When Can A Woman Not Get Pregnant
A woman cannot get pregnant if she is infertile. Female infertility can be caused due to several reasons:
- Scarred or damaged fallopian tubes that prevent male sperm from fertilising the female egg can cause female infertility.
- Irregular or abnormal uterine shapes make it challenging for a fertilised egg to attach itself to the uterine wall, and this causes female infertility.
- Conditions such as PCOS cause women to ovulate inconsistently. When left untreated, this could lead to female infertility or inability to conceive for a while.
How Many Days Am I Fertile
Keeping in mind that ovulation lasts between 12 and 24 hours and that sperm can stay alive for 2 to 5 days until they inseminate the egg, you only have 6 fertile days a month on average. Of those 6 days, the most fertility will be the day of ovulation and the two following it.
Thats why its important that youre aware of other signs from your body to know when they are.
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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Can You Get Pregnant Outside Of Your Fertile Window
Although conception only happens in the first 12 to 24 hours after ovulation, its definitely possible to get pregnant from sex outside of your predicted fertile window. Again, this is because sperm can survive inside the uterus for several days.
Although conception only happens in the first 12 to 24 hours after ovulation, its definitely possible to get pregnant from sex outside of your predicted fertile window.
Occasionally, ovulation may occur at a different point in your cycle. Stress, anxiety, travel, and changes to your normal routine all affect the delicate hormonal balance that triggers ovulation. For example, you might usually ovulate around day 20 but experience 1 or 2 cycles per year where ovulation occurs much earlier or later.
Facts You Should Know About Breasts
- The breasts are medically known as the mammary glands.
- The mammary glands are made up of lobules, milk-producing glandular structures, and a system of ducts that transport milk to the nipple.
- Lymphatic vessels in the breast drain excess fluid.
- Breast growth begins at puberty in humans, in contrast to other types of primates in which breasts enlarge only during lactation.
- Breast tissue develops in the fetus along the so-called milk lines, extending from the armpit to the groin.
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Can You Get Pregnant If You Have Sex During Your Period
Most likely you will not get pregnant having sex while on your period. Thats because your ovulation time is several days away decreasing any chances of getting pregnant during this time. However, there are exceptions. This applies to women who have a typical 28 to 30 day or longer cycle. If you have a shorter cycle, say every 21 to 24 days, that means you are ovulating earlier in the cycle. Because sperm can live inside you for up to 5 days, you could have sex towards the end of your period and then conceive 4 or 5 days later with your early ovulation. To verify, inexpensive, early detection pregnancy and ovulation tests can be purchased online from our corporate sponsor Fairhaven Health.
The probabilities of getting pregnant during your period are low, but the possibilities are there. This is not the time to have sex if you are trying to get pregnant.
Can You Get Pregnant Right After Your Period
For most people, pregnancy isn’t likely to happen right after your periodâbut it is possible. As early as the third day of your menstrual cycle, your levels of the reproductive hormones progesterone and estrogen, which taper off at the start of your period, begin to climb and help your uterine lining rebuild.
Here are a few scenarios that can lead to conception immediately after menstruation.
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How Soon Can I Take A Pregnancy Test
Timing is very important in pregnancy testing as HCG levels in urine help determine that a woman is pregnant. As HCG levels double every 48 hours, we can conclude that a woman is pregnant even in her early days of pregnancy.
The best time to take a pregnancy test is when your period is late. But, if you wish to know sooner, you can wait for two weeks after you had sex and can take the pregnancy test, but still, a test after the period is late is the most effective one.
The Fertile Window Includes:
- the 5 days before ovulation
- the day of ovulation
Simple. Just calculate your window and enjoy worry-free romps for the rest of the month, right?
Not so fast. Like sex, your bodys schedule can be beautifully messy. Its more art class than math class.
Even during your period, when pregnancy-friendly progesterone is low, your body is prepping for its next fertile window. Sometimes, your ovaries get eager and release an egg early. Or sometimes you skip an ovulation day.
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When Are You Most Fertile
You are most fertile during ovulation. While this seems like it would be an easy thing to figure out, there are many variables that come into play. Your period may be earlier or later than normal so figuring out the ovulation period would change. Fertility can only occur when an unfertilized egg is released from one of the ovaries. The time that an egg can be fertilized is only 24 hours, but the fact that sperm can remain alive inside a woman for a period up to five days expands the window in which fertility can occur.
If you are wondering when are you least fertile it would have to be right after ovulation.As long as you havent had sex 5 days prior to ovulation you would be in the clear.
If you want to confirm when you are least fertile, check out this link and enter in your menstrual information:
How Many Fertile Days Are In A Cycle
Its only possible to get pregnant in the first 24 hours after ovulation, but your fertile window the ideal time to have sex is much longer.
Youre actually capable of ovulating once from each ovary , so your ovulation window lasts roughly 72 hours. It should be noted that ovulating from both ovaries isnt especially common.
After intercourse, sperm can live in the body for up to five days. This means that having sex as early as four days before ovulation could still result in a pregnancy.
Furthermore, any day you spot cervical fluid is potentially a fertile day. The bottom line? Although conception can only occur on a maximum of three days per cycle, your fertile window, when sex may result in pregnancy, may last up to eight days.
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Understanding Your Most Fertile Days
Also known as your fertile period, there are about seven days during your menstrual cycle when it is actually possible to get pregnant. These are considered to be your most fertile days.
Technically, your fertility is highest during the five days before you ovulate, the day you ovulate , depending on the time that you ovulate.
There are six days that count as your most fertile days because sperm can live up to 5 days. Once released, your egg can only live for about 24 hours. If you have sexual intercourse during this fertile time, By learning to be your own ovulation predictor, you should be able to identify your most fertile days.
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Changes In Basal Body Temperature
Basal body temperature is the temperature of the body at rest. For the most accurate reading, a person should take it as soon as they wake up.
During ovulation, this temperature may slightly increase as the body secretes progesterone, a hormone that helps thicken the uterine lining in preparation for the implantation of an embryo.
Before ovulation, a persons oral temperature is around 9698ºF . This may rise to 9799°F after ovulation. Because the increase is so slight, around 0.4 to 0.8°F, a person needs a special tool, a basal body thermometer, to detect it.
People are at their most fertile 23 days before their BBT is at its highest point and 1224 hours after ovulation.
Because BBT only rises after ovulation, people may prefer other ways of checking their fertility, such as tests that measure levels of luteinizing hormone in urine.
Also, it is important to note that other factors can raise a persons BBT, including:
- consuming alcohol
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Your Fertility Window Is Only An Estimate
How quickly after your period that you can you get pregnant will vary from woman to woman. Keep in mind that the days you are most fertile are only estimates. This is because methods used to pinpoint the day of ovulation and the fertility window are not precise, and ovulation can vary by a few days each cycle, even if your menstrual cycles are regular. Therefore, if you have sex right after your period but wish to avoid getting pregnant, it is essential that you use reliable birth control.
Keep An Eye On Your Periods
A healthy menstrual cycle and healthy periods are the foundation of your fertility. So it makes sense to keep an eye on your periods when youre trying to conceive.
Being aware of signs and symptoms that can indicate a problem is incredibly valuable. If youre not getting pregnant, these symptoms can help you and your doctor figure out where the problem might lie.
In my Fast Track to Pregnancy Program I show you step by step, how to recognise if you have a problem with your periods or your menstrual cycles. I also discuss the possible causes and what you can DO about it.
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Check Your Basal Body Temperature
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to the signs that your body is ready to ovulate. Checking your basal body temperature is one way to do this.
The BBT is your temperature first thing in the morning. Just after you ovulate, it rises slightly — sometimes by less than a degree — and stays higher until your period starts. If you record your temperature every day, you can spot the subtle changes that mean one of your ovaries has released an egg.
To take your BBT, you need to:
Use a basal body thermometer. It’s more sensitive than a standard one and will show temperature changes down to a fraction of a degree. You can get them at many pharmacies for less than $20.
Take your temperature at the same time each morning. Always do it before you get out of bed. Even getting up to go to the bathroom can affect your body temperature. So can smoking, drinking, or getting a bad night’s sleep.
Remember, your BBT won’t tell you exactly when you’ve ovulated, and it may take a couple of months before you start to see a pattern. You’re most likely to get pregnant 2 or 3 days before your ovary releases an egg, and then another 12 to 24 hours after that. When your temperature has spiked for 3 days, your chances of conceiving drop.
My Menstrual Cycle Is Still Irregular Has The Pill Affected My Fertility
Its unlikely the pill has caused any fertility problems, but it can sometimes cover up problems you already have, such as missing periods or PCOS .This is because the pill prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg , so although its normal to experience period-type bleeding on the pill, you dont have a real period.
Contact your GP if youre still having irregular periods 3 months after stopping contraception.
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Use An Ovulation Predictor Test Kit
There is a hormone that increases in the urine before ovulation. Monitoring this hormone surge has been shown to help pinpoint ovulation and the fertile window.
You can buy ovulation predictor test kits that can detect this hormone in your urine. The tests are available from chemists or supermarkets or online and are simple to use.
Ovulation predictor kits may not be suitable if you have a known fertility issue that affects your menstrual cycle, such as polycystic ovary syndrome . This is because this condition affects your hormones, so you may not get an accurate reading. Talk to your GP if you have PCOS and want to get pregnant.
It is best to become familiar with your usual menstrual cycle to help figure out when you should start testing. If you have an irregular cycle then an ovulation predictor kit can still help you identify the time of ovulation, but you may use more of the test sticks. Follow the instructions on the packet to find out more.
Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period While Using Birth Control
Its possible to get pregnant when youre using birth control, whether youre 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 its worth, tracking your monthly cycle called fertility awareness in order to avoid pregnancy isnt 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. Its even possible to get pregnant on your period if youre 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 Youre 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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What Is The Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is what your body goes through to get ready for pregnancy. This cycle is the time from the first day of your period up to the day before the start of your next period.
Ovulation usually happens during the second half of the cycle. This is when an egg is released from one of your ovaries. To get pregnant, the egg needs to be fertilised by the sperm.
Ovulation doesnt happen every month for every woman. There are some conditions that may interfere with ovulation, such as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome . If you are not getting a monthly period and are trying to get pregnant, speak to your doctor.
How Do Pregnancy Tests Work
Pregnancy tests are a quick and easy means to know whether you are pregnant. Most at-home pregnancy tests work by detecting the levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine.
- HCG is also known as the pregnancy hormone because the levels of this hormone increase considerably when you get pregnant.
- This hormone is released when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus .
- Thus, when you pee or dip the test stick into your urine, it detects whether HCG is present in your urine.
Most pregnancy tests can be taken beginning on the first day of your missed period. Because the HCG concentration increases rapidly , taking a test early may not be accurate enough. Refer to the label instructions in your test kit to know the best time to take the test.
- It is generally advised to take the test first thing in the morning because during this time the urine will have the highest concentration of HCG.
- Drinking a lot of water before the test may dilute the HCG levels in your urine, increasing the chance of a false-negative test result.
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Sex During Your Period
The chances are pretty good that you will not get pregnant if you have sex during your period. Menstruation is the signal that the ovum was not fertilized or implanted, leading to a drop in hormone levels and the shedding of the uterine lining. Even if a sperm made it to an egg, which is very unlikely, the uterine lining would not be ready for implantation. So, during this stage in your cycle, your risk of pregnancy remains negligible.
However, the odds of conception during your period arent zero. If you have a very short cycle, ovulation may occur soon after your period. Given that sperm can live inside you for up to three days, having sex at the end of your period may lead to fertilization in the days following it. One study charting the most common conception days in the menstrual cycle shows that odds start to rise on day 7 LMPjust a week past your first day of bleeding.
Its also important to note that what you may think is a period might not be. An estimated 2.8% of people with periods have spotting around ovulation, which is actually when you are most fertile. In other cases, spotting may be implantation bleeding, a very early sign of pregnancy. Unlike a regular period, spotting in these circumstances is typically lighter in color and flow.