When should you test? You can take most home pregnancy tests three to four days before your missed period — but if you test too early, you’re more likely to get a false negative, where the test says you’re not pregnant but you really are, says Laurence Cole, MD, professor of obstetrics and

gynecology and chief of women’s health research at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
Whichever test you buy, test first thing in the morning, pop the stick in midstream, lay it flat, and give it a few minutes to work. If it’s negative, try again in a few days if your period’s still MIA. If you get a faint, is-that-what-I-think-it-is positive, chances are you’re indeed pregnant. Wait a day or two and test again. And if it’s positive — congrats, mama!