Planned Parenthood

Someone asked us:

How long after having sex can you take a pregnancy test and have it be effective?

It depends.  Pregnancy doesn’t happen the moment you have sex; it can take several days. Pregnancy tests are more accurate as you get closer to your expected period, and they’re most accurate (about 99%) once your period is already late. Some tests also work a few days before a missed period — the label on the test box should be able to tell you when it will become effective.

If you’ve had unprotected sex within the past five days and are worried you might become pregnant, it’s far too early for a pregnancy test, but it’s not too late for emergency contraception. Emergency contraception – also known as Plan B or the morning-after pill — can prevent pregnancy before it happens, up to five days (or 120 hours) after unprotected sex. Learn more about emergency contraception.

- Nina at Planned Parenthood