Can You Still Be Pregnant If You Had A Period

Can I Get Pregnant Just After My Period Has Finished

If a woman gets pregnant but then has a period, can she still be pregnant?

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.

Pregnancy With A Period: Is It Possible

While some people may experience intermittent vaginal bleeding while they are pregnant, it isnt possible to have a period. Menstruation only takes place in the absence of pregnancy.

Each month, ovulation occurs when your ovary releases an egg to be fertilized by the sperm. The uterine lining thickens in anticipation of a fertilized egg being implanted, which then results in pregnancy. If an egg isnt fertilized and implanted, both the egg and the uterine lining are shed through the vagina as menstrual blood.

So, can you have a period while youre pregnant? The short answer is no. Since you dont ovulate or release an egg during pregnancy, you will not get your monthly period.

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 Right Before Or After Your Period

Doctors generally agree that people are not likely to get pregnant in the days leading up to their period. This is especially true if their periods are regular and they have a 28-day menstrual cycle.

However, given the fluid nature of the fertile window, people who do not want to become pregnant should still use contraception at this time.

Sperm cells can only fertilize an egg within a 24-hour window after ovulation. If a person knows when they have ovulated and counts w days from ovulation, they should no longer be able to get pregnant before their next period.

It is, however, possible for a person to get pregnant immediately after their period. This is because sperm can still fertilize eggs for 35 days after sexual intercourse.

If a person with a short cycle has sexual intercourse right after their period and happens to ovulate early, they may ovulate quickly enough for the egg to connect with sperm cells.

Why Can’t You Technically Have A Period When You’re Pregnant

13 reasons why you have not period but have cramps

Throughout the month, your body prepares for pregnancy. It does this by building up the endometrium, or uterine lining. If you become pregnant, this lining serves to help nourish the fertilized egg at the very early stages of pregnancy. If you don’t become pregnant, your body sheds the endometrium, via your period. Therefore, it’s impossible to be pregnant and have a period, because you don’t shed your endometrium while pregnant.

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The Opposite Is Also True

Many women that want a baby but are struggling to become pregnant often research things like: I got my period, but can I still be pregnant?. Its important to note that bleeding during pregnancy is a rare exception and in general, getting your period means you are not pregnant. So, you shouldnt rely too much hope on these pregnancy bleedings.

When in doubt, take a pregnancy test from the pharmacy. A negative result will confirm that your vaginal bleeding was, in fact, your period and not intermittent bleeding. On the other hand, a positive result should send you straight to the phone booking your first doctors appointment for you and baby!

You Can Be Pregnant And Still Think You’re Getting A Period

OK, so maybe you didn’t bother to listen to the previous section of this article AT ALL. You had sex without protection, spent the rest of your cycle quietly praying to the deity of your choice, and when you finally got your period, you publicly rejoiced, throwing a tiny parade in honor of your empty womb .

But don’t start that dance party yet, cowboy. While you can’t get your actual period while pregnant, according to Dr. Janelle Luk, MD, reproductive endocrinologist and medical director/co-founder of Generation Next Facility, you can experience bleeding that may look extremely similar. A “common and harmless reason for vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is implantation bleeding, when an embryo is implanting into the endometrium,” Luk tells Bustle. According to the American Pregnancy Association, though this bleeding may be lighter than your average period, it may occur around when you normally experience your period, leading many pregnant folks to get confused and mistake it for a period/ confirmation that they’re not pregnant.

I don’t say all of this to scare you â OK, that’s actually a total lie, I am definitely telling you this to scare you. Because accidental pregnancy is scary as hell! Getting knocked up even though you thought you were kinda, sorta taking precautions is a terrible, terrible feeling. And I’m sure you already have enough things in this life to feel terrible about .

This article was originally published on March 25, 2016

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Can You Get Pregnant A Couple Of Days After Your Period Has Finished

Yes, you can get pregnant in the couple of days after your period has finished – but, again, it is one of the less likely times in your cycle.

After your period starts, your cycle is moving closer to ovulation, and to your fertile phase, which is roughly days 11 to 21 in a 28-day cycle.

The closer you have sex to your fertile phase, the more likely you are to get pregnant.

Sperm can live up to five days in your body, so if you have a short cycle and early ovulation your chances of getting pregnant in the days just after your period are much higher.

A Change In Your Schedule

Can a woman still have a period while she’s pregnant?

Changing schedules can throw off your body clock. If you frequently change work shifts from days to nights, or if your schedule is generally all over the place, your period can be fairly unpredictable.

A change in your schedule shouldn’t cause you to completely miss your period, but it can cause your period to start earlier or later than expected. Your cycle can also change by a few days if you experience jet lag.

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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.

Before you get into the swing of things, make sure you remove any tampons or menstrual cups before sex. These block the vaginal passage and it can be dangerous if they are misused or left too long inside the vagina.

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.

Why You Can’t Have A Period While Pregnant

A true period is blood loss that occurs at the end of a menstrual cycle as a result of your egg not being fertilized by sperm. When an egg goes unfertilized, hormonesthe ones that control the release of the egg into your fallopian tubes and cause your womb lining to thickendrop in levels at the end of the month. Your womb lining then disintegrates and is shed in what we commonly refer to as a period.

If you’re pregnant, an egg has already been fertilized and is growing as an embryo within the walls of your uterus. Since your womb lining is not being discarded at the end of each month, you no longer have a period. This is why one of the early signs of pregnancy is a missed period.

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Im Pregnant But Have Some Bleeding Is This My Period

Implantation bleeding sometimes happens pregnant women around the time theto period would have been due. Implantation is when the developing embryo plants itself in the wall of your womb. An implantation bleed is very light bleeding that is usually pinkish and sometimes brown. Not everyone will have an implantation bleed.

Its common to have light bleeding or spotting without pain before 12 weeks. This isnt often serious, but you should contact your doctor, midwife or Early Pregnancy Unit immediately to be checked, just in case.

Is It Possible To Be Pregnant And Have A Period

could i get pregnant right after my period

No matter how many precautions you take, having sex can still feel like you’re rolling the dice when it comes to pregnancy, especially if you’re prone to nervousness â “Sure, we’re using condoms/spermicide/the pill/an IUD/are just waving our genitals at each other from across an empty ice skating rink and not touching in any way, but what if something goes wrong and I GET PREGNANT BY ACCIDENT?” For those of us invested in this kind of reproductive neurosis, there may only be a few days a month when we get a respite from these grinding pregnancy fears â when we have our periods. That red smear on our underoos causes us to release a sigh of relief, because it means that we’re not currently pregnant, and we can’t get pregnant for the next few days… right? RIGHT??!! WHY ARE YOU BEING SO QUIET WHEN I AM ASKING YOU AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT QUESTION???

People, I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news. I like to be the bearer of good news, like how you can buy Easter candy all year on the Internet. But I’m also a vajournalist, and as such, I am sworn to tell the truth .

And the painful truth here is this: in some cases, you can get pregnant while you’re having your period. And you can also experience bleeding that may look and feel like a period, even after you’re pregnant!

Take a second to regroup/splash water on your face/completely reassess your contraceptive practices then, let’s meet back here and go over the bloody details.

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How Not To Get Pregnant

If you want to get pregnant, plan to get frisky halfway between periods for the best chances. But if youre trying to avoid pregnancy, dont use your period as a guide. Instead, choose a reliable form of birth control.

Thats the best way to prevent pregnancy, Dr. Stephens says.

Yeah, you probably already knew that. But now you know the whole story.

Exercise Or Lack Of Body Fat

You may be an athlete who is neither over- nor underweight . However, its not your weight that really impacts your reproductive cycleits the amount of fat.

Athletes may have a high percentage of muscle and a low percentage of body fat. This can cause their menstrual cycles to be irregular or even stop completely. Excessive exercise can also cause your periods to become irregular or stop.

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Ovulations And Regular Periods

Assuming a normal menstrual cycle of 28 days, a healthy woman who is not using hormonal birth control will ovulate on the 14th day of her cycle. During ovulation, your ovaries release a mature egg that is ready for fertilization. After the egg is released, it remains alive for an amount of time between 12 and 24 hours. If the egg isnt fertilized, it disintegrates and gets absorbed into the uterine lining called the endometrium.

Two weeks after ovulation, the lining of the uterus will discharge from the vagina in the form of menstrual blood. This is called a true period, as the bleeding comes from the lining of the uterus, cervical mucus and blood.

What Causes Early Bleeding

Period Pregnancy?!

The cause of bleeding early in pregnancy is often unknown. But many factors early on in pregnancy may lead to light bleeding or heavier bleeding. These include:

  • Having sex

  • When the embryo implants on the uterine wall

  • Bleeding between the sac membrane and the uterus

  • Pregnancy loss

  • The embryo implants outside of the uterus

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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.

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