Can You Get Pregnant At The End Of Your Period

What Can I Do To Get Pregnant

If you want to get pregnant, its a good idea to talk to your doctor. Many doctors will advise a few lifestyle changes if youre trying for a baby, such as taking a or prenatal vitamin supplements, avoiding alcohol, quitting smoking, and trying to maintain a healthy weight. You may also want to use an ovulation test to help you identify when your most fertile days are. You can see our range of ovulation tests and here to help you maximize your chances of conceiving.

Bleeding Later In Pregnancy: Why It Happens

Weve already discussed why it isnt possible to have a period during pregnancy, and why some people may experience light bleeding or spotting during their first trimester. Bleeding during the second and third trimesters is possible, though not common, and it may be an indicator that something else is going on. If you experience bleeding later in your pregnancy, its important to see your health care provider.

Potential reasons for mid- or late-term pregnancy bleeding include:

When To See Your Health Care Provider

Because it isnt possible to get your period while pregnant, its important to be mindful of any bleeding you do experience during this time. While light bleeding or spotting during the first trimester is usually normal, bleeding that is accompanied by other symptoms may indicate something more serious, and its important to see a health care provider immediately. These symptoms include:

• Cramping and pain
• Passing clots or heavy bleeding
• Severe pain in your pelvis and stomach

Its important to visit your health care provider if your bleeding is bright red in color and is heavy enough to soak through a pad. Pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy may indicate an ectopic pregnancy. If you suspect this, see your health care provider as soon as possible.

Theres a lot of discussion surrounding pregnancy and periods, and we want to clear things up. Can you have a period and be pregnant? No. Since your period stops after your body starts producing hCG also known as the pregnancy hormone it isnt possible to experience a true period during pregnancy.

During the early stages of pregnancy, however, some people experience spotting or light bleeding and its usually normal. This bleeding is called implantation bleeding, and it happens when the fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining.

• Analysis of period and cycle length
• Chances of getting pregnant and ovulation forecast
• Predictions of next period

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Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period If You Have An Irregular Cycle

Yes. If you have an irregular period, it can be harder to predict when youll be ovulating and that could cause you to get pregnant accidentally, since it can be harder to avoid having sex close to that time.

Here are a few types of irregular menstrual cycles, and how it’s still possible to get pregnant:

• You have a short cycle. Some women have cycles as short as 21 days and still ovulate, which means they dont have as much time between when they finish menstruating and when they next ovulate. And since sperm can live in your reproductive tract for a few days, if you happened to have sex during your period and then ovulated the following cycles egg two to three days later, that egg could encounter viable sperm. And you know what that means.
• Your periods last a long time. While your body is slowly shedding that uterine lining, the clock is ticking on ovulation and your next egg shows up while youre still bleeding from the previous months egg. So youre already fertile again which means you can get pregnant on your period.
• You have breakthrough bleeding, or spotting, when you ovulate. Especially if you have light or irregular periods, it would be easy to mistake this bleeding for a true period even though its happening when youre actually most fertile, since youve just ovulated.

Sometimes, however, an irregular period can be a sign that you’re not ovulating at all, which is one cause of infertility.

Am I Using Contraception Properly

Using the pill correctly you need to take every dose of your pill at the same time every day for maximum protection against pregnancy. Things that can stop your contraceptive from working include:

• Medicines:

• Missing pills or starting a pack late can affect your protection

• You may need to use extra protection

• Detox tea

• These can flush your system so may induce diarrhoea or clear your bowels which can mean your pill wont be absorbed

• This will affect your protection against pregnancy

Using condoms correctly using a condom is the safest way to protect against STIs. Some of the misconceptions surrounding condoms can include:

• It doesnt feel natural there are examples which are thinner which can still make sex feel natural while using condoms

• I dont have any money for them you can obtain condoms for free from:

• GP

• Try using condoms without spermicide

Avoid damaging your condom:

• A condom which rips during intercourse can affect your protection

• You should use extra protection such as the emergency contraceptive pill if this happens

• Make sure you use the condom properly e.g. as the instruction manual states

Other methods such as pulling out before ejaculation can also be risky. This is because some of the fluid that leaves the penis before ejaculation, may contain some sperm and so can leave you at risk of becoming pregnant.

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How Do I Test My Cervical Mucus

Watching the changes in the amount and consistency of your cervical mucus can help you understand your cycle. Heres how it works: check your secretions before and after urinating by wiping with toilet paper. Alternatively you can insert a clean finger into your vagina to obtain a sample of mucus. Observe the consistency of the mucus, and use this chart to identify where you are in your cycle. Your mucus can be cloudy, white, yellowish, or clear. It can have either a sticky or stretchy consistency. Use your thumb and forefinger to see if the mucus stretches.

You are most fertile on the days when you have abundant, stretchy mucus. This is not a foolproof method to prevent pregnancy.

Chances Of Getting Pregnant After Ovulation

Also known as the luteal phase, this final portion of your cycle lasts a minimum of 12 days and a maximum of 16 days. Progesterone starts to rise, signaling that the ovaries don’t need to release any more eggs this month. Your cervical mucus will dry up and create a plug to prevent any additional sperm from entering the uterus.

It takes about six days for any fertilized eggs to travel to your uterus. If one implants in your endometrium, you’ll start to see the rise in human chorionic gonadotropin , the hormone measured by home pregnancy tests, within a week.

Your chances of conceiving: Low. Once the egg has been released, there’s not much that can be done until next month. But there’s certainly no harm in having sex if you’re in the mood!

Don’t sweat it if it’s time for your cycle to start over again and you’re still not pregnant. You may not have tracked your most fertile days accurately, in which case your guy’s swimmers never had the chance to work their magic. The vast majority of couples who are trying to conceive do so within a year, with only about half achieving their goal by 6 months. Talk to your doctor or a fertility specialist about any concerns regarding your chances of getting pregnant.

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When Does Menopause Usually Happen

Menopause happens when you have gone 12 months in a row without a period. The average age of menopause in the United States is 52. The range for women is usually between 45 and 58.2 One way to tell when you might go through menopause is the age your mother went through it.3

Menopause may happen earlier if you:

• Never had children. Pregnancy, especially more than one pregnancy, may delay menopause.4
• Smoke. Studies show smoking can cause you to start menopause up to two years earlier than women who dont smoke.5

Certain health problems can also cause you to start menopause earlier.

Menopause usually happens on its own. However, you may enter menopause earlier than you normally would if you have had chemotherapy or surgery to remove both ovaries. Learn more about early menopause on our Early or premature menopause page.

Why You Might Experience A Period During Your First Trimester

Though people stop getting their period during pregnancy, its possible that they may still experience some bleeding. This bleeding does not necessarily indicate an underlying issue, but its important to understand the cause of it and whether its time to see a health care provider.

Bleeding tends to occur more often during the first trimester of pregnancy than the second or third. Estimates suggest that about 25 to 30 percent of pregnant people experience spotting at some point during their first trimester. There are a number of reasons for this bleeding.

Implantation bleeding: This refers to the light spotting that occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception, around the time when your period is due. Many people havent yet taken a pregnancy test at this point, so its easy to mistake the spotting for a period. This bleeding is lighter than a normal period, however, and only lasts for a couple of days. It occurs due to the implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine lining.

Cervical changes: Spotting can occur shortly after you get pregnant due to cervical changes, and particularly after having sexual intercourse. As long as no infection is present, theres no need to be concerned about this.

Other causes: Heavier bleeding that more closely resembles a period during the first trimester of pregnancy can indicate something more serious, including:

• Back pain
• Uncontrollable vomiting and nausea

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Can I Use My Menstrual Cycle To Predict My Due Date

Yes. You can work out how far along your pregnancy is by counting from the first day of your last period.

This can be confusing because you probably didnt get pregnant until around 2 weeks later, after you ovulated. Even if do you know the date you got pregnant, this is counted as day 14 of your pregnancy , not day 1.

Your pregnancy is calculated from your last menstrual period because every time you have a period this is the bodys way of getting ready for pregnancy. It also gives healthcare professionals a standard to follow because its very difficult to know exactly when the sperm fertilised the egg.

If your period is irregular or if youve recently been on the pill it will be harder to try and work out your due date.

The most accurate way to work out your due date is to have an ultrasound scan when youre around 11 to 14 weeks pregnant. This is used to see how for along you are and check your babys development.

How Will I Know If I Am Starting The Transition To Menopause

Sometimes it can be hard for you and your doctor to tell whether you are in perimenopause, the transition to menopause:

• Symptoms: Tell your doctor or nurse about any menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes or trouble sleeping.
• Irregular periods: Track your periods. Irregular periods may be your first sign of menopause.
• Hormone levels: Your doctor may test the amount of hormones in your blood if your periods stopped at an early age . Doctors dont usually recommend this test unless there is a medical reason to do so. This is because, for most women, hormone levels go up and down in an unpredictable way during the transition to menopause. So it is difficult to tell for sure whether you have gone through menopause or are getting close to it based on this blood test.

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Immediately Before Your Period

A “regular” cycle is 28 days long, but many people have slightly shorter or longer cycles. In one study of 32,595 people, people with self-reported regular periods had menstrual cycles ranging from 23 to 35 days long. The most common day to ovulate is day 15 LMP.

If you are trying to be mindful of your cycles as a natural form of birth control, be aware there’s a slight chance of pregnancy if you ovulate later in the cycle or simply miscalculate the dates of your next period. In one large study, even people who reported having regular menstrual cycles had a 6% chance of being in their fertile window on the day they expected their next period to begin.

If you are trying to conceive, now would not be the best time to start. You can still enjoy sex but are more likely to get pregnant if you try again after your period.

Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period With Birth Control

Unfortunately, no method of birth control method is 100% effective. So if you use a condom on your period, it breaks and you are fertile directly after your period, there is still a risk of pregnancy – although this is extremely unlikely. If you are using hormonal birth control, then the monthly bleeding you may experience is not in fact a period, its called a withdrawal bleed. Since hormonal birth control works by stopping ovulation, you will not have a fertile window in the same way as with non-hormonal birth control. If youre using Natural Cycles as a birth control method – then you will know your own fertile window.

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Can I Get Pregnant Just After My Period Has Finished

Yes, although it’s not very likely. If you have sex without using contraception, you can conceive at any time during your menstrual cycle, even during or just after your period.

You can also get pregnant if you have never had a period before, during your first period, or after the first time you have sex.

There’s no “safe” time of the month when you can have sex without contraception and not risk becoming pregnant.

But there are times in your menstrual cycle when you’re at your most fertile, and this is when you’re most likely to conceive.