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.
How To Know Your Safe Days With Your Period History
Take the shortest cycle in the past 6 months, subtract 18 from it. This will give you your first fertile day. For example, if the shortest cycle you had was 26 days, it should be 26-18=8.
To find out the last fertile day of your cycle, take the longest cycle you had in the past 6 months. Subtract 11 from it. This is your last fertile day. For example, if your longest cycle was 30 days long, you get 30 â 11 = 19. The 19th day of your cycle is your last fertile day.
This method gives you an idea of what could you be your fertile and infertile days. You should corroborate the results with the below-said methods to make sure you are indeed infertile.
Tracking Your Fertile Window
Tracking of the fertile window helps you determine your fertility period and avoid unsafe sex. It may take several period cycles to understand the fertile window correctly. And, this works if your periods are regular and the length of the cycle is uniform. Also, it requires you to track your period with precision for months.
Here is how to track the fertile period.
- At least for 6 to 12 consecutive months, note down the day you begin your period and count the days of the cycle until you start your next period. .
- Then determine the shortest and longest number of menstrual cycle days. From this, you may now calculate the fertile window based on your average menstrual cycle.
- Subtract 18 from the length of the shortest cycle. This will give you the first fertile day of your average menstrual cycle. For example, if it was a 24-day cycle, day 6 is the first fertile day.
- Subtract 11 from the length of the longest cycle. It gives the last fertile day. For example, if it is a 32-day cycle, day 21 is the last fertile day.
- Therefore, the fertile period is between day six and day 21 when you need to avoid unprotected sex .
This method is also called the calendar method and is used by many.
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Period Sex As A Pain Reliever
If you experience symptoms such as cramping, feelings of sadness, or depression during your period, having sex at this time may be beneficial. Dr. Streicher says that because orgasms release endorphins feel-good hormones like oxytocin and dopamine in theory they could also decrease some period symptoms. Theres no harm in trying, she says.
Women who have endometriosis, on the other hand, may experience more pain and other symptoms when they have their period, as well as pain that occurs with sexual activity or orgasm. However, treatments are available, and sex doesnt have to hurt. Talk to your doctor as soon as possible the earlier you speak up, the sooner you can feel better and enjoy sex again.
Advantages Of Using Fams To Avoid Pregnancy
- Inexpensive, convenient, and safe to use .
- Develops communication, responsibility, and cooperation among partners.
- Helpful in establishing an optimum fertility phase to plan a pregnancy.
- Acceptable for couples with religious concerns about artificial contraceptive methods.
- No medications involved.
- You can get calendars, charts, and thermometers easily .
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It Can Ease Headache Pain
Remember when we said orgasms can be a pain reliever? Its not just for cramps: One study of people with migraine and cluster headaches found that many felt relief after sexual activity. In some cases, people even felt complete relief from their head pains.
While sex during your period has some benefits, there are a few things to consider.
Talk To Your Partner About What You Wantand Don’t
Before you get busy, “identify which sexual activities will be allowed and which will be off limits,” suggests , PhD, a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist in Honolulu. Then communicate those boundaries to your partner. For example, if you’re not into penetrative sex, tell them so you can figure out other options, like clitoral stimulation.
You can even “put your hand over your partners hand to guide them where you want to be touched and with what pressure,” says Brito. “As you guide their hands, make sure you verbally communicate, too, so they understand all the cues.”
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Can A Man Get An Infection From Period Blood
Period blood is a mix of healthy blood and tissues and therefore completely safe for penises. “Because your cervix is a little more open during your period, there’s a theory that it’s easier for STIs to transmit,” Wiggins says, but she says that’s false. With safe sex and regular testing, there’s no extra risk involved in having sex during your period.
Period sex leaves you vulnerable to the same STIs as any other time you have sex. Your menstrual blood is by no means upping the stakes.
Can You Get Pregnant
If you arent actively trying to conceive, using protection is a good idea, no matter what part of your menstrual cycle youre in. Your odds of conceiving are lower during your period, but its still possible to become pregnant at this time.
Youre most likely to get pregnant during ovulation, which happens about 14 days before your period starts. Yet every womans cycle length is different, and your cycle length can change monthly. If you have a short menstrual cycle, your risk of getting pregnant during your period is higher.
Also consider that sperm can stay alive in your body for up to seven days. So, if you have a 22-day cycle and you ovulate soon after getting your period, theres a chance youll be releasing an egg while sperm are still in your reproductive tract.
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How To Explore Period Sex
Whenever you are trying a new sexual activity, be sure to get consent from all partners involved this helps ensure boundaries are respected. Communicate your needs, expectations, and emotional boundaries as well.
If you are going to have penetrative sex, including the use of fingers or inserting a sex toy into your vagina, be sure to remove your tampon or menstrual cup if you are using one. Failing to do so may lead to health problems â particularly infection â later.
If you do want to try to have period sex, you may consider these additional steps:
- Begin with sexual positions where there is less menstrual flow, such as missionary
- Use a towel to avoid staining your bedding
- Try sexual positions in a space that is easy to clean, such as the shower
- Keep tissues, menstrual wipes, or a washcloth nearby
- Continue to communicate with your partner about your needs
How To Have Sex During Your Period
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Sex during your period can deliver amazing sensations . If you can get past the cultural taboos, it opens up a week that’s otherwise limited to tubs of ice cream and stomach cramping. If you and your partner aren’t intimidated by the “icky” factor that hangs up a lot of people, follow these tips to have sex during your period, and enjoy the pleasure while minimizing the mess.
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What Vaginal Discharges Mean
- When you are on your periods, you have very slim chances of getting pregnant.
- The immediate days after the periods are safe â you wonât get pregnant.
- Mucus can be white, yellow or cloudy and feels tacky and sticky when you ovulate. These days are high chances of getting pregnant.
- Days, when you have clear, slippery egg white kind of mucus that stretches between fingers, are your fertile days too â youâll very likely get pregnant.
- At the end of your cycle, youâll have dry days again â those are safe days where you can lose protection.
- After 2 months, youâll notice a pattern â check these results with your body temperature and cycle length to get definitive results.
What Are The Benefits Of Period Sex
There are actually quite a few pluses to keep in mind when it comes to having sex while you’re menstruating. For one, you may experience less painful periods, if you have sex during them. Period cramps happen as a result of your uterus contracting to shed its lining during your cycle, explains Christine Greves, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Florida. When you have an orgasm, the muscles in your uterus contract, too, she tells Health. When they inevitably release, it can feel better down there, Dr. Greves says. At the same time, having an orgasm triggers the release of endorphins, which are thought to help with the pain, she adds.
Sometimes, menstruation can also help you get more turned on. That’s because your estrogen and testosterone are low on day 1 of your cycle , but they start to rise by day 3. “Some report they feel more aroused and more sensitive around this time,” Ford says. Your flow can serve as extra lubrication during sex, which can also increase pleasure. If you typically use a store-bought lubricant to help with dryness during sex, this may be your week to go natural.
Sex may actually speed up your period, as well. Though it hasnt been well-studied, in theory, Dr. Streicher says that having an orgasm may help your period blood get out faster and sooner. That might help make your period lighter, just because it causes your uterus to contract and pushes out that lining, she says.
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Are There Any Sexual Health Risks To Having Oral Sex On Your Period
Technically, theres a remote chance of spreading bloodborne STIs like HIV and syphilis if you have either of those those conditions, Dr. Minkin says. You can also contract and spread other STIs, including gonorrhea and chlamydia, just like you could if you weren’t on your period, she adds. But, if neither of you has been diagnosed with STIs, you should have lower risk.
If you want to be even safer, you could use a dental dam, says Minkin.
Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period
One of the common misconceptions is that you cannot get pregnant while menstruating. This isnottrue, so remember to use birth control no matter when you have sex. The chances of a woman becoming pregnant are lower during menstruation and higher during ovulation.
However, bleeding can occur during ovulation, too. This can make it look like a woman is on her period when shes at her most fertile. Whether or not you are trying to conceive, please speak with a gynecologist about birth control and your cycle. Additionally, you can download a period tracker app if you want to track your menstrual cycle more closely.
Read Also: Can You Have A Period During Pregnancy
First Thing’s First: Can You Have Sex On Your Period
Yes, you most certainly can. Thanks to a lot of hard work over the past few decades, fewer and fewer people think that an “ew periods” mentality is OK.
Many more people enjoy period sex than you realize. Though it’s 100% safe, it’s always a matter of what you are your partner are comfortable with. For some women, it’s even more fun thanks to the natural lubrication provided by menstrual fluid and a potential increase in sex drive.
Here Are Some Period Sex Tips
How period sex is approached is unique to each coupleâsome might prefer to have shower sex while menstruating to make it less messy. Some people wear a tampon up until intercourse and then use lubrication. Some couples might prefer to lay a towel underneath them, while others might enjoy getting a bit messy. As long as all partners are comfortable with the situation, there is no reason to avoid having sex while menstruating.
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You Can Still Get An Sti
You can still transmit or contract STIs on your period from sex without a barrier method. STIs are always a risk from vaginal and oral sex without using barrier methods.
In fact, bloodborne diseases like HIV can be passed more easily when youre menstruating. Using a barrier method such as condoms during penetrative sex or dental dams during oral sex is your best bet for protection.
Oh, and this is super important: Those sex-friendly period discs dont protect you from STIs .
It Can Intensify Intimacy
Period sex makes you more vulnerable with your partner and yourself. Most people’s period experiences are generally private no one really knows the intimate details of their period and period blood other than themselves. But period sex opens the door to allowing another person to experience your body during this time. It can expose your sensual being and might lead to other unexplored sexual areas.
Read Also: How To Make Your Period Go Faster
Safe Period To Have Sex
Natural family planning or fertility awareness is sometimes the preferred method of many couples who dont want to use prescribed birth control measures to avoid pregnancy. The calculation method requires the awareness of the changes during the menstrual cycle in order to determine a safe period to have sex. For the calculation method to be effective, women need to understand the three stages of the menstrual cycle, and fully understand who can or cannot use this method.
Try Clitoral And External Stimulation
If a person does not want to insert their fingers or a sex toy into their vagina while on their period, they can try stimulating their clitoris and other external erogenous zones instead.
This will create less mess than penetrative methods, and if someone is wearing a menstrual cup or tampon, they will not need to remove it.
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