Hold On, Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period?

Just a few key elements can play into the probability of getting pregnant in your interval, together with the size of your menstrual cycle (i.e., the time from the primary day of your interval till the primary day of your subsequent interval), the variety of days you bleed, and whenever you had penetrative intercourse with a companion with a penis, Staci Tanouye, MD, an OB/GYN and sexual well being advocate, tells Nicely+Good.

Wish to know extra? Learn on to study why it is doable to get pregnant in your interval, whenever you’re almost certainly to conceive all through your cycle, and learn how to forestall being pregnant throughout that “time of the month” (when you’re not planning to get pregnant any time quickly).

Why you’ll be able to nonetheless get pregnant in your interval

Earlier than we dive into why conception throughout your interval is feasible, let’s brush up on a number of fundamentals. First, conception is almost certainly to happen whenever you ovulate (i.e., when your ovary releases an egg). When an egg is launched, it travels down certainly one of your fallopian tubes to your uterus, the place it’s going to meet with sperm when you’ve had unprotected intercourse. If the egg will get fertilized by the sperm, bam, conception occurs. However there’s solely a small window every menstrual cycle when that is doable—throughout ovulation.

Ovulation usually happens in the course of your cycle (on common, day 14 of a 28-day cycle, although everyone seems to be completely different), and the egg is barely obtainable to be fertilized for 12 to 24 hours. If it isn’t fertilized by then, it is reabsorbed by your physique, and then you definitely shed your uterine lining¹ (the bleeding throughout your interval). Whereas the egg solely lasts a short while, “sperm can dwell inside you for as much as 5 days,” Dr. Tanouye says. Some research² even counsel they might survive for so long as every week (in your fallopian tubes), she provides.

This implies, when you’ve got unprotected intercourse in your interval, particularly towards the top of your interval, some sperm can stick round lengthy sufficient to fertilize an egg when you ovulate about 5 to seven days later. This will particularly apply to those that ovulate earlier or later than common. (For context, solely one-third of individuals ovulate between days 10 and 17³ of their cycle. The remaining, about 70 % of individuals with uteruses, ovulate earlier than or after this window.)

A bit complicated, proper? Don’t fret: This is a breakdown of a number of the extra particular situations during which intercourse in your interval can lead to being pregnant, in line with Dr. Tanouye:

1. You have got brief cycles

If in case you have a shorter menstrual cycle (aka any lower than the typical 28 days), you might ovulate just a few days after your interval. This will trigger an overlap between when sperm is in your reproductive tract (from unprotected intercourse) and when your ovary releases an egg, making being pregnant doable.

For instance: “If somebody has a 26-day cycle, then they’re most likely ovulating nearer to day 12,” which is barely 5 days after your interval (when you menstruate for seven days), Dr. Tanouye says. So when you’ve got unprotected intercourse in your interval, your companion’s sperm should be hanging round your reproductive system for 5 days (and even longer). Meaning an individual “may doubtlessly get pregnant if penis-in-vagina intercourse occurred as early as day 5 by seven [of their cycle], usually when persons are nonetheless on their durations.”

2. You ovulate earlier in your cycle

Keep in mind: solely 30 % of individuals ovulate in the course of their cycle. Meaning ovulation occurs earlier (or later) for a lot of. So even when you’ve got the textbook 28-day cycle, you’ll be able to nonetheless ovulate manner earlier than day 14. In different phrases, when you’ve got unprotected intercourse in your interval, and also you ovulate a number of days after, you’ll be able to conceive by the sperm that’s nonetheless lingering inside you.

3. Different elements led to an irregular cycle

Even when your durations are usually common, some elements can throw your cycle out of whack every so often. This will embrace stress, weight reduction (or acquire), sure medicines, and uterine fibroids, amongst different issues. If these elements trigger your cycle to develop into shorter or longer one month, you will have a better likelihood of being pregnant when you’ve gotten intercourse whereas menstruating.

4. You have got recognizing between durations

Recognizing between durations (aka breakthrough bleeding) is fairly frequent. It may well occur for numerous causes—like forgetting to take your contraception capsule, having endometriosis, or taking sure medicines, simply to call a number of. However typically, it may be simple to confuse recognizing together with your interval. Take the next situation, for instance: You see blood in your underwear, so that you suppose you bought your interval. You proceed to have unprotected intercourse the identical day (figuring the being pregnant odds are low), however it seems it was simply recognizing, and some days later, you ovulate when sperm are nonetheless inside you. This will up your odds for conception.

To make issues even trickier, typically ovulation itself could cause mild bleeding. In different phrases, you might suppose you’re in your interval, however in actuality, you are having intercourse throughout essentially the most fertile time in your cycle.

Are you able to get pregnant in your interval whereas on contraception?

In line with Dr. Tanouye, it is extremely unlikely to get pregnant throughout your interval whereas on contraception. Whether or not you’re taking the contraception capsule or use the ring, patch, or injections, all these strategies assist forestall ovulation. And with out an egg to be fertilized, you can’t get pregnant.

That stated, contraception solely works reliably when you’re taking it as directed. In case you do not use it correctly (say, you forgot to take the capsule or skip a day), “contraception may very well be much less efficient,” Dr. Tanouye provides. Plus, different elements can mess with contraception’s effectiveness, too, together with taking sure antibiotic medicines or having a abdomen virus (which can intrude with the absorption of the capsule), she says.

And take into account: Even whenever you use contraception accurately, there’s nonetheless a slight margin for error. “These strategies are round 91 % efficient at stopping being pregnant,” Dr. Tanouye says. So when you’re not planning to develop into pregnant, it is perhaps secure to make use of a combo of contraception methods, say, condoms together with the capsule for instance.

What occasions of your cycle are you least (and most) fertile?

Whereas cycle size varies from individual to individual, everybody’s menstrual cycle is made up of 4 phases. Relying on what part you’re in, you’ve gotten larger or decrease odds of turning into pregnant. Right here’s the breakdown of the 4 phases, together with whenever you’re most and least fertile, in line with Dr. Tanouye:

1. The menses part (begins on the primary day of your interval): That is whenever you shed your uterine lining¹ (i.e., interval blood) when you’re not pregnant. As we realized, you’re not tremendous fertile throughout this time, however it’s nonetheless doable to develop into pregnant.
2. The follicular part (overlaps with the menses part and ends whenever you ovulate): Throughout this time, the liner of your uterus (the endometrium) grows and thickens and follicles in your ovaries start to develop. Between days 10 and 14, a completely mature egg (ovum) will kind. The second half of the follicular part (i.e., proper earlier than ovulation) is a really fertile time, Dr. Tanouye says.
3. Ovulation (usually occurs across the midpoint of your cycle, i.e., about day 14 in a 28-day menstrual cycle): Your ovary releases an egg that may be fertilized by sperm, however it’s solely viable for 12 to 24 hours. This brief window is your peak of furtiveness.
4. Luteal part (lasts from about day 15 to day 28 in a 28-day cycle): This part is when an egg leaves your ovary and begins to journey by your fallopian tubes to your uterus, the place the liner thickens to organize for a possible being pregnant. If the egg is fertilized by sperm and attaches itself to your uterine wall (implantation), you develop into pregnant. If not, the thick uterine lining sheds throughout your subsequent interval. Your probabilities of conceiving 24 hours after ovulation are slim, so that you’re most likely the least fertile throughout this part, Dr. Tanouye says.

To sum up:

• You are almost certainly to get pregnant when you’ve gotten intercourse proper earlier than and through ovulation.
• You’re least more likely to get pregnant 24 hours (and past) after ovulation.
• Whereas your interval isn’t your most fertile time, you’ll be able to nonetheless conceive.

The way to forestall being pregnant whereas in your interval

In case you do not wish to get pregnant, you will want to make use of some type of contraception. Fortunately, there are lots of choices to select from, and you’ll speak to your healthcare supplier about which is the very best match for you. This is a breakdown of the commonest varieties:

• Hormonal contraception: Contraception strategies just like the capsule, ring, patch, shot, and intrauterine units (IUDs) work by stopping ovulation.
• Condoms: “Barrier strategies [like condoms] are the one strategies that forestall STIs,” Dr. Tanouye says. They supply an additional layer of safety particularly when you use them together with different contraception strategies.
• Abstinence: In case you’re not on contraception and/or don’t have entry to different barrier strategies, you would possibly wish to abstain from penis-in-vagina intercourse throughout your interval or different fertile occasions in your cycle.
• Pure household planning (NFP): This methodology entails monitoring your menstrual cycle so you’ll be able to precisely predict whenever you’re ovulating. For instance, you’ll should pay very shut consideration to your signs, together with modifications in your cervical mucus and your basal physique temperature (which rises barely after ovulation), Dr. Tanouye says.
• The morning-after capsule: This methodology, often known as “Plan B,” works by stopping your physique from releasing an egg. It is handiest when you take it as quickly as doable after unprotected intercourse, although you’ll be able to take it inside a five-day window. Nevertheless, as a result of the morning-after capsule does not work in addition to different types of contraception, it is best to make use of it solely in emergencies—i.e., whenever you did not use contraception or it failed (suppose: the condom broke).

The ultimate takeaway

If in case you have unprotected intercourse with a companion who has a penis, it’s totally doable to get pregnant throughout your interval. Sure elements—like brief, irregular cycles or early ovulation—can enhance your probabilities of conceiving throughout menstruation. However, nonetheless, it isn’t very possible, particularly when you’ve got intercourse on the primary few days of your interval. In different phrases, when you’re actively attempting to get pregnant, that is not the very best time to have intercourse.

That stated, when you’re attempting to keep away from being pregnant, at all times use some type of safety throughout intercourse (or a mixture of strategies). Your healthcare supplier may help you resolve which is best for you.

And when you’re not sure whether or not you’re pregnant? Think about selecting up an at-home being pregnant take a look at at your native pharmacy or visiting your healthcare supplier for a take a look at in-office.