Can I Get Pregnant on My Period

Most people believe that the time during one's period is the safest time in the menstrual cycle as the chances of pregnancy are very less during this time. This is true to an extent because ovulation has to occur for conception to happen and usually, a woman ovulates a week or so after her periods. However, there have been several cases where women have conceived during their periods. This puts a lot of questions on the age-old belief that it is not possible to get pregnant while menstruating. So, if 'can I get pregnant on my period' is a question that you have in your mind, this article can be helpful in finding a significant answer to it.

Menstrual Cycle and Pregnancy

Before you get the answer of the question, 'can I get pregnant while on my period', it is important to understand how the menstrual cycle works and what are the chances of pregnancy during each month. Usually, menstrual cycle is considered to extend for 28 days which starts from the first day of one's periods and ends on the first day of the next periods. On the 14th to 16th days of the menstrual cycle, ovulation is supposed to occur, i.e., the ovary releases an egg into the fallopian tube. It is believed that when a woman has sexual intercourse during this period of time, she is likely to become pregnant, as this is considered to be the most fertile period during the entire menstrual cycle. Hence, people who do not want to have a baby, abstain from sex during this period of ovulation. On the other hand, women who are ready to start a family should have sexual intercourse, at least alternate days during this fertile time. The chances of pregnancy is not more than 25%-30% every month. It has been observed that couples who have unprotected sex are likely to conceive within one year.

Can I get Pregnant While on My Period?

Looking at the above information on menstruation and pregnancy, it can be said that pregnancy during periods is totally impossible. However, menstrual cycles are not so accurate or predictable, i.e., not all women experience 28 day menstrual cycles. There are many women who experience longer as well shorter menstrual cycles. For instance, while some women have a 22 day menstrual cycle, there are others whose menstrual cycle extends to 30 days. In such cases, it become difficult to determine one's ovulation day.

Women who have very short or long periods, tend to ovulate soon after they have their periods. Also, the sperms can live in the woman's body for 5-7 days. So, if one has sexual intercourse during one's periods and ovulation occurs soon after the periods get over, there are chances of the sperm being in the body which can fertilize the egg when ovulation occurs. This makes the answer to the question, can I get pregnant on my period, a positive one. Sometimes, women are likely to bleed between periods, i.e., they may experience spotting during ovulation which can be wrongly considered as periods. So, if she has sex during this time thinking that she is having her periods, while she is actually ovulating, she has high chances of getting pregnant. Another question that many women ask is, ' can i get pregnant on my period with birth control?' The answer to this question is also yes, because birth control methods are not 100% effective and if one has an irregular menstrual cycle, one never knows when one's birth control fails, making one pregnant.

I hope all your doubts about 'can I get pregnant on my period' has been cleared with this article. An important thing you must realize is that though the period during ovulation is the most fertile time to get pregnant, it is possible to get pregnant throughout the menstrual cycle, even during periods. As the answer to the query, 'can i get pregnant on my period while on birth control' is also yes, one has to be very careful if one does not want to get pregnant during this stage of life. Using the birth control method that you have chosen in the correct way is the only way in which you can avoid pregnancy to a certain extent.