How soon after having sex you can take a pregnancy test - and how accurate the results will be

If you think you might be pregnant, you'll want to know for sure as soon as possible.

But it's important not to rush out and take a test immediately as it probably won't give you the right answer.

After sex, if an egg has been fertilized it will travel into the uterus and implant itself in the wall.

Once implanted in the uterine wall, the pregnancy hormone will begin to appear in your urine.

This hormone is what the pregnancy test is looking out for - and it doesn't just appear overnight after having sex, it takes up to six days after fertilization for it to appear.

You can take most pregnancy tests on the first day of your missed period.

Some very sensitive tests can be taken before your missed period - as early as eight days after conception.

However, if you are testing early you should be aware that your result could be incorrect.

This is because levels of hormones vary from woman to woman and you may not yet be producing enough to be detected by a test.

If you do not know when your period is due, it is recommended that you take the test 21 days after having unprotected sex.

You can do a pregnancy test on a sample of urine collected at any time during the day.