Can You Still Get Pregnant If Your Period Is Irregular

A Curious Case Of Anovulation

Irregular periods may also be a sign of anovulation. During the menstrual cycle, a mature egg releases. When ovulation does not occur, the cycle is anovulatory. Though not a disease, research shows consistent anovulation indicates an underlying fertility or hormonal issue. In most cases, doctors prescribe fertility drugs or other treatment to improve ovulation and regulate the period.

Can A Girl Get Pregnant If Her Periods Are Irregular

I have irregular periods. Can I still get pregnant if I don’t get my period all the time? Kim*

Yes! Any time a girl has unprotected sex, she could get pregnant.

Getting pregnant is related to ovulation. Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovaries. It is the time when a girl is most likely to get pregnant. A girl with irregular periods usually still ovulates, just not on a regular, predictable schedule.

All girls, especially girls with irregular periods, can ovulate at different points from cycle to cycle. That makes it impossible for a girl to know when she is most fertile. Irregular periods also can make it hard for a girl to know if she is pregnant, since she doesn’t know when to expect her period.

Having unprotected sex at any time is risky. Along with the risk of getting pregnant, you could also get an STD, such as chlamydia, genital warts, or HIV. The only way to completely prevent pregnancy and STDs is abstinence .

If you do have sex, use a condom every time to protect against unplanned pregnancy and STDs. For added protection, many couples use condoms along with another method of birth control, like birth control pills or an IUD. Talk to your doctor about the best type of birth control for you.

*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.

Treatment Options: Can You Fix Irregular Periods

If stress is a possible culprit in your irregular cycle, try stress management techniques, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, visualization, cognitive behavioral therapy, and biofeedback. Avoid over-exercising, and try not to diet excessively. If you need help figuring out whats best for you, contact a registered dietitian. For all medical issues, consult your healthcare professional.

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How Are Irregular Periods Treated

If irregular periods are bothering you or making it difficult for you to conceive, speak to your doctor to find out if theres a way to get them back on track. It could be as easy as lowering your stress levels or cutting back on intense exercising .

If your irregular periods are hormone-related, your doctor may suggest treating an underlying thyroid condition or using hormone therapies like birth control pills or certain types of IUDs that regulate your menstrual cycle. If youre trying to get pregnant, sometimes getting on the right birth control for a little while can get your cycle back on track so that its easier to tell when youre ovulating, which is a big step in helping you conceive, although this may not be successful.

If none of those work and youre trying to get pregnant, your doctor may prescribe a fertility drug like letrozole , clomiphene or injectable fertility meds to induce ovulation, but you should have a complete fertility evaluation before starting any of these drugs.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

Getting Pregnant With Ovulation Problems

Once your doctor has ruled out other medical conditions, they may prescribe fertility drugs to stimulate your ovulation.

The drug contained in Clomid and Serophene is often a first choice because it’s effective and has been prescribed to women for decades. Unlike many infertility drugs, it also has the advantage of being taken orally instead of by injection. It is used to induce ovulation and to correct irregular ovulation by increasing egg recruitment by the ovaries. The drug letrazole is also used to induce ovulation.

Clomiphene induces ovulation in most women with anovulation. Up to 10% of women who use clomiphene for infertility will have a multiple gestation pregnancy — usually twins.

The typical starting dosage of clomiphene is 50 milligrams per day for five days, beginning on the third, fourth, or fifth day after your period begins. You can expect to start ovulating about seven days after you’ve taken the last dose of clomiphene. If you don’t ovulate, the dose can be increased by 50 milligrams per day each month up to 150 mg. After you’ve begun to ovulate, most doctors suggest taking Clomid for 3-6 months before referring to a specialist. If you haven’t gotten pregnant by then, you would try a different medication or get a referral to an infertility specialist.

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Can You Get Pregnant Right Before Your Period

Its not impossible, but it is unlikely especially in women with regular, 28-day cycles. Ovulation is normally complete by day 19, a solid week-and-a-half before your next menstrual period begins.

That said, ovulation is harder to predict in women with irregular periods, which means it could happen later in the cycle. Plus, even in women with regular cycles, ovulation can vary from month to month, especially if you’re stressed, traveling or changing up your normal routine.

What Can Cause A Missed Period

Missing your period can be stressful. You worry about whether youre pregnant or not, or whether there is something wrong with you. Although pregnancy and illness can cause your period to be late or not come at all, there are also other factors like stress or the natural variation in your menstrual cycle that can cause your period to arrive late. Read on to learn all about what causes missed periods.

• Am I really late?

• If youve had unprotected sex and your period is late, take a home pregnancy test to find out if youre pregnant or not
• You may also have a late or skipped period due to stress, sudden weight loss, excessive exercise, being overweight, breastfeeding, approaching menopause, or taking some contraceptives
• Some long-term medical conditions, like an overactive thyroid, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease can also cause your periods to stop or become irregular.
• Many women have irregular cycles due to natural variation.

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What About Right Before Your Period

The likelihood of getting pregnant right before your period is extremely low. For women with a typical 28- to 30-day cycle or longer and their cycles are regular, it is fairly safe to say your ovulation occurred between Day 11 and Day 21. The egg is only available for 12 to 24 hours for conception.

This means the days right before your period are the safest to have sex without the expectation of getting pregnant. The number of safe days right before your period go up with longer cycles and lessen with shorter cycles.

If you wait 36 to 48 hours after ovulation, you should be beyond the possibilities of conception. The further you are from ovulation, the less likely your chance for conceiving. This is not the time to have sex if you are trying to conceive. Its still a good time to enjoy intimacy with your partner.

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I Had Unprotected Sex Right After My Period Ended Could I Be Pregnant

I just ended my period. My boyfriend came and then an hour and a half later he we did it wihtout a condom Could i be pregnant?

Its possible theres no safe time in your menstrual cycle to have sex without using birth control. Heres why:

Pregnancy can happen when the sperm cells in semen meet up with one of your eggs. Your ovaries release an egg every month thats called ovulation.

After sex, sperm can live for up to 5 days in your body waiting for one of these eggs. That means that even if you werent ovulating when you had sex, sperm can still meet up with your egg later on.

Ovulation usually happens about 14 days before your period starts but everyones body is different. You may ovulate earlier or later, depending on the length of your menstrual cycle.

If all this sounds super complicated, thats because it is. And everyones menstrual cycle is a little different, which makes it even MORE complicated. Its also very common for peoples cycles to be irregular, which means your period comes at different times especially when youre younger. But even if your cycle is regular, it can be hard to know exactly when youre ovulating and at risk for pregnancy. Thats why its so important to use birth control every time you have sex if you dont want to get pregnant.

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How To Quickly Get Pregnant With Irregular Periods

A health care provider can help find a diagnosis and suggest treatment for those with irregular menstrual cycles. There are also habits that may make it easier to get pregnant fast with irregular periods naturally. Although these habits cant replace medical treatment, they may help improve the chances of conception.

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As you head toward the big change, keep in mind that diaper changes arent quite out of the picture just yet. You can still get pregnant during perimenopause defined as the years leading up to your final period.

This menopausal transition brings unpredictable ovulation cycles as estrogen and progesterone hormone levels go up and down. During these years of yo-yoing hormone levels, your ovaries continue to release eggs for fertilization. Translation: You can still become pregnant.

Premier Health Ob/Gyn physician J. Scott Bembry, MD, says hes seen a handful of patients in his own practice whove become unintentionally pregnant in their late 40s.

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Ovulation And Fertility: How Do I Know

Because periods can be different lengths and not all bleeding is a period, it can be confusing to track your ovulation. The best way to track your ovulatory cycle is by watching it for three to four months, Harper said. To track, Harper recommends determining the average time between the start of one period to the start of the next. Because this is an average number, it does not have to be exactly the same every month. If this average number is between 21 and 35 days, then you can divide that number in half, which is MOST LIKELY, but not guaranteed, to be the time of ovulation.

Once you have monitored a few cycles and think you know when you are ovulating, check on your vaginal discharge. Around the time of ovulation, discharge becomes thick and stretchyjust like an uncooked egg white, Harper mentioned. This is the best way to verify that you are on track when it comes to predicting ovulation. If you take a birth control pill, then you do not ovulate at all and do not need to pay attention to discharge.

Cervical mucus accepts, filters, prepares and releases sperm for the successful fertilization of an egg. If you do not want to become pregnant and are not using another birth control, Harper says it is best to avoid intercourse the week you notice the mucus.

Chances Of Getting Pregnant

The chances of becoming pregnant vary from person to person and from cycle to cycle.

On average, a 30-year-old persons odds of getting pregnant are about 20% per cycle, assuming they are having unprotected sex.

The odds of becoming pregnant also depend on when a person has sex relative to ovulation. An app-based study of people who were trying to get pregnant found the average chances of pregnancy were as follows:

Therefore, people should not rely on when their period is due to decide whether to have sex.

The most crucial factor is ovulation. A period indicates the beginning of a new cycle, but it reveals little about when a person might ovulate.

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How Can Irregular Periods Impact Fertility And Getting Pregnant

25% of all female infertility problems among people with ovaries can be attributed to irregular or abnormal ovulation which, in turn, leads to irregular periods. Dr. Conti says that one of the most difficult aspects of trying to conceive with irregular periods is not being able to time sex or insemination around when youre most likely to get pregnant. According to Dr. Conti, this intentional timing is the best way for sperm to meet the egg and result in conception.

Why do irregular periods make that difficult? If you dont know when you might ovulate , you wont be able to pinpoint your fertile window: the five days leading up to and the day of ovulation. But by tracking your cycle, no matter how irregular it is, or by seeking medical assistance if necessary, its definitely possible to get pregnant.

What Causes Of Irregular Menstrual Cycles Make It Harder To Get Pregnant

There are many different conditions that can cause irregular cycles. Experiencing irregular cycles occasionally due to stress or illness can be normal. But if cycles remain irregular for long periods of time, a health care provider can help determine the cause of any menstrual problems.

This is especially important for those who want to learn how to get pregnant fast with irregular periods naturally. The following conditions can cause irregular cycles:

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How Irregular Periods Impact Your Ability To Get Pregnant

The unpredictability of irregular periods can be frustrating for anyone, but what about when youre trying to conceive? Not being able to easily track your menstrual cycle and find your fertile window can add an obstacle on the path to pregnancy, but that doesnt mean conception wont happen.To better understand irregular periods and how they can impact fertility, we sat down with OB-GYN and Modern Fertility medical advisor Dr. Jennifer Conti, MD, MS, MSc. Keep reading for the answers to the following questions:

• When it comes to period length and frequency, whats considered irregular?
• How can irregular periods impact fertility and getting pregnant?
• If you use birth control to regulate your periods, what should you do when youre trying to conceive?
• How can you increase your chances of getting pregnant when you have irregular periods?
• Do you need to talk to your doctor if youre trying to get pregnant and have irregular periods?
• What fertility treatments can help when you have irregular periods?

Do You Need To Talk To Your Doctor If Youre Trying To Get Pregnant And Have Irregular Periods

Like we mentioned earlier, its generally a good idea to check in with your doctor no matter what your reproductive goals are if your cycles are shorter or longer than 21-35 days, or if your periods are shorter or longer than 2-7 days. Its also important to schedule a visit with your doctor if you experience any sudden changes, spotting, unusually heavy or long bouts of bleeding, extremely painful periods, or no period for three months.

But if youve recently gone off hormonal birth control so you can start trying to conceive, depending on your contraceptive of choice, it could take several months for your periods to return or regulate after stopping. So when should you make an appointment?

If youve stopped your birth control and your period has not returned in 90 days or three months, then youll want to visit your healthcare provider, Dr. Conti says. If your period did return after you got off birth control but its been 90 days since your last day of bleeding, thats another reason to check in with your doctor.

In any of these situations, your doctor can work with you to order blood work and potentially diagnose the cause of your irregular periods.

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Underactive Or Overactive Thyroid

The thyroid controls practically every process in the body. Hypo- or hyperthyroidism can cause infertility, weight changes, depression, anxiety, and many other symptoms. Once someone has started treatment and their thyroid levels return to normal, they are typically more likely to get pregnant faster.

Why Do Some Menstrual Periods Become Irregular

There are many variables that can affect the length and timing of your menstrual cycle. Some are correctable, but others can signal significant medical issues.

• Polycystic ovary syndrome This metabolic and hormonal disorder occurs when the ovaries or adrenal glands overproduce the male hormones and the body hasinsulin resistance. Studies have shown that 87 percent of women with irregular menstrual cycles have PCOS.
• Thyroid or pituitary disorders Hypothyroidism , hyperthyroidism , and hyperprolactinemia can all affect menstrual regularity, says Dr. Lynn. One study found that 44 percent of study participants with irregular periods also had thyroid problems.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease An inflammation of the female reproductive system, PID is usually caused by sexually transmitted infections.

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How To Protect Against Unplanned Pregnancy

To prevent a baby bump on your road to menopause, use an effective, safe and appropriate method of birth control until your menopause is confirmed.

Natural family planning is not recommended for perimenopausal women because irregular periods make predicting ovulation difficult.

Many contraception options exist. Dr. Bembry says vasectomy is the most effective form of birth control, as long as post-procedure care is followed, but admits a lot of men just dont go there.

When considering birth control options, talk to your physician. She can discuss risks, effectiveness rates, perimenopausal symptom relief and even which methods can protect against certain cancers.