Are You More Fertile On Your Period

Does Having A Heavy Period Mean You Are More Fertile

There isnt any proper relation between fertility and heavy period. While having your period is a good sign that you are fertile, longer ovulation or menstrual cycle doesnt necessarily mean youre more fertile.

For a better means of tracking fertility, ultrasound tests by doctors can be performed to check womens fertility. This is often followed by more extensive tests to give you a better idea of when during the menstrual cycle fertility peak.

Heavy periods do mean longer menstrual cycles. However, the time that a woman becomes fertile doesnt necessarily extend. In most cases, the fertile period is the same, and theres very little difference.

There are some rare cases where the days a woman is most fertile can get extended but often by a day or two. This is rarely a great difference in the overall menstrual cycle.

Heavy periods and fertility does not have any connection, and experiencing heavy periods often does not have anything to do with fertility. It is still important to run pregnancy tests, and it should be noted that heavy periods are more of an abnormality. They also do not mean that you are infertile, so you should not be alarmed by that.

The Ins And Outs Of Period Sex

So now we know it is possible to get pregnant on your period, its important you take the right precautions. When used correctly, barrier methods such as the condom are very effective at preventing pregnancy and also offer protection against STIs.

While many may think its gross or messy, having sex on your period is perfectly healthy and lots of women swear by it for a number of reasons. Due to a dip in progesterone, you may find your sex drive increases around menstruation. On top of this, orgasms can alleviate period cramps and cause the uterus to contract more, which in the end can mean shorter periods too.

While you might be expecting a Stephen King-style horror scene, you may actually be surprised by how little menstrual blood there is. The heaviness of your period is a very personal thing that varies from cycle to cycle, however, the average woman will only produce 6-8 teaspoons worth of blood during her entire period. That being said, you might want to have an extra towel on hand, or suggest things get steamy in the shower.

What Are The Chances I Can Get Pregnant On My Period

The chances of getting pregnant if you have sex during your period are very low. However, if youve had unprotected sex, it is still possible to get pregnant during your period.

To understand how this can happen, you need to know how your menstrual cycle works.

• Your cycle starts on the first day of your period and lasts until the first day of your next period.
• About 10 to 16 days before the start of your next period, you will ovulate, which is when one of your ovaries releases an egg.
• Once youve ovulated, you enter the Luteal phase, when the now empty follicle develops the corpus luteum, which produces the hormone progesterone.
• The lining on your uterus thickens in preparation for a fertilized egg to implant.
• If you have not conceived, then the egg passes into the uterus, hormone levels drop, and the womb lining sheds as you begin your next period.

You are at your most fertile around the time you ovulate. Although the egg lives only for 12 to 24 hours after being released, you can get pregnant even if you have sex days before you ovulate as sperm can live up to five days in your body.

So how likely are you to get pregnant during your period? Well, it depends on a few factors like:

• whether you used contraception or not
• the length of your menstrual cycle
• the length of your period
• when you had sex

You can also conceive after having sex during your period if you have short menstrual cycles, as this means you ovulate a few days earlier, and closer to the end of your period.

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The Importance Of Ovulation Predictors

The whole idea of determining when your most fertile days rests on the notion that you can accurately predict your ovulation. So the very first step in understanding your fertility is knowing when you ovulate.

Becoming a good ovulation predictor means relying on your own fertility awareness and the ovulation signs your body shows you each month. Fertility iPhone apps are actually really good at helping you to chart your fertility to determine when your most fertile days may be occur.

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Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle

Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period and continues up to the first day of your next period.

You’re most fertile at the time of ovulation , which usually occurs 12 to 14 days before your next period starts. This is the time of the month when you’re most likely to get pregnant.

It’s unlikely that you’ll get pregnant just after your period, although it can happen. It’s important to remember that sperm can sometimes survive in the body for up to 7 days after you have sex.

This means it may be possible to get pregnant soon after your period finishes if you ovulate early, especially if you have a naturally short menstrual cycle.

You should always use contraception when you have sex if you don’t want to become pregnant.

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Sex Right After Your Period

While you may assume that your odds of getting pregnant are slim in the first few days following your period, you are actually moving into a new fertility window. Researchers have shown that a person’s chances of conception jump starting a week after the start of their last period and rise steadily after that, peaking around day 15 LMP.

Your odds of getting pregnant in the days just following your period rise when you have a shorter length between periods because that usually means you ovulate soon after your period ends. Research has shown that people with a 23-day menstrual cycle, for instance, have a 9% chance of ovulating on day 10 LMP. That means they are fertileable to get pregnantbetween six and 11 days after the start of their last period.

Remember, even when you are in your suspected fertile window, that does not mean you will necessarily get pregnant from sex. Structural problems with your uterus or fallopian tubes or issues with either your eggs or your partner’s sperm can prevent conception and fertilization. If you are timing sex to get pregnant and having trouble after several months, consider talking to a fertility doctor about tests you can take to better understand how to maximize your chances of conception.

How To Predict Ovulation

To figure out your most fertile days each month, you need to know when youll ovulate. To pinpoint that time, youll need to rely on body awareness and look for ovulation signs each month.

Often, ovulation occurs two weeks before the start of your period.

Natural family planning techniques can help you learn when you ovulate. You can also look at the day that you expect your next period to start and count back 14 days from it. This calculation will give you an idea of when you will ovulate.

If you have a very regular 28-day cycle, ovulation usually happens on day 14. However, if the length of your cycle varies, counting back 14 days wont be a good way to predict when you will ovulate.

That said, you do not need a 28-day cycle to use this methodyou just need a regular cycle.

You can still figure out when you are most fertile if your cycle is longer or shorter than 28 days. The key is knowing that your cycles are reliable.

In other words, if you have a 35-day cycle, then you have a 35-day cycle every month and you can predict when in that cycle your ovaries will release an egg.

Also Check: What Is Your Last Period Like Before Menopause

Painful Periods And Fertility

Every woman has experienced painful periods at least once in her life.

What It Is

Painful periods are caused by cramping. This happens due to a chemical that can be found in the body, called Prostaglandins. These occur naturally in the body and can be found in tissue all over, including the uterus. When you get your period, these prostaglandins cause the uterus to contract. If levels of this chemical are too high in the body, then it causes painful period cramps.

Impact on Fertility

While all painful cramps do not mean you will have trouble getting pregnant, the painful periods that cause fertility problems usually develop later in life due to certain diseases such as endometriosis, fibroids, Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases and Adenomyosis.

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Can You Get Pregnant Right Before Your Period

The chances of getting pregnant right before your period are extremely low. For people with regular cycles, ovulation likely occurs 1016 days before the next period. The eggs released during ovulation can only be fertilized for 12 to 24 hours.

onception is least likely on the days before a period starts.

About 24 hours after ovulation, the chances of becoming pregnant start to decrease. The more days that pass after ovulation, the lower the chances of conception become.

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While Youre On Your Period

As any woman with a calendar and a bunch of best friends will tell you, the amount of days each woman spends menstruating can vary a lot.

Your menstrual flow may start to diminish and lighten in color, or turn brown towards the end of your cycle. It feels and looks like youre still menstruating, but your body is already gearing up for your next fertile time.

If you have sex towards the end of your period, you may actually be getting close to your fertile window, especially if you have a short cycle. Lets take a look at the math.

Say you ovulate early, about six days after your period starts. You have sex on the third day of your period. The sperm have no egg to fertilize, but theyre also in no hurry to die so they hang out, doin what sperm do.

A few days later, while theyre still swimming around, you ovulate and theyre drawn to that egg like a fish to water. One gets through, and there you have it fertilization has occurred as a result of period sex.

Should I Have Sex Before During Or After Ovulation

For the best chances of pregnancy, you should have sex every day or every other day during the:

• Five days leading up to ovulation
• Day of ovulation
• Day after ovulation

Theres a lot of information about methods for having sex that could increase your chances of getting pregnant. Theres no specific sex position that increases your odds of conceiving. Some lubricants may negatively affect sperm and prevent them from reaching the egg. Talk to your health care provider about which lubricants to avoid.

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How Do You Tell If You’re Pregnant Without A Test

The most common early signs and symptoms of pregnancy might include:

How To Reduce The Chances Of Getting Pregnant

If youre not trying to conceive, there are a lot of ways to reduce your chances. Birth control comes in many forms. Heres a quick breakdown:

• Hormonal options:
• Birth control pills: Either combination pills or progestin only
• Birth control shot: Given every three months
• Hormone patch: Changed once a week
• Implant: Inserted under the skin of the arm, provides protection for up to four years
• Hormone vaginal ring: Changed once a month/every three weeks

• Barrier options:
• Condoms: male or female
• Spermicide: Can be a gel, foam, or other substance made for killing sperm before they can reach an egg

• Intrauterine options:
• Copper IUD: A device inserted into the uterus that can last up to 12 years
• Hormonal IUD: A device inserted into the uterus that can last up to six years

• Permanent options:
• Tubal ligation: This is a medical procedure that blocks the fallopian tubes so that no eggs can be fertilized

Read Also: How To Calculate Next Period Date

Keep An Eye On Your Periods

A healthy menstrual cycle and healthy periods are the foundation of your fertility. So it makes sense to keep an eye on your periods when youre trying to conceive.

Being aware of signs and symptoms that can indicate a problem is incredibly valuable. If youre not getting pregnant, these symptoms can help you and your doctor figure out where the problem might lie.

In my Fast Track to Pregnancy Program I show you step by step, how to recognise if you have a problem with your periods or your menstrual cycles. I also discuss the possible causes and what you can DO about it.

Chances Of Getting Pregnant

The chances of becoming pregnant vary from person to person and from cycle to cycle.

On average, a 30-year-old persons odds of getting pregnant are about 20% per cycle, assuming they are having unprotected sex.

The odds of becoming pregnant also depend on when a person has sex relative to ovulation. An app-based study of people who were trying to get pregnant found the average chances of pregnancy were as follows:

Therefore, people should not rely on when their period is due to decide whether to have sex.

The most crucial factor is ovulation. A period indicates the beginning of a new cycle, but it reveals little about when a person might ovulate.

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How Can You Tell How Fertile You Are

Your doctor will give you a pelvic exam. They may also use an ultrasound to look at your ovaries and uterus, and give you a blood test to check your hormones. Sometimes youll need to start tracking your ovulation patterns by checking your cervical mucus, taking your temperature, or using home ovulation tests.

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Can You Get Pregnant Before Ovulation

While that would be rather miraculous, there is a possible plot twist that could land you with a positive pregnancy test when youre not in what you think is your ovulation phase.

Even if you have a cycle that is more predictable than a badly-written soap opera, there is a chance that your fertile period may not be that obvious.

There are longer and shorter cycles with all sorts of factors like age, stress levels, and just plain genetic makeup that pop in to mess up the predictability of your fertility window all things you need to try your best to get in touch with if your plan is to conceive.

But then, of course, your plan might be to not have a baby right now, or ever, and thats totally valid.

If thats the case, there are lots of different forms of birth control that may be available to you whatever works for you!

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Do Regular Periods Mean Im Fertile

Fertility can be a tricky subject and two questions that I often hear are I have regular periods does that mean I am fertile? and if I have regular periods, why arent I pregnant

Theres a very good chance if you are experiencing a regular monthly period, you are fertile. While it is true that women have a finite number of eggs, lack of conception is predominately due to other causes.

From the moment a girl is born, she typically has between one and two million eggs in her ovaries. As she begins to grow, she will begin to lose these eggs so that by the time she hits puberty, she will be left with 300,000 to 500,000. Each month, menstruation, or your period occurs when your body releases one of these eggs along with the lining of your uterus because the egg has not become fertilised.

Before you begin to worry that you might be infertile, know that only about 10% of couples are affected by infertility. Unless there are complications that you are aware of, we recommend that you continue trying for at least a twelve months if you are younger than 35 before you look further into the possibility of infertility.

In some cases though, there are good reasons for asking your GP for a referral to a specialist and getting the answers you need sooner rather than later. If you have experienced pelvic infections, endometriosis, or pelvic surgeries, these can lead to scarring and damaging of the fallopian tubes.

Fertility can be a tricky subject

What Are The Signs Of Not Being Able To Have A Baby

Common Signs of Infertility in Women

• Irregular periods. The average woman’s cycle is 28 days long. …
• Painful or heavy periods. Most women experience cramps with their periods. …
• No periods. It’s not uncommon for women to have an off month here and there. …
• Symptoms of hormone fluctuations. …
• Pain during sex.

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