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When it comes to getting pregnant, timing is everything. Most women who are hoping to conceive know that how fertile you are and your odds of getting pregnant change over the course of a month. For most women who have a regular, roughly 28-day menstrual cycle, there are usually between four and six likely fertile days per month. Fertility peaks right before and during ovulation, but some women still wonder if it is possible to get pregnant on your period. Your period should be one of the least fertile times of the month, but surprisingly it is possible to get pregnant while on your period. It definitely isn’t likely, but it’s worth understanding more about how this can happen and why. If you are trying to avoid getting pregnant, your period might not be the fertility safe zone you expect.
How likely is getting pregnant on your period?
While it isn’t technically impossible, it is very unlikely that most women will conceive while they are on their period. That said, if avoiding pregnancy is your goal, continue to use birth control during your period to make sure you minimize even the small risk. And, if you are trying to get pregnant, there’s no reason to skip having sex during your period — unless you just aren’t that into it and would rather enjoy chocolate instead!
Period or spotting?
Before we go into the science behind getting pregnant on your period, it’s important to remember that not every drop of blood in your underwear is actually a sign that you have or are getting your period. Women may experience spotting that can resemble a light period, due to a variety of medical conditions: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), uterine fibroids, infection in the vagina or cervix, or cervical polyps. Spotting can also happen during ovulation, or even as a pregnancy is beginning, when a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining. Women who experience spotting may sometimes mistake it for their period and, if they discover they are pregnant shortly after, think that conception occurred during their period.
Dr. Janelle Luk, medical director of** Generation Next Fertility,** notes, “It can be difficult for women to determine precisely when they are ovulating because of the uncertainty of when their period began (e.g., if there is a lot of spotting beforehand) and how their body is cycling that month.”
Irregular cycles
When we talk about menstrual cycles, it is often with the assumption that most women have predictable 28-day cycles and always ovulate at the same time every cycle. Oh, if only that were true!
For some women with irregular menstrual cycles, getting pregnant during their period might be possible. Dr. Brian Levine of the CCRM New York Fertility Clinic explains: “With irregular cycles, it is possible to have spotting midmonth or ovulate irregularly; so yes, it is possible to get pregnant when bleeding.” Irregular ovulation can result in an egg being released very soon after the end of menstrual cycle, which may make conception possible.
Short cycles
Although it is unlikely to happen, it is possible to get pregnant at the end of your period, especially if you tend toward having a shorter menstrual cycle.
“Sperm can live inside the uterine cavity for up to 5 days, so if you have sex toward the end of your period and potentially ovulate slightly earlier than the statistically expected 14 days after the start of your period, you may get pregnant,” explains Dr. Luk. If you are a woman who typically has shorter cycles (21 days or less), it may be beneficial to chart your cycle every month to find out exactly when you ovulate.
