How Early Can I Take a Pregnancy Test?

When trying to get pregnant, every little symptom can feel like a sign. Am I yawning because I’m tired or pregnant? Are my breasts sore because I’m about to get my period, or because a little embryo has nestled into my uterus? The best, tried-and-true way to confirm pregnancy is the trusted pregnancy test. But how soon can you take a test? Let’s dive in.
How does a pregnancy test work?
The home test, which was invented by Margaret Crane in the 1970’s, has been one of the most revolutionary inventions in women’s health. They work by detecting a hormone called human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), which is the first detectable biomarker of pregnancy. An embryo makes hCG, which can be detected in urine after it implants into the uterine wall. If the test detects hCG, it will show a positive result.
What cycle day can I take a pregnancy test?
For the Natalist Pregnancy Test, you can take the test starting five days before you expect your period to start. That would be Cycle Day 23 if you have a 28-day cycle (with your period as Cycle Day 1). But, not everyone who is pregnant will get a positive result five days before. In a clinical study of 1000+ pregnant women, roughly 77% of pregnant women got a positive result on Day 5. And many of those positive results were “faint” lines.
You can take our pregnancy test starting five days before you expect your period to start.

It’s a squinter, but there’s a faint positive result from a pregnant woman who took the test five days before her expected period.
For the most accurate results, test on the day of your expected period
If you get a negative result and tested before your expected period, you could still be pregnant. Since it would be really early in your pregnancy, you may not have enough hCG for the test to detect yet. If you are pregnant, your hCG levels will double every 72 hours until it reaches its peak around 8-11 weeks. So if you think you could be pregnant, we suggest testing again in a day or two.