What to know about pregnancy blood tests

Pregnancy blood tests aren’t as commonplace as urine tests, but they can be administered by healthcare providers as soon as 7 to 10 days post-ovulation.

The biggest advantage of these tests is their timing: It’s the earliest you can screen for pregnancy. They’re also given by a trained professional, which makes results less prone to human error. Once a blood test confirms you are pregnant, a healthcare provider may check for early symptoms and guide the patient through the next steps for a healthy pregnancy.

That said, blood pregnancy tests do come with some notable drawbacks:

• They must be administered (and often prescribed by) a healthcare provider
• They’re less convenient than at-home pregnancy tests
• They can be expensive if not covered by insurance (though most tests are generally covered)

How do pregnancy blood tests work?

Like your typical at-home urine tests, pregnancy blood tests measure the amount of hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, in your body. HCG, known as the pregnancy hormone, is released by the placenta once an egg is fertilized and has embedded in the uterus. Typically, the egg will embed into the uterus about 6 to 10 days after fertilization.

There are two types of pregnancy blood tests you’ll encounter at your healthcare provider’s office. Both are considered highly accurate, though they have slightly different purposes:

• Qualitative hCG tests –Qualitative blood tests simply identify whether or not you have hCG in your bloodstream. They have around the same accuracy as at-home urine tests when used correctly.
• Quantitative hCG tests – Quantitative blood tests are a bit more rigorous: They indicate how much hCG is present, even if your body is only carrying a small amount. The amount of hCG in your bloodstream can indicate how far along you are (i.e., your baby’s gestational age) and may provide some information concerning the health of your pregnancy. For instance, people exhibiting low hCG levels may be at risk of complications like ectopic pregnancy or pregnancy loss. Meanwhile, higher-than-average hCG levels could indicate the presence of a multiple pregnancy.

As far as the procedure itself, pregnancy blood tests are fairly straightforward: A healthcare provider will take a small sample of blood (usually from the arm) and send it to a lab for analysis.

How long do gender blood tests take in terms of results? These are typically returned within a few hours, although you may have to wait up to two days.

Comparing blood vs. urine pregnancy tests

At-home pregnancy tests are widely considered a pillar of modern pregnancy journeys. They’re widely available at drug stores, grocery stores, and online, and we often see depictions of their use in film and TV. But not every pregnancy journey aligns with these standard images.

However, they aren’t necessarily the best option for everyone. Understanding how blood and urine pregnancy tests differ can help you make the right decision for your journey.

Methods

Pregnancy blood tests are conducted in a clinical setting. They require a healthcare provider to withdraw blood and send results to a lab for analysis.

Urine tests, on the other hand, are widely available in person and online, and they’re designed to be used easily at home. Results are also provided quickly—usually within a few minutes.

Urine tests can also be administered at a healthcare provider’s office; this typically occurs at a first prenatal appointment, when your healthcare provider confirms your pregnancy.

Timing

Because they can detect even trace amounts of hCG, blood pregnancy tests can be used to determine pregnancy as soon as 7 to 10 days post-ovulation.

Conversely, most urine pregnancy tests are most accurate when taken after a missed period, when the body contains significant, measurable amounts of hCG. Typically, this is at least 14 days after ovulation has occurred—though it can be longer or shorter depending on the length of your usual reproductive cycle.

Purpose

Urine pregnancy tests are ideal if privacy, affordability, and efficiency are top priorities.

However, blood pregnancy tests may be preferable if you want results as soon as possible. This may be due to:

• Fertility challenges
• A history of pregnancy loss or complications
• Difficulty tracking ovulation
• Irregular menstrual cycles

Turnaround time

Blood and urine pregnancy tests also differ in the turnaround times of their results:

• At-home urine tests disclose results in under an hour, sometimes within minutes of use.
• Blood tests administered by a healthcare provider can take anywhere from several hours to several days to return results.

Cost and accessibility

At-home urine tests are widely available and usually cost between $10 and $20.

Blood tests can come at a steeper cost because they’re conducted by a healthcare provider. However, most blood tests are covered by insurance.

Depending on factors like location and resources, scheduling an appointment with a healthcare provider may involve more planning, transportation, and budgetary bandwidth.

Accuracy

The good news? Both blood and urine pregnancy tests boast high accuracy rates when taken correctly—typically, over 99%. Blood tests are particularly sensitive, detecting even tiny amounts of hCG to confirm pregnancy before a urine test could.

That said, at-home tests must be “used as directed” to keep the odds of accuracy high. If you’re worried about getting inaccurate results, you might want to have either a blood or urine test administered by a professional healthcare provider.

Should I take a blood or urine pregnancy test?

If you’re choosing between taking an at-home urine test or making an appointment with your provider for a blood test, these questions can help you reach a decision based on your health history, needs, and preferences:

• Have I missed my period yet? – If your period is late, a urine test may be your simplest and most efficient option. Remember, urine tests boast more or less the same accuracy rankings as blood tests, and they’re more affordable and accessible than booking an appointment at your healthcare provider’s office.
• Am I worried about the health of my future baby or my pregnancy? – If you or your healthcare provider has grounds for concern about your pregnancy, a blood test may be a better option. For instance, blood tests are the gold standard if you’re undergoing fertility treatments like IVF, as they can provide quantitative results regarding your pregnancy’s viability. These numbers can be critical for monitoring an early pregnancy, giving your healthcare provider the information they need to recommend next steps in prenatal care and treatment. Creating a checklist of early pregnancy must-haves ensures a smoother start to prenatal care and daily routines, including using pregnancy-safe cleaning products.
• Do I want to know how much hCG is in my body, or a simple yes/no? – If you’re tracking ovulation or hoping to confirm a pregnancy before your period’s due date, a blood test offers earlier detection. By identifying even tiny amounts of hCG in the bloodstream, it’s capable of yielding a positive result before a urine test can.
• Am I after immediate answers or lab-certified results? – If convenience and privacy are priorities, a urine test might be a better fit. That said, testing early with a urine test can sometimes lead to faint lines or unclear results, so make sure you wait the proper amount of time. You can also re-test a few days after your initial test to ensure accurate results.

Can a blood test reveal a baby’s sex?

Yes, certain types of blood tests can reveal a baby’s predicted sex, though standard pregnancy blood tests don’t test for sex specifically.

Instead, there are at-home sex prediction blood tests, like the SneakPeek® Early Gender DNA Test. Once a pregnancy is confirmed, these tests can look for fetal DNA in the mother’s bloodstream to determine the sex of your baby. What’s more, these tests can be as simple to use as at-home pregnancy tests and deliver high levels of accuracy.

Alternatively, you can opt to have a blood test administered by your healthcare provider. If you’re curious about this option, talk to your doctor about the best time to test and what to expect from the process.

Know for sure with the SneakPeek® early gender DNA test

Once you’ve confirmed your pregnancy, you may still have questions you want answered, like When can we determine the baby’s sex?

The SneakPeek® Early Gender DNA Test lets expecting parents learn the predicted sex of their baby as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy—well before a traditional in-office ultrasound can tell you. The SneakPeek® test uses a small blood sample (collected conveniently at home) to scan for the presence of Y chromosomes in the bloodstream. If Y chromosomes are present, it means you’re likely having a baby boy. If no Y chromosomes are present, you can likely expect a little girl.

And the best part? The SneakPeek test offers 99% clinically proven accuracy, so you can feel confident about your results (or your money back).

Discover why OBGYNs rank SneakPeek as #1 in at-home early gender DNA tests by purchasing yours today.

*SneakPeek recommended six to one among 100 OBGYNs surveyed.