Whereas most of us would answer in the resounding negative when asked the question Can I Get Pregnant during My Period, in actual fact, it is possible to get pregnant even when one has their period.
It must be remembered that this is not just in theory, and that there are many known instances of women having got pregnant though they had sex only during the time that they had their period.
While it is true that the chances of answering the question Can I Get Pregnant during My Period in the affirmative is low, conception can in fact occur even during that time, and so it is an issue that women would do well not to be complacent about.
Let us understand what circumstances those are, and if in fact can I get pregnant during my period? –
In the normal course ovulation takes place between the 10th and 17th days of a woman’s monthly cycle, which is calculated as having begun on the first day of her period each month.
So if she begins her period on the 1st of a given month, then her likelihood of ovulating is between the 10th and the 17th of that month. However this calculation is based on a regular, predictable monthly cycle of 28 days, wherein ovulation takes place reasonably in the middle; i.e. on the 14th day of the cycle or thereabouts.
However it has been seen that only about 30% women are actually that regular – and even among those women who have the predictable 28 day cycle, ovulation may not always be on the 14th day of the exact middle of the monthly cycle. In fact ovulation in most women can be very unpredictable, which is why the answer to the question Can I Get Pregnant during My Period is also unpredictable.
Ovulation occurs when the ovaries release the egg to be fertilized by the sperm. This egg that is released during ovulation remains viable (able to be fertilized by a viable sperm) for up to 48 hours after ovulation. Now sperm can actually survive in a woman’s cervix for up to a week after sex and still be able to bring about a conception.
So if a woman is thinking can I get pregnant during my period and erroneously answers herself that she cannot, may proceed to have unprotected sex while menstruating. If she then ovulates within just a few days of her period having ended (and remember the sperm can survive up to seven days) she can still get pregnant.
So even if one has unprotected sex while menstruating and has protected sex thereafter, it is still possible that that unprotected sex resulted in a pregnancy even though subsequent sex was protected. It has been found that up to 17% of women are fertile as early as the 4th day of their cycle.
This concept and the way that ovulation works is often not fully explicated in Sex education classes and young women, teens in particular remain under the misapprehension that the rhythm method is an adequate and safe way to prevent pregnancy when it is not. Menstruation is no guarantee that conception will not occur at that time, which is why the answer to the question can I get pregnant during my period, is, it is possible!
