Should Women With Irregular Periods Panic
Irregular periods are concerning. More so if getting pregnant is on the cards. Missing periods can also be a sign of an underlying medical issue. Theres no need to panic. Take action early. Seek advice from your OB/GYN, as doctors can help increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.
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Can You Get Pregnant Before Your Period
You are least likely to become pregnant during this time.
We know that for women whose menstrual cycle is 28 to 30 days, the ovulation window ranges from the 14th to 17th day. The period after this is the post-ovulation stage, which lowers the chances of pregnancy. Therefore, having sex right before the onset of next cycle is the safest period to avoid pregnancy.
However, if your ovulation gets delayed due to health issues or stress, and moves to the end of the cycle, then you are likely to get pregnant before your period. The tricky thing here is it is difficult to know if your ovulation is getting delayed.
Unless you have a regular menstrual cycle, it isnt easy to know about your fertile and non-fertile days in a month. Adding to the confusion are innumerable misconceptions that have been passed on to us over years.
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.
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Truth: You Can Get Pregnant During Your Period
You can get pregnant if you have sex during your period. Your ability to get pregnant is dependent on when you ovulate, and not directly associated with menstruation.
Some women mistakenly believe that if they are still on their period, they arent yet in the “fertile window.” But if your cycle is short, and you ovulate on day 7 or 8, you can conceive from sex during your period.
Another misconception people have is that menstruation will “wash out” any sperm along with period blood. But thats not true. Your period wont stop sperm from swimming up to your reproductive system.
You Feel Well In General
Having generally good health on a whole is a plus when it comes to fertility as well.
“Feeling very well is a very good indicator that you indeed are well and healthy,” Dr. Gersh says. Studies have indicated that struggling with mental health could make getting pregnant more difficult. So if you’re coming from a place of emotional strength, and not dealing with many outside health problems, you may find it easier than some to get pregnant.
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Signs It May Be Easy For You To Get Pregnant
For most people, fertility is a bit of mystery until they begin seriously trying to get pregnant. But despite the many medical conditions and surprises that could make reproducing naturally difficult, there are also lots of little hints you can look out for that may be signs of fertility.
“Itâs hard to say someone can feel fertile,” Mache Seibel, M.D., Ob/Gyn, founder of dr.mache.com and member of Harvard Medical School Faculty, tells Bustle. Still, there are lots of ways your body may be communicating to you that it will be easy to get pregnant, if you do decide to try.
Even if you’re not ready to have kids yet, but may like to someday, it can be worthwhile to understand your fertility prospects so you can best take care of your gynecological health. A lot of issues that can cause infertility may also cause other health problems down the line. Plus, if you’re not ready to have kids, knowing that you’re potentially very fertile may help keep you motivated to have safe sex and use protection. So keeping an eye on the signs your body gives you is important at any stage in life.
Here are eight signs it may be easy for you to get pregnant, according to experts.
Truth: Ovulation Can Happen From Either Ovary
Your body doesn’t systematically “schedule” ovulation to alternate ovaries from month to month. Ovulation can switch from side to side, but it doesn’t have to.
It’s also common for women to ovulate more often on one side than the other, actually. That could be your left ovary or your right ovary it depends on a number of factors. This is also why you may notice you get ovulation pain on one side more frequently than the other.
Which ovary releases the egg has more to do with which ovary has a follicle that reaches the final stage of maturity. At the start of your cycle, several follicles in each ovary begin to develop. Only one will make it all the way through the stages of development to ovulation. When more than one follicle releases an egg, that’s how you may conceive non-identical twins.
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So How Is It Possible To Get Pregnant During Period
So, you may be wondering how it is actually possible to get pregnant while you are menstruating. Here are a few ways that this can occur:
Sperms that have a long life Getting pregnant during your period can occur if there are sperms that have a long life. In most cases, sperms are only able to live inside a female for about 3-4 days when intercourse occurs.
However, there are times when the sperm can last from 5-7 days at one time and they still may be able to fertilize the egg. This means that if you have sex while you are having your period, the sperm could live long enough to be alive when you ovulate, and conception could occur.
Short menstrual cycles Usually ovulation occurs about 14 days before you have your next period, no matter how long your period is. So, if you have a short cycle, it is possible that you will ovulate while you are still having your period, which makes getting pregnant possible. If you have sex during your period or even right before it occurs, pregnancy can occur.
Ovulation spotting Sometimes spotting occurs during ovulation, which makes a woman think shes having her period. Often this leads a woman to think she got pregnant when she had her period.
I hope this makes it totally clear that sex during menstruation is not safe if you want to avoid pregnancy.
You’ve Never Had A Pelvic Infection
While there are some chronic conditions that can cause infertility, having a history of infection may make getting pregnant harder as well. Because of this, if you haven’t dealt with any pelvic infections, you may be more likely to conceive.
Of course, a history of pelvic infections is part of a larger equation. âIf you have regular periods, never had a pelvic infection, and know when your fertile days are, your age is the only limiting factor towards normal fertility,”Juergen Eisermann, M.D., a South Miami, Fla.-based fertility specialist at Floridaâs IVFMD, tells Bustle. If you’re concerned about any of these factors, it’s worthwhile to bring any questions up to your OB/GYN.
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After Having Sex How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant
Depending on the time of ovulation, the egg and sperm join and create a fertilized egg within five days of sex. Then, the fertilized egg can take 610 days to implant in your uterus. Pregnancy can be detected after implantation.
The best way to determine whether youre pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test after your period is delayed. Home pregnancy tests are available at drugstores and pharmacies, or you can visit a health center and take a pregnancy test there.
When To Ask For Medical Advice
If you are relatively young in your 20s or 30s and regularly have unprotected sex, you should be able to conceive within a year or so. If you have trouble getting pregnant, talk to your doctor to figure out what might be going on.
Your doctor can help you find any underlying causes of infertility, like blocked fallopian tubes or sexually transmitted diseases. The doctor can then give you options to help you conceive.
If youre over the age of 40, you might need to see a doctor throughout the whole process. Its harder to get pregnant at this age without some medical consultation.
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Truth: Male Fertility Also Declines With Age
Youve likely seen stories of male celebrities fathering children past age 60. This may have given you the impression that male fertility has no age limit, but thats not entirely true. While men dont go through a biological process like menopause, with a definite ending to their fertile years, male fertility does decline with age.
Besides an increased risk of infertility, pregnancies conceived with men over 40 are more likely to end in miscarriage or stillbirth. There is also an increased risk of certain diseases and conditions, including autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and childhood leukemia.
One study found an increased risk of fertility problems when both parents are older. They found that when a woman was age 35 to 39 and her partner was five or more years older than she was, their odds of conception dropped from 29% to just 15%.
Best Time To Get Pregnant How To Figure It Out
So at this point youre probably wondering how on earth youre supposed to figure out the best time to get pregnant, especially if you have irregular cycles! But dont worry its easier than it sounds.
Identifying your fertile days is easy when you learn the Fertility Awareness Method. Not only will you discover your best time to get pregnant each cycle, but youll also discover a wealth of valuable information about your fertility health too!
The fertility awareness method is based on the observation of scientifically proven fertility signs that all women experience during their menstrual cycles. These fertility signs are recorded on a specially designed fertility chart, either on paper or in a digital format on your computer or device.
Once you learn how to correctly interpret this information, youll gain an intimate understanding of whats happening with your fertility each menstrual cycle and youll know whether or not youre fertile on any given day.
The Fast Track to Pregnancy program is designed to make learning fertility awareness easy. You can find out more here.
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Truth: Caffeine Does Not Prevent Conception
Its debatable whether you need to completely quit caffeine when youre trying to get pregnant. The research hasnt been clear. For example, a study in Denmark found that tea drinkers were slightly more likely to get pregnant, soda drinkers were slightly less likely to conceive, and coffee seemed to have no impact on fertility.
What does all that mean? We dont know. For now, though, most agree that less than 300 mg of caffeine a day should be fine. One cup of coffee is less than 300 mg.
When Is The Best Time To Get Pregnant
So what does this all mean?
These precious few days of sperm and egg survival combine to form your fertile window. And its during this fertile window, and ONLY during this time, that sex can result in pregnancy.
The fertile window is a maximum of 6 days long composed of the 5 days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. In practice however, the fertile window is typically shorter than this often just 2 3 days long.
So the best time to have sex to get pregnant is during the 2 3 days leading up to ovulation the time when sperm are most likely to survive. Ideally, you want to have sperm ready and waiting in your reproductive tract, so that they can do their thing as soon as your egg is released at ovulation .
Because the egg survives for a maximum of only 24 hours, any sex you have after ovulation day will NOT result in pregnancy. And actually, even having intercourse on the day of ovulation itself can sometimes be too late research has shown that ovulation day is typically a less fertile day.
Want to know the secrets of Baby-making Sex? Grab the fertility guide here.
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Can I Get Pregnant A Couple Of Days After My Period Has Ended
Its possible, but also unlikely. Though there is always risk of pregnancy if you have sex without contraception. If you ovulate early when you have short menstrual cycles you may be able to get pregnant this time of the month. However, once youve finished your period youre moving into your fertility window, which means your chances of getting pregnant increase as you approach ovulation.
What If You Have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Polycystic ovarian syndrome , a hormonal disorder, is one of the most common reasons for female infertility. It affects between 6% and 12% of American women of reproductive age.
There is no single test to identify PCOS, but a doctor will determine if a woman fulfills two of the following three criteria,the CDC said:
- Irregular periods or no periods, caused from lack of ovulation
- Higher than normal levels of male hormones that may result in excess hair on the face and body, acne or thinning scalp hair
- Multiple small cysts on the ovaries
It is not clear why some women develop this syndrome, although it is often diagnosed when they struggle to get pregnant.
There is a strong link between PCOS-related infertility and weight. About 40% to 60% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese, and healthy eating and exercise have been shown to improve reproductive problems in women with PCOS, according to a 2019 article in the journal Therapeutic Advcances in Reproductive Health. A number of prescribed medications may also induce ovulation and regulate insulin levels, such asletrozole and metformin. High levels of insulin push thepituitary gland to release large amounts of hormones thatdisrupt ovulation.
Doctors recommend in-vitro fertilization if other interventions have not worked, or as a primary treatment if monitoring, cost and accessibility are not issues.
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