Can You Get Pregnant Right After Period

What If My Cycle Is Irregular

It can be more difficult to get pregnant if you have irregular periods because you may not ovulate regularly.

There are many possible causes of irregular periods, which may affect your fertility. For example:

• medical conditions such as thyroid problems or polycystic ovary syndrome.

Having irregular periods does not mean you wont get pregnant and there are things you can do to boost your chances of success.

See your GP if your periods have stopped, youre missing monthly periods or you have irregular periods and are struggling to get pregnant.

Cut Back On Strenuous Workouts

Being physically active most days of the week can help a woman’s body prepare for the demands of pregnancy and labor, and has been associated with a reduced risk of fertility problems, scientists reported in the March 2020 issue of the journal Human Reproduction. But getting too much exercise or doing frequent strenuous workouts could interfere with ovulation, Live Science reported.

Doctors see a lot of menstrual disturbances in women who exercise heavily, and a lot of times these women need to cut back on their workouts if they want to become pregnant, Pavone told Live Science.

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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Fertility Awareness And Family Planning

Some women use fertility awareness as a method of natural birth control. One of the tools used is something called the Standard Days method. This establishes that if you have a period that is between 26 to 32 days long, days eight through 19 will be your most fertile days. However, this method is most effective when you have regular menstrual cycles.

If a woman has a regular period and uses the method perfectly, less than one to five women out of 100 will become pregnant. However, the key words here are perfect use. The typical use rate is different. Typical use means that the methods may be done incorrectly or measured inconsistently. In the first year of this typical use, 12 to 24 women out of 100 will become pregnant.

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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Take A Prenatal Vitamin

Pavone recommends that women who are attempting to conceive start taking a prenatal vitamin even before becoming pregnant. This way, a woman can find one that’s more agreeable to her system and stay on it during pregnancy, she said.

Another possibility is to take a daily multivitamin, as long as it contains at least 400 micrograms per day of folic acid, a B vitamin that’s important for preventing birth defects in a baby’s brain and spine, Pavone said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges women to take 400 mcg of folic acid every day for at least one month before getting pregnant, to help prevent birth defects.

Getting a head start on folic acid supplementation is a good idea because the neural tube develops into the brain and spine three to four weeks after conception occurs, before many women may realize they’re expecting.

Is It Possible To Get Pregnant After Your Period Ends Heres What You Must Know

Ovulation is a key part of the menstrual cycle. And many women often have a love-hate relationship with their period. Trying to find out when it will happen, how long it will last, and if you can get pregnant, are all tricky questions.

Only if your actual period was as precise as the period tracker app on your phone!

For those looking to get pregnant , your monthly fertile window is usually mid-cycle.

This would translate to around the 14th day if you have a 28-day cycle. Of course, not every woman has a perfect menstrual cycle, so the fertile window can vary for every individual and also month-to-month.

But can ovulation take place after the period ends? While that may not always be the case, there is a slim chance.

If you sporadically ovulate early or late, there is a possibility to get pregnant by having sex right before, during, or after menstruation.

So, if you were wondering about ovulation after period, here’s what you need to know.

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Getting Pregnant During Ovulation Is Highly Likely

The chances of getting pregnant are highest during your fertile window”. The fertile days occur during the 3-5 days leading up to and including ovulation. Having unprotected sex during ovulation will increase the chances of sperm being able to fertilize an egg, and that you’ll get pregnant.

Its important to note here that ovulation is simply half of the equationsperm health is the other. If youre trying to conceive and are having trouble getting pregnant, its worth consulting a doctor to see what other factors may impact your fertility. Remember, your partners sperm health could also affect your ability to get pregnant.

Another important consideration is that ovulation can vary month to month depending on a variety of emotional factors, like stress, exhaustion, emotional events , and nutrition.

Unlike the acutely obvious signs of menstruation, the signs of ovulation are often more subtle. If you arent able to identify your ovulation phase, consider using a tool like an ovulation predictor kit or a fertility app to help predict your fertile window.

If you have trouble knowing when youre ovulating, there are tools to help:

How To Prevent Pregnancy

The most effective strategy for avoiding pregnancy is to refrain from sex. Sexually active people who do not wish to become pregnant should use contraceptives such as condoms or birth control.

Using two methods can offer additional protection, for example, when a person uses both hormonal birth control and condoms.

Several fertility monitoring techniques make it easier for a person to pinpoint their fertile window and avoid sex or use contraceptives during this time.

These methods are more effective if a person has regular periods. Some fertility monitoring strategies include:

• Charting basal body temperature: A persons morning body temperature usually rises shortly after ovulation.
• Using ovulation predictors: These tests typically give a positive result a day or two before ovulation, but it is possible to get a positive without ovulation.
• Looking for fertile cervical fluid:Thick cervical fluid with a texture similar to raw egg whites indicates ovulation is approaching.
• Checking cervical position and texture: Some females find that the position and texture of their cervix changes throughout their cycle.

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I Never Used A Hormonal Birth Control Method So We Should Get Pregnant As Soon As We Start Trying

Just because your hormones havent been affected by hormonal contraceptives doesn’t necessarily put you at an advantage. Your body may be better able to regulate itself but this doesn’t mean you can get pregnant any more easily. Your fertility can be influenced by many factors other than contraceptives.

Having Sex On Your Period: Facts To Put Your Mind At Ease

Were all about ending the stigma around periods and sorting out the fact from the fiction. This includes putting your mind at ease over one of the big disputes: having sex on your period. Can you really have sex while youre on your period? Wont it hurt, or make you bleed more?

We know that period sex isnt really talked about, let alone to answer questions like these, but dont worry. We can tell you everything you need to know right here.

With our helpful guide on hand, youll have all the facts set out in front of you to help you decide exactly what you want to do in your sex life, no matter what time of the month it is. After all, you getting to decide what youre comfortable with and want to do is exactly how it should be!

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Can A Girl Get Pregnant Right After Her Period Ends

Can a girl get pregnant when she’s just gotten over her period? Katherine*

Yes! Having unprotected sex at any time is risky and can result in pregnancy. Sometimes the time when a girl is most likely to become pregnant can happen within a few days of when your period ends. Also, sperm can fertilize an egg for 72 hours after ejaculation.

Having unprotected sex at any time is very risky a girl can even get pregnant if she has sex during her period. Along with the chance of becoming pregnant, there is also the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease , such as chlamydia, genital warts, or HIV.

The only surefire way to prevent pregnancy and STDs is abstinence . If you do have sex, use a condom every time to protect against unplanned pregnancy and STDs. And talk to your doctor about additional forms of contraception.

*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.

Increase Your Conception Chances

One study has shown that women who are trying to conceive will increase their likelihood of conception if they monitor and are aware of their potential fertile days. Being knowledgeable about their ovulation increased the accuracy of when their actual fertile period occurred rather than estimating when they perceived their ovulation would occur.

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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.

I Conceived My First Baby Easily So The Next Pregnancy Should Be Easy

Theres no sure way of knowing. Youll be older, you may have less time to be spontaneous with your sex life and you may even have a different partner all of these influence your chances of pregnancy. If you are under 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for a year, talk to your doctor .

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Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period While Using Birth Control

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.