer you want!

Since the blood is brown, this would indicate that it's old blood rather than fresh blood. Why it would go on for nearly a month though I'm really not sure. I could take a few guesses that include an infection, an irritation to your cervix or a reaction to birth control.

I don't think it would have to do with pregnancy, but if you want to take a pregnancy test, it won't hurt. After that, contact your doctor and make an appointment to be seen. They can give you a pap smear to rule out more serious conditions, and then from there troubleshoot the cause, so you don't have to deal with the brown spotting long term.

If it's not a false negative pregnancy test and you truly aren't pregnant, then the reason for the late period and pregnancy-like symptoms could just be prolonged PMS. Anecdotally, my PMS symptoms always worsen the later I get.

You could also be dealing with a hormonal imbalance or a thyroid condition, both of which are pretty treatable with a doctor's care.

For now, I'd stop taking pregnancy tests and give it a few days. If your period becomes two weeks late, call your doctor and let them know. I have a friend who couldn't get a positive on her pregnancy test until she was two weeks late!

Missing your period and then feeling sick and getting negative pregnancy tests is seriously the most frustrating thing ever. I've personally been there, and I know how infuriating and confusing it feels. It's like your body is playing tricks on you and then the anxiety of worrying if something else is wrong makes everything feel worse.

My best advice is first, you need to take a deep breath.

If you missed your period two weeks ago and you're still getting negative pregnancy tests then, except for the slim chance that you ovulated very late and it's still too early to get a positive pregnancy test, it doesn't sound like you're pregnant.

It sounds more like you have a delayed or missed period and your body is either getting ready to ovulate, getting ready to start that period (finally) or like you're dealing with a virus which could also be the cause of your missed period.

Going way, way back to our ancestors, our menstrual cycles revolved around conception. Back in the day when there were limited resources, our bodies would delay ovulation if an illness was coming on because we couldn't have sustained a pregnancy and an illness back then - there were no grocery stores, walk-in clinics or Gatorade.

That means that if you've been sick or stressed it's possible that this is the reason your period is so late, not pregnancy.

If you can, I think you should contact your doctor and let them know your symptoms and about your late period. They can give you a simple blood test to confirm whether or not you're pregnant.

In the meantime, hang in there - you're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last woman to feel sick with a late period and negative HPTs! This almost never indicates a serious issue.

Swollen breasts are a very common indicator of pregnancy, especially after your missed period. If you haven't already, you need to take a pregnancy test, and if it comes back, negative put a call into your doctor about your headaches and lower back pain which could be a sign of a simple infection, especially if you also have a fever. As for stretch marks on your breasts and stomach, if these are new, this would indicate quick weight gain, which doesn't usually happen in early pregnancy but could be a sign that you're dealing with a thyroid issue. This is all the more reason to call your doctor.

This is going to depend on the test you take. Generally, if you pick up an early detection pregnancy test (like a First Response Early Response), then you can take the test five days before the day your period is due to start.

Remember that the closer you get to the day your period is due, the more accurate your result will be (meaning that, if you take a test too early you may get a negative result when you're actually pregnant. I did that with my second daughter!)

Many women undoubtedly experience pregnancy symptoms as early as around seven days past ovulation and around seven days before their missed period.

Most at home pregnancy tests are not going to give you an accurate result this early on though, so you'll need to sit tight (I know it's so hard when you're trying to conceive!) until it's the right time to test.

If you use an early result brand like First Response (their early results products), you can usually start testing around five days before your period is due to start, though the odds that the result will be accurate goes up drastically the closer you get to the start of your menstrual cycle. Personally, I have never had an accurate result earlier than four days before my expected period.

It's definitely not typical to get your period and then get it again the next week. I would say that more than likely, this second "cycle" was not a period, because you would have needed to ovulate between those periods. Hold off on taking a pregnancy test unless your period is late.

If you get your next period at the regular time that you're expecting it but then experience another mid-cycle bleed, you should talk to your doctor.

I'm sorry you're feeling so off. I've been there and I can promise a lot of other women reading this article have too!

First, it could have been too early to test. That's because often, implantation (which is when the fertilized egg adheres to the wall of the uterus) takes longer to occur than most of us think. It typically happens between six and twelve days after ovulation. What that means is that implantation can happen as late as just a couple of days before your period is due. After implantation happens, it then takes around two days for a pregnancy test to turn positive. Which is really confusing! You would think that when "conception" happens, you would be able to get a positive test right away but you have to wait until that fertilized egg is attached and ready to send out the hormones needed to get a positive pregnancy test.

Now, since you're using two forms of birth control I'm going to take an educated guess and say your symptoms are not pregnancy related at all, but related to an extra-miserable premenstrual week or side effects of your hormonal birth control.

If your symptoms continue and you are still getting negative pregnancy tests I'd put a call into your OB or GP to see if your birth control is the culprit.

Those symptoms could certainly indicate pregnancy, especially since it sounds like you're actively trying to conceive. When I was pregnant with my first daughter I thought that I was experiencing cold and flu symptoms but it turns out it was early pregnancy signs.

If I were you I would wait to take a test for one more day. Begin testing the morning of March 13 and if the test is negative, wait to test again until the morning of March 15.

Something to keep in mind is that although ovulation apps and calendars are really helpful, unless you're temping and charting, or confirming ovulation with an OPK, it can be difficult to know for sure when or if you've ovulated.

According to Planned Parenthood, when practiced correctly, the withdrawal (or pull out) method is effective in preventing pregnancy 96% of the time. That means 4 out of every 100 women who use this method correctly will still end up pregnant. So yes, there's a chance you could be pregnant, but the odds of not being pregnant are certainly still in your favor.

Since you're not sure when you ovulated, and since you have irregular cycles, I would start testing for pregnancy no earlier than April 3rd and then if that test is negative test every OTHER day until the arrival of your period or until you get a positive test.

Since you don't know when you ovulated it's entirely possible that those symptoms right after "ovulation" were actually ovulation symptoms, which many women (including me) experience.

The chances are good that you're not pregnant but if you are, then there are lots of resources available to help you find the best path for you going forward.

And if (most likely) you're not pregnant check out Bedsider(dot)org which is a really awesome website that breaks down each method of birth control so you can make sure that you're using the one that gives you the most confidence!

If you still have not gotten your usual period then, by all means, yes, you could be pregnant, and you need to take a pregnancy test.

If you did get your period, then, unfortunately, these symptoms can also be attributed to premenstrual symptoms. Oh, the fun of being born female!

As a side note, if you're still experiencing a lot of severe pain (that makes it difficult to walk), you should call your doctor.

There's definitely a chance that you could still be pregnant, but since the test is negative and your period is late, I would say the chances are slim.

Let's say that spotting was implantation bleeding, and it occurred, according to the dates you're giving me, around March 16th. You should have been able to get an accurate pregnancy test around March 18th or 19th at the earliest, but by March 25th you should have almost certainly had a positive test IF the spotting was implantation.

Now, maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was something else and you had implantation later on, then it's possible that your body still hasn't sent out the pregnancy hormone required for an HPT to turn positive.

My best advice is to test again on the 27th. Test again every other day or until your period shows up. If you end up more than two weeks late call your doctor and ask for a blood pregnancy test. If that comes back negative then you and your doctor can talk about other things that could be causing your period to be late.

Almost always, a late period is not severe, and easy to troubleshoot.

I would normally think these are all pretty indicative of your period being on the horizon, but the spotting makes me wonder if you were actually experiencing implantation bleeding. Some women have it, others don't.

If you haven't already started your period, you could go ahead and take a pregnancy test at this point since you're right around the time your cycle should be starting (or not starting, if you're pregnant).

For the most reliable result, your period should be one day late when you take a pregnancy test. But seriously, if you’re antsy to find out if you’re pregnant or not, then it’s way too hard to wait that long!

For most HPTs, you shouldn’t test any earlier than four days before the day your period is due, which is five days before your missed period.

If your period is due to start on Friday then with most tests you need to hold off on taking one until at least the Monday before. The reason is that pregnancy tests test for the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or, hCG for short. All women actually have a really tiny amount of this floating around in them already, no matter if they’re pregnant or not. What a pregnancy test does is measure that level through your urine. If the level is at a normal range for a woman who is not pregnant, the test will come back negative. But if the range is at a higher-than-normal level, implantation has occurred. This is when a fertilized egg attaches to the uterus, and thus, pregnancy occurs. The thing is though, implantation MUST occur for your body to start creating enough hCG for a pregnancy test to turn positive, and implantation doesn’t typically occur until right around when your period is due.

For this reason, you may have conceived during ovulation which happens a full two weeks before your missed period, but until the fertilized egg gets itself cozy in your uterus, your body can’t tell a test that it’s pregnant yet.

Thus, the closer you are to that missed period, the better chance you have of having an accurate result.

In my own experience, with my first daughter, I didn’t take a pregnancy test until I was a day late for my expected period. The test turned positive before I was done taking it.

With my second daughter, I was so eager to find out if I was pregnant or not that I took the test about six full days before my period was due. It was negative, but I just felt really strongly that I was pregnant and had taken the test too early because I was already starting to feel the symptoms I remembered from my first pregnancy. I was right! Two days later I took another pregnancy test, and it came back with a clear positive result. My body needed those two days to create enough hCG to tell the test that indeed, there was a little blastocyst in there.

The fastest way to find out you’re pregnant, from test to answer, is just with a home pregnancy test. While blood pregnancy tests can detect pregnancy earlier than a urine test, you still have to wait on the lab for the results whereas an at-home test only takes about 1-3 minutes for a result.

So, if you're already late for your period or close to it just do an at-home test.

That depends on if you normally crave weird things before your period or not. Personally, I always crave weird food before my period - give me all of the cheese, salt and chocolate around. Pickles and peanut butter? Heck yeah! In contrast, when I'm about to find out I'm pregnant I prefer healthier foods and experience food aversions instead or food cravings. Typically, food aversion is thought to be a clearer sign of pregnancy than cravings, since morning sickness puts you off from particular foods and smells.

However, if you don't normally crave crazy food combinations before your period then this could very well be a sign of pregnancy for you!

No. As tempting (and fun!) as online pregnancy tests and surveys can be, they're not really able to tell you much other than if it's a good time for you to take a test. They ask you questions like when you last had unprotected sex when your last period was, and if you're experiencing any of the most common early pregnancy symptoms (like sore breasts and increased urination).

All this survey does is determine if there's even a chance you could have become pregnant. Think of them as a point of reference to decide if it's worth it to run out for a pregnancy test but remember that nothing except a urine or blood test that uses your body's hormones can tell you for sure if you're pregnant.

It's really hard for me to guess if these are signs of pregnancy since I don't know when you ovulated. However, you probably wouldn't have symptoms one day after sex so that I would discount the cold as a sign of pregnancy.

As for the bloating and abdominal pain, these could be early pregnancy symptoms, but they're also common things to experience before your period. Since there's a chance you could have conceived, then you should start testing four days before your period is due and if the test is negative, hold off and test two days later (you can do this until your period either arrives, or you get a positive pregnancy test).

There's a possibility, especially with your symptoms. I think that throwing up five days after sex might be a little too early to attribute to pregnancy but it's possible that if you were ovulating at the time your body is already reacting to the hormones.

Since you're having lots of symptoms already, I'd go ahead and take a pregnancy test. If it comes back negative, hold off and take another one if your period ends up being late.

Yes, two weeks before your missed period is too early to take a test. That's because it's possible that you haven't ovulated yet and you must ovulate to conceive.

Ovulation usually happens around two weeks after your period has started at two weeks before your next period is due to start.

The ideal time to take a pregnancy test is the day your period is due, but if you use an early detection test, then you can take it a few days before and still get reasonably accurate results. Just make sure to read the instructions on the test's box first to make sure you're not taking it too early.