If you want to become a mother, the menstrual period is not the most favorable to get pregnant. But just because the likelihood of a pregnancy is lower on those days doesn't mean the odds are zero. Unlikely, but not impossible!

Yes, after an unprotected sexual intercourse you can get pregnant even if you are on your period. Read our article and find out why!

The risk of pregnancy during menstruation - Myth or reality?

No, it's not a myth. You can get pregnant during your period and this is a reality even if the chances are low. If you do not want a pregnancy, we recommend that you pay attention to some key factors that can drastically increase or decrease the risk of pregnancy:

• Use of contraceptive methods: we talk about the risk of pregnancy during menstruation when we refer to unprotected sexual contacts. If you protect yourself properly, there is no need to worry about a pregnancy.

• Length of menstrual cycle: The shorter your menstrual cycle, the more likely you are to get pregnant after unprotected sex, because ovulation can coincide with the last days of your period.

• Length of menstruation: As with the length of the menstrual cycle, the chances of pregnancy increase for women with longer periods, because the last days of bleeding may coincide with the ovulatory period.

• When intercourse took place: Sperm can survive in the reproductive system for up to 5 days. If you have unprotected sex even 5 days before ovulation, it is possible that a sperm may have survived until the time of ovulation and so you could get pregnant. That's why you can get pregnant on the last day of your cycle (or even earlier).

What are the phases of the menstrual cycle?

The reason why menstruation is not the most favorable time to try to get pregnant is that it generally does not coincide with the fertile period. If you want to become a mother, tracking your fertile period can help you more accurately approximate the days when the chances of pregnancy are the highest. To do this, you must first know and understand your menstrual cycle phases:

Follicular phase

The follicular phase is usually the longest phase of the menstrual cycle, starting on day 1 of menstruation and lasting until ovulation (ie it can last 13-21 days). Also known as the preovulatory phase, this is the phase when estrogen levels rise so that the lining of the uterus thickens and one of the follicles growing on the ovaries develops into a mature egg.

If you are wondering on which day after the cycle you can get pregnant (ie from which day of menstruation pregnancy is possible), it directly depends on how long the follicular phase and the formation of the egg last.

Ovulatory phase

The ovulatory phase is located right in the middle of the menstrual cycle, between the follicular phase and the luteal phase, usually on day 14 of the menstrual cycle. It is considered the time when your body is most fertile. Ovulation means the release of the mature egg, ready to be fertilized by a sperm and form the pregnancy.

The chances of getting pregnant are the highest during these days. If you have a very short menstrual cycle, ovulation may occur earlier than day 14 and may coincide with the last days of your period. In this case, you can be in your fertile period and get pregnant on your cycle.

Luteal phase

The luteal phase is the second half of the menstrual cycle, which begins immediately after ovulation and lasts until the last day of the cycle, i.e. the first day of the next period. In the case of a 28-day menstrual cycle, the luteal phase usually occurs between days 15 and 28.

In the luteal phase, the body prepares for pregnancy: the uterine lining continues to thicken and the egg reaches the uterus. If it has been fertilized, it will implant and pregnancy will begin. If it has not been fertilized, it will not continue to develop and the uterine lining will be shed starting on the first day of menstruation.

What is menstruation?

Menstruation is that phase of the menstrual cycle when the body bleeds and removes the thickened uterine tissue during the luteal phase, if the pregnancy has not implanted. Depending on how heavy your monthly bleeding is, use 100% organic menstrual products with an absorbency that's right for you.

Menstrual bleeding can last between 2 and 7 days and may be accompanied by abdominal pain, back pain, mood and appetite changes, fatigue and other symptoms. I told you HERE everything you need to know about menstruation.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is that period of the menstrual cycle that begins immediately after the follicular phase, when the ovaries release a mature egg. During the ovulatory period, your body is ready to conceive a pregnancy because the egg can be fertilized if it meets a sperm.

What does "fertile window" mean?

Ovulation, i.e. the period when the probability of getting pregnant is the highest, lasts only one day. If during this the mature egg is not fertilized, it dies within 12 to 24 hours. This short period of time is considered your fertile period, about which we have explained HERE everything you need to know, including how to calculate it and how important it is to monitor it if you want to get pregnant.

Why can you get pregnant during menstruation?

If you have a short menstrual cycle of 20-21 days, the chances of pregnancy during menstruation increase.

The logic behind how you can get pregnant during your cycle is based on exactly how the pregnancy is formed: it is necessary for the egg released by your ovaries to meet a sperm. Taking into account that the egg is released only during ovulation and that it only survives for 12-24 hours, pregnancy can be formed during unprotected intercourse during the ovulatory phase. In the case of a short menstrual cycle, the last days of menstruation may coincide with the ovulatory phase and thus a pregnancy may occur.

Also, because sperm can stay in your reproductive system for up to 3-5 days, they will be able to survive until ovulation even if you had contact earlier, outside of the ovulatory phase.

What is implantation bleeding and how do you recognize it?

When the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus, it may cause some bleeding. It's normal, it's called implantation bleeding and it usually occurs 10-14 days after conception. It's an early sign of pregnancy and shouldn't be confused with your period – it's not as heavy and lasts less than 3 days.

Can you get pregnant before your period?

Normally, the chances of getting pregnant right before your period are lower, because it is assumed that ovulation has already occurred, and an unfertilized egg does not survive more than 4 hours in the body. But if ovulation occurs later in the menstrual cycle, in the days before menstruation, unprotected intercourse can lead to pregnancy even in these days.

The reason why you can't know exactly how many days before your period you can't get pregnant is that you can only approximate your ovulatory phase, but you don't know exactly when you ovulate. It is also the reason why the calendar method should only be used to approximate the fertile period in case you want to become a mother, and not as a contraceptive method.

Can you get pregnant after your period?

Yes, you can definitely get pregnant after your period. In fact, because sperm can survive in your body for so long (up to 5 days), the chances of getting pregnant after your period increase as your next ovulation approaches.

Can you get pregnant on the last day of your period?

Yes, and the chances of pregnancy in the last days of menstruation are even higher than in the first, especially if ovulation occurs earlier and overlaps with the last days of menstruation. That's why it's important to protect yourself during every sexual act if you don't want a baby.

How to avoid an unwanted pregnancy?

If you do not plan and do not want to become a mother, sex during menstruation is not considered a method of protection. Instead, you can avoid an unwanted pregnancy no matter what phase of your menstrual cycle you are in, using the following methods:

• The condom: it is the only contraceptive method that protects you both from a pregnancy and from sexually transmitted diseases . Use a condom during every sexual act, without exception, to protect yourself from any risk (of pregnancy, but also of infection).

• Oral contraceptives: Contraceptives are another safe way to protect yourself from an unwanted pregnancy because they prevent the release of an egg and make it impossible to fertilize it. Keep in mind, however, that birth control pills should only be taken on a doctor's recommendation, based on your own needs, because they act on a hormonal level.

• Emergency contraception: the morning-after pill is not a contraceptive method, but only a "plan B" in case you had unprotected sexual contact or if the contraceptive method used failed. It is used no later than 72 hours after unprotected sex and will only prevent pregnancy that could have resulted from it. You will still need to use a protective method to prevent pregnancy that may result from subsequent contact.

How do you know if you got pregnant after unprotected sex?

Among the first signs that may indicate the presence of pregnancy are delayed periods, implantation bleeding, frequent urination, nausea and fatigue. I told you more about how you know you are pregnant and what the first symptoms are HERE . But once you suspect you might be pregnant, the surest way to confirm whether or not you got pregnant from unprotected sex is to take a pregnancy test.

You can do a quick urine test at home, which will detect pregnancy based on the level of hCG hormone in the urine (found at the pharmacy), or a blood test at the laboratory. If the results are positive, talk to your doctor about next steps.

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