How early can I use a pregnancy test?

Early pregnancy tests can now be taken several days before your period is due, but the earlier you take the test, the less reliable the result.

The number of days varies according to the brand and type of pregnancy test. The earliest tests claim to be reliable from up to 5-6 days before your period is due.

Midwife Anne Richley, Matron for the Community Midwifery Service in Northampton, tells us: “Most home tests will give an accurate result around the time your period would have been due.”

Because different pregnancy tests can be taken at different times, it’s vital that you read through all of the instructions and follow them very carefully.

Which pregnancy test can you take earliest?

Currently, there are pregnancy tests that can be taken 5 or even 6 days before your period is due. But the accuracy of these tests at that point is around 50-70%. Many early results at this stage are false negatives, so do beware of this.

The accuracy then increases each day and the most accurate day to test for pregnancy is the day your period is due, which is when home pregnancy test accuracy is highest, with most tests claiming over 99% accuracy if taken correctly.

Which pregnancy tests work when?

There are lots of home pregnancy tests out there, some from well known brands, and some really cheap options from names you might not have heard of - so we totally get that it can be confusing.

In case you're tempted, the current products offer the following (but always check as new products are constantly being developed):

Pregnancy tests you can take 6 days before your period is due

First Response Early Response (£8.29 for 2 tests)
Clearblue Early Detection (£12 for 2 tests)

Pregnancy tests you can take 5 days before your period is due

Boots Early Pregnancy Tests (£8.99 for 2 tests)

How do pregnancy tests work?

“A pregnancy test detects the pregnancy hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) in your urine,” explains midwife Anne. HCG is hormone produced by your body after a fertilised egg implants in your uterus, as your pregnancy develops, the levels of this hormone increase. HCG is mostly present only if you are pregnant, making it a reliable marker for pregnancy testing.

At 2 weeks from conception, most women’s bodies will have produced a sufficient amount of this hormone for a test to identify it. For most people, it's detectable in urine about 8-10 days after ovulation.

When is the best day to test?

Fertility experts, GPs and midwives all have the same advice – the most accurate time to test is one day after your period is due, e.g. the first day that you’re late.

If you can’t wait till then, it’s best to wait at least until the day of your period so you can have more trust in your test.

Of course you may have irregular periods and not be sure when your due date would be. Instead, try to recall when you last had unprotected sex. Around 3 weeks from this point would be a suitable time to test.

Early symptoms of pregnancy

What signs of pregnancy can you look out for in the first 3 weeks – aside from the obvious missed period? Initially, you may not feel any different to normal, but keep an eye out for:

sore breasts
feeling exhausted (and perhaps a bit grumpy)
stomach cramps or strange pulling feeling in your tummy
nausea (find out how soon morning sickness actually starts)
a heightened sense of smell
cravings for unusual foods – or disgust at foods you usually like
a metallic taste in your mouth
a desire to wee more than usual
increased vaginal discharge – but without itching or soreness
constipation.

If you are pregnant, you may experience some or all of these symptoms.

In fact we've got 41 early pregnancy signs right here

What if you have pregnancy symptoms but get a negative result?

If you have pregnancy symptoms but you had a negative test result, wait 3 days until after your period was due and then take another test.

It may be that your HCG levels were too low to be detected by the test. If you are pregnant, your HCG levels will rise during the 3 days, meaning that you should get a positive pregnancy test result.

Tara BreathnachContent Editor and Social Media Producer

Tara is mum to 1 daughter and worked as a Content Editor at MadeForMums from 2015 to 2021.