Early Pregnancy Test Calculator
Instantly calculate your cycle's early pregnancy test dates, up to 5 days prior to your expected next period!
Know when you ovulated this cycle? Calculate Early Pregnacy Test Date using ovulation date for enhanced precision.
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Member? Login and your cycle info fills into above form.
Early Pregnancy Test Calculator - Usage
Last Period Start Date (LMP) - Enter when your last period started. If you are a MyMonthlyCycles member, and logged in, your last period is filled in from your tracking history.
Cycle Length - Enter your average cycle length (ACL). If you are a logged in member, your auto-calculated ACL fills in based on tracking history. You can adjust this value to what-if for cycles that may be longer than usual, as outlined in the section My Cycle Length Varies.
How Early to Test - Select how early you want to take a pregnancy test. This is specified by the number of days before your expected next period - for example, 5 days before expected next period. Some tests indicate days sooner you can test. See Expected Next Period versus Missed Period below for more info.
Your Today's Date - If your today is different than shown, set your date, which is then used in calculations.
Testing Early: Before Expected Period Versus Missed Period
There are many pregnancy tests on the market which can detect pregnancy early. But what exactly is early?
Early pregnancy testing is in relation to when your next period is forecast to start. This calculator forecasts next period using your last period start date and cycle length.
This forecasted next period date is synonymous with the term expected next period date.
On our calculator, when you specify how early you want to test, you're indicating the number of days prior to your expected next period.
So, for instance, if you indicate you want to test 5 days early, that's 5 days before your expected next period.
Some pregnancy tests indicate you can test a {certain number of days} sooner than your missed period. There's usually an asterisk (*) next to that, to a footnote that clarifies this to mean {certain number of days - 1 day} before your expected period.
For example, some tests indicate you can test 6 days sooner than your missed period, which is qualified to say 5 days before your expected period.
Important: Always check the box or instructions that come with your pregnancy test to determine how early you can test with it; Also, if the test indicates you can test sooner, see if that's in relation to your missed period or expected next period.
Assuming your test's sooner is as outlined above, if applicable, the following chart correlates days before expected period to days sooner:
| Days Before Expected Period | Days Sooner than Missed Period |
|---|---|
| 5 days before period | 6 days sooner |
| 4 days before period | 5 days sooner |
| 3 days before period | 4 days sooner |
| 2 days before period | 3 days sooner |
| 1 day before period | 2 days sooner |
What is a Missed Period?
A missed period is the day after your period is forecast to start if your period has not started by then.
So if your period is forecast to start June 4, if it's not started by June 5th, you've missed your period.
Of course, your period may start at any point during your missed period day, or after that, making it a late period.
What is a Late Period?
A late period is one that does not start on its expected (forecast) date, but one or more days later.
If using your average cycle length (ACL) to forecast next period, keep in mind that it's likely some of your monthly cycles are shorter or longer than your average.
For example, if your ACL is 27 days, you may have some shorter cycles (e.g. 25 or 26 days) and some longer (e.g. 28 or 29 days).
How Accurate are Home Pregnancy Tests (HPTs)?
HPTs today (mid 2020s) are very accurate at detecting pregnancy; Many indicate they are 99% accurate on the day of your expected or missed period.
While HPTs tend to be less than 99% accurate when used early, many can still detect pregnancy prior to one's expected period.
Check the info sheet provided with your pregnancy test to find out its accuracy rating when testing on the day of your expected period, missed period, and if testing early.
Why Do False Negatives Occur When Testing Early?
A false negative means the pregnancy test shows negative when, in fact, you are pregnant.
They often occur because the test was taken too early in the menstrual cycle, typically due to either late ovulation or late implantation. Consequently the pregnancy hormone is not yet present in concentrations that the test can detect.
False negatives can also occur due to using a diluted urine sample (e.g. drinking too much before the test), which is why first morning urine (FMU) is recommended, especially important when early testing when overall levels are lower.
Why do False Positives Occur When Testing Early?
One of the drawbacks to testing too early is that the test detects a chemical pregnancy: an embryo is formed, embeds in the uterine lining, but stops growing shortly thereafter (i.e. a very early miscarriage), usually due to chromosomal abnormalities.
Early testing will often detect the pregnancy hormone that is emitted during this brief time, with a positive reading before levels rapidly drop off: testing a few days later generally returns a negative result.
Chemical pregnancies are common. Without early testing, many women would never know it occurred. The next period may be a few days delayed, heavier than usual with more clots; Or, it may be like any other period.
Find out more about Chemical Pregnancy at Cleveland Clinic.
My Cycle Length Varies - When to Pregnancy Test?
Very few women have cycles that are the same length every month. Most of us have cycles that vary slightly.
If our current cycle varies from average cycle length, we won't know it until the cycle is over!
If it turns out the current cycle is longer than average, and average length is used to forecast next period, the early pregnancy dates will be too early. For example, 5 days early may actually be 6 or 8 days early - way earlier than HPTs can detect.
There are several simple solutions to this:
Also calculate with longer cycle length(s).
Members: view your cycle lengths report to view your longest lengths.
Member Tip: Make sure you've used cycle rules on the Me > App Prefs page, if necessary.
Use WhenMyBaby's Conception Calculator
This advanced ovulation calendar forecasts your entire fertility window, based on your cycle variations. For each cycle length, it shows pregnancy testing date for 4 days prior to expected period.
Member Tip: After login, use stickies (see bottom part of that page) to transport your key cycle data to WhenMyBaby, MMC's sister site.
If you've ovulated this cycle, use MyMonthlyCycles Next Period Forecaster Based On Ovulation to not only get a more precise forecast of your next period, but also to see the early pregnancy test dates corresponding to this expected next period date.
Make sure Include Pregnancy Test Dates is set to Yes.
For shorter cycles, ovulation will occur earlier, as will implantation if pregnant; Pregnancy tests should detect sooner. To determine test dates for shorter cycles, re-run this calculator with your shorter cycle length(s).
Copyright bInfinity Web, Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: We make no guarantee that your period or when home pregnancy tests might be effective will occur on the predicted dates, since each person's menstrual and fertility cycles can vary in any given monthly cycle for a variety of reasons. This calculator is not intended for those having irregular cycles; if your cycle is irregular, talk to your healthcare provider regarding methods that can help determine your cycles.
