If you think you’re pregnant, quick and accurate information is vital so you can make informed choices about your future. It’s normal to feel scared and confused when you miss a period. No matter how old you are, an unintended pregnancy can come as a shock.
Even though most pregnancy tests are fairly accurate after you miss a period, you may want to wait at least two weeks before testing to ensure precision. That’s because it can take around 14 days for the pregnancy hormone to be detected. If you test earlier, you might get a false negative, which would suggest you aren’t pregnant when you may actually be.
Blood pregnancy tests can detect the pregnancy hormone even before a missed period. Even though they’re more expensive than most urine pregnancy tests, a blood pregnancy test may be your best bet if you need an early answer.
Blood tests are more sensitive than urine tests. Plus, a blood pregnancy test can be done two days before your period is expected to start. Blood tests can find very small amounts of the pregnancy hormone, hCG. So they can accurately tell you whether you’re pregnant before you’ve even missed your period.
Some women want to keep the news of a possible pregnancy a secret, while others might not be able to afford the copay that a visit to the doctor’s office costs. For these reasons, many women search for a walk-in clinic to get a blood pregnancy test.
Where to Find a Walk-In Clinic for a Blood Pregnancy Test
You can visit your provider’s office or a lab to obtain a blood pregnancy test. A healthcare professional will use a small needle to get a blood sample from a vein in your arm. Once the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a vial or test tube.
As with any injection, you might feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. The blood pregnancy test process usually takes less than five minutes. For some women who don’t have a primary care physician or who prefer not to see their doctor for a pregnancy blood test, there are other options, including:
Labcorp OnDemand: This test provides an accurate amount of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hcG) in the blood. Some women use this test to confirm their pregnancy with greater accuracy and earlier on. Others also use it to confirm a pregnancy urine test.
Since the blood pregnancy test measures the concentration of hCG in the blood, it can help detect potential pregnancy issues. For example, the test can be used to monitor declining hCG levels before or following a miscarriage and to rule out an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy.
You don’t need to visit a doctor to get this test. Rather, you just buy a test with a credit card or FSA/HSA card. Next, choose a location from Labcorp’s over 2,000 locations nationwide. There, a trained Labcorp professional will collect a sample. You’ll need to bring a photo ID as well as the requisition number from your confirmation email. The test results will be sent directly to you. At the time this article was published, the cost of a blood pregnancy test through Labcorp OnDemand was $49.
Ulta Lab Tests: Their human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) qualitative blood test is a test that detects hCG in the blood. It can be used both to confirm pregnancy or to confirm that there is not a pregnancy before medical treatment.
You can order this test from Ulta Lab anytime, 24/7. Plus, you’ll get results in just 24-48 hours! With over 2,500 patient service centers nationwide, you’re likely to find one near you! At the time this article was published, the cost of a blood pregnancy test through Ulta Lab was $19.
Quest Health: If you need to know whether you are pregnant, Quest Health’s qualitative test can help confirm pregnancy by detecting the existence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), also called the pregnancy hormone. It can detect the presence of hCG in your blood as early as seven days after conception.
Quest Health’s lab tests are used by 86 million people every year. You’ll schedule an appointment, then visit a Quest Diagnostics patient service center – there are 2,000+ locations nationwide. You can then access your test results online. At the time this article was published, the cost for a blood pregnancy test through Quest Health was $39 plus a $6 physician service fee.
HealthLabs: Their qualitative test will indicate if hCG is or is not detected, and they also offer a quantitative hCG test that measures your hCG levels. If your qualitative test is positive, a quantitative test can help determine how many weeks far along you are. hCG levels vary based on a woman’s gestation period and age.
HealthLabs.com offers private labs with same-day testing. Results of your pregnancy blood testing will be available in one to three days. At the time this article was published, the cost of a blood pregnancy test through HealthLabs.com was $49.
What can I expect during the blood draw?
The truth is, no one looks forward to getting their blood drawn. However, the blood pregnancy test procedure is usually short and uneventful with no complications. For most patients, the phlebotomist (the medical professional who draws blood) finishes the entire procedure in under 15 minutes.
The procedure begins with the phlebotomist gently pressing her fingers against your skin to find the most accessible vein. She will then put on medical gloves, and use an alcohol pad or similar product to sanitize your skin area.
Next, the phlebotomist will tie a tourniquet around your upper arm to increase blood flow, ask that you make a fist, and insert the needle to begin the blood draw. After your blood is retrieved, it will then be immediately labeled and sent off to a lab for testing.
Pregnancy Blood Testing
If you think you may be pregnant, it’s important to get a pregnancy test as soon as possible. A blood test can detect pregnancy earlier than a urine test, but both types of tests are generally accurate.
At a walk-in clinic for a blood pregnancy test, the staff can provide you with a test and help you understand the results. The specimen for an in-office blood serum pregnancy test gets sent to a lab. For most blood pregnancy tests, you’ll typically get the results in a day or two.
If your pregnancy test comes back positive, you might be feeling anxious. Fear, anxiety, and even anger are all normal feelings when dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. The truth is, many women coping with an unplanned pregnancy know how you’re feeling. Nearly half of the 6.1 million pregnancies each year in the U.S. are unplanned.
Adoption is one of your three options, and it’s never too late to make this choice. If you’re not ready to become a mom, adoption can allow you to provide your child with the life you want for them. Plus, open adoption allows you to stay in contact with your child as they grow.
Call or text Lifetime Adoption at 1-800-923-6784 whenever you’re ready to learn more about adoption.