A lot of women rely on their menstrual cycle as a means of birth control. It can’t be overstated how risky this can be, because you can indeed get pregnant on your period. While it’s probably safer to say it’s the least fertile time of the month, conception could occur, under some conditions.
Can you get pregnant on your period?
During ovulation, the ovary releases an egg into your fallopian tube before it travels to the uterus. At that time, the uterus is building up a lining just in case it needs to host a growing embryo. If egg and sperm interact during ovulation and goes on to implant in that lining, bingo — baby on board. If not, your body expels both lining and egg.
The egg can survive for 24 hours after ovulation and sperm can live inside a woman for up to five days, meaning you can get pregnant five days before ovulation and a day after you finish.
Having sex on the last day of your period isn’t guaranteed to protect you from falling pregnant either. There could still be viable sperm inside you, if you ovulate early, even in women who have a 28-day cycle. Because ovulation starts can vary from month to month, this fluctuation can see the sperm from the sex during your period being active by the time you ovulate next.
Can you get pregnant right before your period?
This is highly unlikely — especially in women with regular, 28-day cycles – but not impossible. It will depend largely on when ovulation is complete, day 19 for most. An estimated week and a half before you start your next menstrual period.
Can you get pregnant right after your period?
Yes, it’s possible for you to get pregnant soon after your period. It must be said that the likelihood of this happening depends again on when you ovulate.
Can you get pregnant on your period if you have an irregular cycle?
For women with an irregular period or a light period, it becomes harder to ascertain when they’ll be ovulating.
Those who have a short cycle which can be as short as 21 days, means they don’t have as much time in between their last day of menstruating and when they next ovulate.
Since we’ve established that sperm can live in your reproductive tract for a few days, if you happen to have sex during your period and then ovulated the following cycle’s egg a couple of days later, you could be shopping for baby clothes soon.
If Your periods last longer than average, the time between when your body is slowly shedding the uterine lining and your next egg shows up while you’re still at it, you’re already fertile again. Which means you definitely can get pregnant on your period in this scenario.
The take away here is: You can get pregnant any time of the month including when you’re on your period. Unless you’re trying for a baby, it’s always smart to consider contraception.
Education and awareness about the different types of contraceptive methods are is important. Visit Pregnancy by Choice to learn more or contact us today and a healthcare provider will give you a rundown of the options available to you.
