Can you get pregnant during your period?

Speaking of myths, in February 2020, the Kulczyk Foundation published a comprehensive report on menstruation in Poland . The research was conducted on a large group of respondents who were confronted with the most common beliefs about periods and menstrual blood. One of them was that it is impossible to get pregnant during your period, which, as it turns out, is the most deeply rooted one (every 4th adult woman in the study supported it!).

Even though most people's periods usually don't occur during the fertile period of their cycle, conception can still occur during a period. And while the chances of getting pregnant in the first few days after your period starts are almost zero, remember: "almost" makes a difference!

What influences period regularity?

The menstrual cycle – as you probably know from your own experience – is an extremely unstable matter. Its length is influenced by, among other things:

• infections (not only of the intimate passages, even a cold can play a role here!),
• diet,
• alcohol,
• stress,
• hormonal disorders,
• physical exertion,
• weight loss.

With so many variables, it is difficult to talk about absolutely infertile days. The body is extremely susceptible to various external factors, so even if you know your own body perfectly, you are not able to predict with 100% certainty when infertile days or ovulation will occur in a given cycle (the moment when a mature egg cell is released from the Graafian follicle and moves to the fallopian tube, where it stays for about 24 hours).

Fertile and infertile days

And since we’re here – what exactly are fertile days ?

This is the total time in which conception can occur. Fertile days begin before the follicle bursts, last during ovulation and a few days after it. In this way, fertilization can occur not only on the day of ovulation, but actually for about 10 days a month. If we add to this the vitality of sperm , it turns out that the chance of getting pregnant occurs for almost half of the cycle.

In a typical cycle, which lasts 28 to 30 days, fertile days usually occur between days 11 and 21.

Sex before menstruation

The possibility of conception from intercourse just before a period is very small.

With standard cycles (28 to 30 days) or longer, the egg is usually released between days 11 and 21. The further away from ovulation, the lower the chance of getting pregnant. The time just before your period is theoretically the safest time for unprotected sex in terms of avoiding pregnancy. But even here, there is no 100 percent certainty. And although we often hear that the chances of conception in this phase of the menstrual cycle are almost zero, it is worth remembering that the risk of getting pregnant is still there.

Having sex while bleeding

You most likely won't get pregnant during your period. This is because the moment of ovulation is a few to a dozen days away from your period, which reduces the risk of conception during your period. Of course, if you're trying for a baby, having sex during your period won't hurt. ;) Although the chances of conception are low, it's not impossible. In addition, the likelihood of conception starts to increase with each successive day of your cycle - even if you're still having your period.

In a 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs about 2 weeks after the start of menstruation. There are exceptions, though! This rule applies to people who have a "typical menstrual cycle." Meanwhile, if you have a shorter cycle (for example, 21 to 24 days), you ovulate a few days earlier than in a "typical" period. In the case of short cycles, ovulation can occur as early as around day 6 of menstruation. People with irregular cycles have a much greater chance of getting pregnant during their period. However, even the most regular menstruators can have an unexpected cycle fluctuation that results in conception.

And that's not the end of the story. Since sperm can survive in a person with a vagina for up to 7 days, there is a chance of getting pregnant after having sex during your period, even if your cycle is regular! Let's assume that your cycle is 27 days long, your period is 6 days long, intercourse took place on the last day of bleeding, and 7 days later (i.e. on the 13th day of your cycle) you ovulated, which your partner's sperm had been waiting for for a few days.

So if you are not planning to have children anytime soon and want to be able to have sex without unnecessary stress, do not give up on protection against pregnancy during menstruation. Many people use condoms then, which guarantees greater safety of intercourse. An additional advantage is protection against infections, to which intimate areas are particularly susceptible during menstruation. This happens because during menstruation the vaginal mucosa loosens, and the alkaline reaction of menstrual blood changes the pH environment of the vagina. For this reason, when having sex during menstruation, it is worth taking even more care than usual to follow the rules of hygiene and prevention! You can learn more about hygiene during menstruation here .

Can you get pregnant after your period?

Many people wonder if you can get pregnant right after your period. The answer is simple: you are entering your fertility window, so yes, you can get pregnant right after your period stops .
Remember that sperm can survive in the vagina for up to 7 days. This is made easier by the mucus that is present in the genital tract at that time – we are talking about this characteristic vaginal discharge that appears on average around day 7 of the cycle. This is a sign that ovulation is approaching. Periovulatory mucus is a very friendly environment for sperm and helps extend their lifespan. It has a thinner consistency and a more transparent color than the one characteristic of the luteal phase (white and thicker). At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, the chances of conception are therefore much lower than at the end of menstruation, especially in the case of long bleeding – at the beginning of menstruation you can be completely infertile, and towards the end – you can enter the time of ovulation. These chances gradually increase until they peak at the moment of ovulation (with longer cycles, this can happen, for example, even between the 20th and 30th day after the start of menstruation). If you are trying to get pregnant, remember that the time of greatest chance of conception is getting closer every day!

The chance of conceiving around your period is therefore low, but still possible! So if you are not trying to get pregnant, it is better to use your chosencontraceptive method even during these days.