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Period Calculator

Predict your next several periods and fertile windows from your last period and cycle length, with the day of your cycle today and what counts as normal variation.

Period Calculator: with the default inputs, next period starts is October 1, 2026.

days
days
cycles
Try an example
This is a calendar projection, not a measurement. It assumes every cycle is exactly the length you entered, which no one's cycles are. Use it to plan, not to rule a pregnancy in or out.
Next period starts
October 1, 2026
Next period ends
October 5, 2026
Days until it starts
21
Day of your cycle today
8
Phase today
Follicular
Next ovulation
September 17, 2026
Next fertile window
Sep 12 to Sep 17
Assumptions
  • Every future cycle is assumed to be exactly the length you entered; real cycles vary by several days even when they are considered regular.
  • Ovulation is placed a fixed luteal phase before the next period (default 14 days), because the luteal phase is the more constant half of the cycle.
  • The fertile window is the six days ending on ovulation day (Wilcox et al., 1995).
  • Cycle day and days-until are measured against today's date on your device.
  • This is a planning estimate, not contraception, and not a diagnosis. Cycle changes that persist are worth a clinician's attention.
Phases of the cycle by cycle length (5-day bleed, 14-day luteal phase)
010203040202530354045PeriodFollicularFertileLutealNext cycleToday · day 8Cycle length (days)Day of the cyclePhases of the cycle by cycle length (5-day bleed, 14-day luteal phase)
Next 6 cycles
#Period startsPeriod endsFertile windowOvulation
1October 1, 2026October 5, 2026Oct 10 – Oct 15October 15, 2026
2October 29, 2026November 2, 2026Nov 7 – Nov 12November 12, 2026
3November 26, 2026November 30, 2026Dec 5 – Dec 10December 10, 2026
4December 24, 2026December 28, 2026Jan 2 – Jan 7January 7, 2027
5January 21, 2027January 25, 2027Jan 30 – Feb 4February 4, 2027
6February 18, 2027February 22, 2027Feb 27 – Mar 4March 4, 2027

Every row assumes a cycle of exactly the length you entered. Real cycles drift; treat later rows as rougher than earlier ones.

Math verified by automated testsUpdated 2026-09-093 sources cited

How this is worked out

The formula

Next period = first day of last period + cycle length
Ovulation      = cycle start + (cycle length − luteal phase)
Fertile window = ovulation − 5 days … ovulation
Cycle day today = days since the current cycle began + 1

Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.

What you enter

First day of your last period
A calendar date.defaults to today-7
Average cycle length
First day of one period to the first day of the next. Average your last three to six cycles.from 15 to 60 · whole numbers only · defaults to 28
Days of bleeding
A number.from 1 to 14 · whole numbers only · defaults to 5
Cycles to predict
A number.from 1 to 24 · whole numbers only · defaults to 6
Luteal phase length(under More options)
Days from ovulation to the next period. Fairly constant within a person; 12–14 is typical.from 8 to 20 · whole numbers only · defaults to 14

What you get back

Next period startsmain answer
Next period ends
Days until it starts
Negative means it is overdue against this prediction.
Day of your cycle today
Phase today
Next ovulation
Next fertile window
The five days before ovulation plus ovulation day.

What this assumes

  • Every future cycle is assumed to be exactly the length you entered; real cycles vary by several days even when they are considered regular.
  • Ovulation is placed a fixed luteal phase before the next period (default 14 days), because the luteal phase is the more constant half of the cycle.
  • The fertile window is the six days ending on ovulation day (Wilcox et al., 1995).
  • Cycle day and days-until are measured against today's date on your device.
  • This is a planning estimate, not contraception, and not a diagnosis. Cycle changes that persist are worth a clinician's attention.

About this calculator

Give this your last period and your usual cycle length and it maps out the next several months: when each period starts and ends, when you ovulate, and which days are fertile. It also tells you what day of your cycle you are on right now, which is the thing most people are actually trying to work out.

How to use it

Enter the first day of bleeding of your last period — not the last day, and not the day spotting started. Cycle length is measured first-day-to-first-day, so a 28-day cycle means twenty-eight days from one period starting to the next one starting. If your cycles vary, average your last three to six rather than picking a typical one.

Under More options you can set the luteal phase — the gap between ovulation and your next period. Fourteen days is the default and is close for most people. The luteal phase is the stable part of the cycle; when a cycle runs long or short, it is almost always the follicular phase before ovulation that stretched or shrank. That is why ovulation is calculated backwards from the next period rather than forwards from the last one.

How to read the results

  • Cycle day counts from day one, the first day of bleeding.
  • The fertile window is the five days before ovulation plus ovulation day itself. Sperm survive up to five days; the egg survives about a day.
  • The table projects forward for as many cycles as you ask. Early rows are decent; the sixth is a guess stacked on five other guesses, because every cycle's error carries into the next.

What counts as normal variation

FIGO's standard puts normal cycle frequency at 24 to 38 days, and normal cycle-to-cycle variation at about a week — if your shortest and longest cycles in a year differ by more than seven to nine days, that is classed as irregular. ACOG makes a related point in the other direction: the menstrual cycle is a vital sign, and cycles that stop, become very irregular, or bring bleeding for more than about eight days are worth investigating rather than tolerating.

Ordinary things move a cycle: travel, illness, hard training blocks, weight change, stress, a new medication. One late period after a stressful month is usually just that. A pattern of them is information.

What this cannot do

It cannot detect a pregnancy, and it cannot be used as contraception. Calendar methods have real-world failure rates in the region of 12–15 pregnancies per 100 users a year — better than nothing and far worse than most alternatives — precisely because ovulation moves. If you are avoiding pregnancy, use a method that does not depend on the future looking like the past. If you are trying to conceive, ovulation predictor kits and basal temperature will beat this calendar every time.

Frequently asked questions

When is my next period?

Add your cycle length to the first day of your last period. On a 28-day cycle, a period starting on the 3rd means the next one is due around the 31st.

How late is too late?

A period that arrives up to a week either side of the prediction is within normal variation for many people. If you are more than a week late and could be pregnant, take a test; if periods stop for three months without pregnancy, see a clinician.

What is a normal cycle length?

FIGO puts the normal range at 24 to 38 days, with variation of no more than about a week between your shortest and longest cycles. Adolescents in the first few years after their first period vary far more than that and usually settle.

Can I use this to avoid pregnancy?

No. Calendar-based methods fail for roughly 12–15 in 100 users a year in typical use, because ovulation timing shifts. If avoiding pregnancy matters, use a method that does not rely on predicting the future.

Why did my cycle suddenly change?

Travel, illness, stress, weight change, a new training load and many medications all shift ovulation, which shifts the whole cycle. One odd cycle is usually nothing; a run of them is worth a check-up.

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