Can You Get Pregnant Having Sex On Your Period

Using Ovulation Predictor Tests

Can I get pregnant after having my period?

Ovulation predictor testswork a lot like pregnancy tests, except they tell you when you’re likely about to ovulate. They come as test sticks or test strips that react with your urine. To use these, you can urinate into a cup and then dip the test strip into the collected urine. You will get your result based on color changes or digital reading.

At-home ovulation tests detect the luteinizing hormone in your urine. LH surges just before you ovulate, so when the test reads positive, this indicates that your body is attempting to trigger the egg release from the ovary and that it is probably your optimal time to become pregnant.

Are There Any Benefits To Having Sex On Your Period

So many! For starters, free lube , not to mention the myriad of legit, health benefits linked to sex and periods. Having period sex can actually help with period cramps, migraine relief, increased sex drive, and even possibly shorter periods. Knowing all this, isnât it a bummer that society has raised women to think that sex during your period isnât an automatic given?

Period Tracking And Logging Sex

Women who use Natural Cycles take their temperature every morning and record it in the app. The method works by identifying a rise in body temperature just before ovulation. This means Natural Cycles can tell you when you can and cant get pregnant, so you will know your own fertility whilst on your period, or any day of your cycle, for that matter. On top of this, you will also know where you are in your cycle, meaning you can plan for your period, PMS or when to do a self breast exam.

If you are looking for a hormone-free birth control option that learns your unique cycle, then Natural Cycles could be the solution youve been searching for.

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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.

Chances Of Getting Pregnant

How to stop your period early: Short

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:

Timing of sex relative to ovulation Average chance of pregnancy
the day after ovulation 8%

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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When Youre Already Pregnant

Oh, yes, you read that right: You can get pregnant when youre already pregnant. Its called superfetation, and its very, very, very rare. It happens when a pregnant woman releases an egg a few weeks into her pregnancy and then has sex at just the right time. This is so rare that the majority of women, myself included, wont take precautions against it, but you should still know that its a thing.

So there you have it: seven ways you can get pregnant when youre least expecting it. Be aware, be careful, and use this information to be fully in charge of your reproductive health.

Chances Of Getting Pregnant Right After Your Period

“I recommend having sex frequentlytwo to three times a week, but every other day if you canshortly after you stop menstruating to cover your window of pre-ovulation,” says Kelly Pagidas, M.D., a fertility specialist with Women & Infants Center for Reproduction and Infertility in Providence.

Here’s why: Around day seven of your cycle, you’ll notice a vaginal discharge that seems a little springy to the touch. Within a few days, it will turn white and creamy, a cue that your fertility is returning once again. It doesn’t mean the egg has been released yet, but it indicates that ovulation is on the way and that your cervical mucus is a friendly environment for sperm.

Remember, you can get pregnant right after your period, even if you’re not yet ovulating. That’s because sperm can live up to five days if it’s trapped in fertile cervical mucusso it behooves you to get a few of his swimmers in place. “One study showed that people who had sex only one time during this phase, even four to five days before ovulation, still got pregnant,” says Steven R. Bayer, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist at Boston IVF fertility clinic in Boston.

Your chances of conceiving: Good. An egg isn’t technically released during this phase, but you’ll want to step up your sexual routine in the event that you ovulate earlier than planned.

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Chances Of Getting Pregnant On Your Period

In essence, menstruation is the monthly shedding of the endometrium, the inner membrane of the uterus. Menstruation lasts between three and seven days for most women. By the third day, levels of progesterone and estrogen are rising and working to rebuild your endometrium. Around day four, follicle ripening begins to go on the uptick, meaning the ovaries will start preparing eggs for release.

Unless you’re a very early ovulator , there’s little chance your man’s sperm will actually have any eggs to work with during this phase of your cycle.

Your chances of conceiving: Almost zero. It’s not detrimental to have intercourse, though, and some women see menstruation as a breather from the rigors of frequent procreation-oriented sex.

What Are The Chances Of Conception

Can I get pregnant if I have sex during my period?

If you are trying to conceive, it is best to speak with a gynecologist first. Can you get pregnant on your period? Yes, though the chances are the lowest during this phase in the cycle. An egg typically survives between 12 and 24 hours following ovulation.Some women may find it helpful to use a period tracker app to determine when they are most fertile and least likely to conceive . Keep in mind that every womans cycle is different, meaning that lifestyle habits and biological factors affect the length of ovulation.

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Why Can A Woman Become Pregnant While On Her Period

Bleeding is typically associated with being on ones period. However, a woman may also bleed during ovulation the most fertile time in her cycle. Having intercourse without birth control is most likely to lead to conception during this stage.

Similarly, sperm can survive inside a womans body for up to 72 hours. Can you get pregnant on your period? Yes, because conception may occur days after intercourse.

Additionally, the chances of conception increase towards the conclusion of a womans period. Women with shorter cycles may have a higher chance of conception than those who menstruate for longer. Can you get pregnant on the last day of your period? It is much more likely.

Chances Of Getting Pregnant During Ovulation

Welcome to prime time for conception! No matter the length of menstruation, ovulation generally starts about 14 days before your next scheduled period. When it happens, your body temperature rises about a half a degree but bear in mind that this also takes place after you’re already ovulating, which could be too late for conception.

“That’s where ovulation test kits become so helpful,” Dr. Bayer explains. These kits detect a surge in luteinizing hormone that happens about 36 hours before you ovulate. After the test kit shows this surge, Dr. Bayer recommends having sex in the next 24 to 36 hours. Sperm can survive for some time in the reproductive tract, so it will be ready to meet the egg once it’s released during ovulation.

Another good indication of fertility is a change in the consistency of your cervical mucus. “You’ll see vaginal discharge that increases in amount and has the consistency of egg whites, signaling it’s the perfect time to have intercourse,” Dr. Bayer says. Test yours by sticking your index finger and thumb in your vagina to get a sample, then tapping your finger and thumb together. If the consistency is thin and spreads easily between two fingers, you’re good to go.

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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.

Is Period Sex Gross

Can You Get Pregnant Without Having a Period?

Having sex during your period is not any grosser than any other kind of sex. Period blood is a bodily fluid, and I hate to break it to you, but there are a lot of other bodily fluids already involved during sex even when youâre not on your period. If it really bothers you, you can try having shower sex to minimize any mess.

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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.

Chances Of Getting Pregnant While On Your Period

Its very unlikely you will get pregnant in the days immediately before your period. However, we are all unique and our cycles are not the same and so our peak fertility varies. This means for some women the days before menstruation are fertile. Getting pregnant 5 days before your period is a possibility for some women, if they ovulate close to the end of their menstrual cycle, but typically peak fertility occurs earlier in the menstrual cycle.

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Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy

The most reliable pregnancy symptom is a missed period followed by a positive pregnancy test.

Many pregnant people do not have symptoms early in the pregnancy, just as many people who are not pregnant have symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

Some

are reliable , especially if a person waits until the day their period is due.

If the test is negative, try waiting a few days. This gives levels of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin time to rise, increasing the likelihood of a positive result.

A doctor or midwife can test for pregnancy using blood or urine tests that may be more sensitive than a home pregnancy test. It is not typically possible to see a developing baby on an ultrasound until several weeks into the pregnancy.

A doctor or midwife can test for pregnancy, check for normal fetal development, and advise about early pregnancy health.

A healthcare provider can also help discuss a persons options for managing an unintended pregnancy.

Pregnancy is not an emergency, and it is safe to wait a few weeks to speak with a healthcare provider unless a person wants to monitor HCG levels or has pregnancy-related health questions.

  • intense abdominal pain

Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period While Using Birth Control

Period Pregnancy?!

It’s possible to get pregnant when you’re using birth control, whether you’re on your period or not.

The likelihood that a contraceptive will fail varies depending on the method of birth control :

  • Oral contraceptives : About 7 to 9 percent failure rate
  • Progestin-only pill: About 7 percent failure rate
  • Patch: About 7 to 9 percent failure rate
  • Vaginal contraceptive ring: About 7 to 9 percent failure rate
  • Male condoms: About 13 to 18 percent failure rate
  • Diaphragms: About 12 to 17 percent failure rate

For what it’s worth, tracking your monthly cycle called “fertility awareness” in order to avoid pregnancy isn’t the most reliable birth control method the typical failure rate may be as high as 23 percent.

The bottom line: Although the odds are slim, you can get pregnant on your period or any other time of the month. It’s even possible to get pregnant on your period if you’re using birth control.

So unless youre trying to conceive, its always smart to be vigilant about contraception unless you like big surprises.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

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