Pregnancy Test Calculator

This Pregnancy Test calculator helps you estimate the best date when to take a pregnancy test so that it is as accurate as possible.

Even though fertility and pregnancy are very complex subjects, dependent on many variables, it is possible to calculate how early you can take a pregnancy test to expect an accurate result.

It doesn't matter if you don't know the day you conceived — if you are wondering when is the best time to take a pregnancy test, try our easy-to-use calculator!

All the information in this section concerns natural conception. If you're looking for the IVF calculations, check the paragraph below.

To use the pregnancy test calculator, you'll need a few crucial pieces of information:

• The date your last menstrual cycle began (the first day of your period — the more regular are your periods, the better); and
• The average length of your menstrual cycle.

If you carefully follow your menstrual cycle, you may also use:

• Your last ovulation date; and
• Your home urine test sensitivity (we have provided a default value, 60 mIU/mL. If your pregnancy test has a different sensitivity, you can change it in the Advanced mode).

A bit of theory

Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period, and consists of two phases — a follicular phase and a luteal phase. Ovulation happens in between these two phases. As mentioned in the luteal phase calculator, the luteal phase, unlike the follicular phase, is relatively constant in all women, and lasts 14 days. Ovulation is a 24-hour period when an egg is released into the fallopian tubes, and may be fertilized by sperm.

If the fertilization happens, the egg starts its rapid development and travels to the uterus. The whole process takes around 7-9 days. Once in the womb, the egg (at this stage called the blastocyst) adheres to the thickened walls of the uterus, finishing the implantation. The placenta starts to produce the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin hCG only after this action is completed, and it is present at a high enough concentration to be detected by a pregnancy test after just a few days.

If you're looking for an easy answer: you will usually get an accurate, positive pregnancy test result on the day you would expect to get your next period 👶 . Try our pregnancy test calculator to find out more.

If your test is still negative one week after your next expected period, it serves as reliable proof that pregnancy did not occur. If you're trying to prevent pregnancy, you may also check how reliable is your birth control method using the pearl index calculator.

Your doctor should schedule a blood test to confirm your pregnancy.
As for a home urine test — in this case, patience is a virtue. The longer you wait, the higher probability that your result is real, and not a false-positive. To calculate the estimated date when your pregnancy test should turn positive, the pregnancy calculator on this page will serve you well.

The theory:

IVF and ICSI were a major breakthrough in medicine. A patient undergoing IVF treatment receives multiple treatments, which completely changes her hormonal environment.

At the beginning of an IVF cycle, we need to induce the development of multiple eggs — we can achieve this with artificial hormones. After the body begins to respond to this, we need to supply other hormones to prevent ovulation, allowing for the eggs to mature. We harvest the eggs after 36 hours. That is the moment where the eggs are fertilized with sperm.

After fertilization, we can transfer the embryo into the woman's body after 2 or 3 days (cleavage stage) or 4-6 days (blastocyst stage). The doctor decides after assessing the quality of the embryos.

During IVF, the whole process of eggs development is accelerated. That is why high levels of hCG can be detected earlier than with a natural conception, which means that you will get a positive pregnancy test earlier. Keep in mind that there is a small chance of a false positive result!

Fun fact: women at the time of the embryo transfer, in theory, instantly become 2 weeks pregnant!

The most common type of pregnancy test is a home urine pregnancy test. The idea is simple — the test detects the level of hCG. hCG is a hormone produced by the human placenta, starting on the day of implantation, and peaking around the 10th week of the pregnancy. During those first few weeks, the concentration of hCG doubles every two days. The most important feature of the urine pregnancy test is its sensitivity; the lower the sensitivity, the quicker you can get a positive result.

Blood tests also test for hCG and are more sensitive. They're able to detect pregnancies a little bit earlier. They're also more useful in identifying ectopic pregnancies (pregnancies that occur outside of the uterus).

The pregnancy test should read positive a few days after implantation, usually around 14 days after ovulation in naturally conceived pregnancies.

Keep in mind that if your periods are irregular, it might be quite challenging to predict your ovulation date and moment when you'll receive a positive pregnancy test result!

As for IVF treatment, even though you may expect your results to be positive a little bit earlier on, keep in mind that hCG used in the procedure may influence some of the results, creating a false-positive.

Once you have your pregnancy confirmed, the fun begins:

• Check your gestational age;
• Take care of your diet and nutritious needs;
• If you've already had a c-section: check your chances of a vaginal birth using the VBAC risk score calculator;
• Keep your stress levels low;
• Compute your due date using the due date calculator;
• Get familiar with the APGAR score calculator; and
• Sign up for antenatal classes (pre-birth classes).

The most accurate time to take a pregnancy test is on the day you would expect to get your next period if you are trying to conceive naturally. Before this, your body may not be producing enough of the hormone a pregnancy test detects.

Pregnancy tests can be taken seven days after embryo transfer. However, due to the nature of IVF and ICSI, home pregnancy tests have a significant chance of giving an inaccurate reading, due to the hormones present in your body from the fertility drugs. You should instead schedule an appointment with your fertility clinic for seven days after transfer.

Pregnancy tests detect the level of hCG, a hormone produced by the human placenta, present in the woman's urine. hCG starts being produced on the day of implantation, and peaks around the 10th week of the pregnancy. During those first few weeks, the concentration of hCG doubles every two days.

A pregnancy test should read positive a few days after implantation, which is usually around 14 days after ovulation in naturally conceived pregnancies. Keep in mind that if your periods are irregular, it might be quite challenging to predict your ovulation date.

Pregnancy tests themselves claim to be 99% accurate, however certain bodily states may lead to incorrect results. You can be pregnant and get a negative test result if you take the test too early, in which case wait a week and try again. If the result is positive and you are not pregnant, this may be due to any fertility drugs you've taken, or an ectopic pregnancy.