You may experience some spotting when a fertilised egg implants into the uterine lining, but how can you tell the difference between your period and implantation bleeding? Read on to learn more about implantation bleeding. What can cause a missed period? Based on your answers, it is unlikely, but not impossible, that you are pregnant this cycle. Not all women will suffer from pregnancy symptoms though, and all pregnancies are different so do not worry. One way you can be certain is to take a pregnancy test. If you’re trying to get pregnant, but testing indicates you are not, using an ovulation test to identify your fertile days will help you maximize your chances of getting pregnant. There are a number of ways that you can find out when you are most fertile, one of the most simple and accurate is by using home ovulation tests such as Clearblue ® Ovulation Tests and the Clearblue ® Fertility Monitor. The timing of ovulation varies according to your cycle length, so to find out when you’re most fertile, you need to know your own body and cycle. You can work out the length of your cycle by counting from the first day of your period (Day 1) to the day before your next period starts. Ideally you’ll have this information before you start using an ovulation test.

Occasionally some women have an LH surge that is too low for the test to detect or they do not ovulate during a cycle. This is not unusual and may happen in approximately 8% of cycles 1. If you have not detected your LH surge for 3 consecutive cycles we recommend you discuss this with your physician. Most ovulation tests detect the LH surge, a sudden rise of luteinizing hormone (LH), which occurs approximately 24-36 hours prior to ovulation. This is how they help you pinpoint the 2 most fertile days of your cycle - the day before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. So, if you make love on these 2 days, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of becoming pregnant.The only way to confirm a pregnancy is by taking a test. Although a missed period, along with other symptoms, is a likely sign, only a pregnancy test, either done at home or at the doctor’s, will give you a definitive answer. When you can test depends on the test you use – some can be used from 6 days before your missed period Soumpasis, I., Grace, B., & Johnson, S. (2020). Real-life insights on menstrual cycles and ovulation using big data. Human Reproduction Open, 2020(2), hoaa011. https://doi.org/10.1093/hropen/hoaa011 Normally, ovulation occurs 24 to 36 hours after the LH surge, and you are at your most fertile on the day of the LH surge and the day after. First, find the right pregnancy test for you. Then, there are a few things you should do before taking a pregnancy test, like:

Place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for 5 seconds. Or, if you prefer, dip into a urine sample collected in a clean, dry container for 5 or 20 seconds, depending on the test you’re using. No other home pregnancy test on the market offers results in words — “pregnant” or “not pregnant” — on the test.

In many countries, your physician will usually expect you to have been trying to get pregnant for a year if you are under 35 yrs old or for 6 months if you are 35-40 years old, before they will consider further investigation. If you are over 40 years old then you should ask for advice immediately. With contraceptive injections it may take a while for your cycle length to stabilize and for your fertility to return, so you may need to wait longer before using a Clearblue ® Ovulation Test for the same reason as above. Clearblue® Early Digital: 78% of pregnancies can be detected 6 days before the missed period (5 days before the expected period). Be mindful of medication Discuss any prescription or over-the-counter medications that you take with your doctor. Use the first urine of the day if you’re testing early. Pregnancy tests look for the presence of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone in your urine, which is more concentrated first thing in the morning. If you haven’t missed your period yet, your levels of hCG may not be high enough to be detected in more diluted urine. However, you can test any time of day if you’ve already missed your period as the pregnancy hormone level will be high enough to give a positive result at any time of the day if you are pregnant.

Take Folic Acid Taking folic acid as directed before start trying to become pregnant is extremely important as it means that there is enough of this essential vitamin in your body at the very earliest stages of pregnancy. Taking folic acid early can prevent neural tube defects (problems with the development of the spine, such as spina bifida). Avoid infections (for example toxoplasmosis) Always wash your fruit and vegetables, wear gloves for gardening or emptying litter trays and make sure your meat is thoroughly cooked. You may stop eating or drinking certain things like tea, coffee or fatty food, and might start to crave things you don't normally like. If your periods are regular, then one of the earliest, most obvious, and most reliable signs of pregnancy is missing your period. Although there are other causes for missed periods that are not due to pregnancy, most of the time, pregnancy is the likely cause. If you’ve missed a period, take a pregnancy test to be sure. The other 5 top signsYour changing hormones may cause some mood swings in the early stages of pregnancy – you could even find yourself crying without really knowing why. Clearblue® Early Digital and Clearblue® Early Detection provide early detection of the pregnancy hormone (hCG). The days during each cycle when you are most fertile, and therefore most likely to get pregnant from unprotected sex, are the day of ovulation and the day before – these are the 2 days of peak fertility. There are also a few days before this when you experience high fertility and you also have an opportunity to get pregnant. Outside this ‘fertility window’ of about 6 days, the chances of getting pregnant are low. The only way to know whether you’re pregnant or not is to take a pregnancy test. If you suspect you’re pregnant, you don’t even need to wait until you miss your period as some tests can be used as early as 6 days before your missed period (5 days before you would expect your period to start).

Keep your dentist in the loop If you need dental work, let your dentist know you’re pregnant. Some treatments could be harmful to your baby.You don’t need to wait for your missed period before you do a pregnancy test. The Clearblue® Early Detection Pregnancy Test can be used up to 6 days before your missed period. 1 You can also read more about the symptoms that lead you to ask “ Am I pregnant or is it PMS” or take our quiz. Make sure to read the instructions to know how to read your test correctly and find out what else you need to know If a sperm fertilises an egg, the fertilised egg travels down the fallopian tube (oviduct) to the womb (uterus), while the cells continuously divide to form a cluster, called a blastocyst. Around 9 – 11 days after fertilisation, the blastocyst implants into the uterine wall and the embryo begins to develop. After implantation, this is the first time the pregnancy hormone can be detected in the mother’s blood or urine. 3 Symptoms of early pregnancy Whether you are thinking about trying for a baby or trying already, gaining a better understanding about how your body works can be a big help. One in two couples could be trying to conceive on the wrong days of the woman’s cycle 3, so we’ve put together some information to help you understand your menstrual cycle and the ovulation process. Ovulation happens when hormone changes trigger your ovaries to release an ovum (egg) – usually 12 to 16 days before your next period starts. You are most fertile on the few days leading up to and including the day of ovulation.