What Days Are Best To Get Pregnant After Period

How Long Will It Take Me To Get Pregnant

Some women will get pregnant quicker than others. In fact, for up to 40% of women it took more time than , but more than 80% of couples will usually conceive within a year if they are having regular sex.The time it takes to get pregnant depends on factors such as

• family and medical history.

Most experts recommend women see a doctor if they cannot conceive within a year if they are under 35. If you are aged 35 or more, then see your healthcare provider if you cannot conceive within six months of trying. If you are over 40 should see your doctor straight away.

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Sex During Your Period

The chances are pretty good that you will not get pregnant if you have sex during your period. Menstruation is the signal that the ovum was not fertilized or implanted, leading to a drop in hormone levels and the shedding of the uterine lining. Even if a sperm made it to an egg, which is very unlikely, the uterine lining would not be ready for implantation. So, during this stage in your cycle, your risk of pregnancy remains negligible.

However, the odds of conception during your period arent zero. If you have a very short cycle, ovulation may occur soon after your period. Given that sperm can live inside you for up to three days, having sex at the end of your period may lead to fertilization in the days following it. One study charting the most common conception days in the menstrual cycle shows that odds start to rise on day 7 LMPjust a week past your first day of bleeding.

Its also important to note that what you may think is a period might not be. An estimated 2.8% of people with periods have spotting around ovulation, which is actually when you are most fertile. In other cases, spotting may be implantation bleeding, a very early sign of pregnancy. Unlike a regular period, spotting in these circumstances is typically lighter in color and flow.

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Length Of Your Menstrual Cycle

Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period and is a critical component in determining when you can get pregnant. Most women have a 28-day cycle from the first day of one period to the first day of the next, but it can vary. Some have cycles as short as 21 days, for example. Technically, your cycle is considered regular if you have your period at least every 24 to 38 days, but that degree of variation can make estimating your fertility period challenging.

If you skip periods entirely or have cycle lengths that fall outside the regular range or change significantly from month-to-month, then you have what is known as an irregular cycle. Unfortunately, that will make it harder to pinpoint when you are likely to ovulate. If you are having difficulty conceiving and want to calculate the best estimate for when you could become pregnant, you may have to track your periods for a few months to determine an average length or some sense of a pattern for your cycle.

Signs You Are Ovulating

Counting off days to estimate ovulation is a process that works well for women who have regular menstrual cycles, but the process is much more challenging if their periods are irregular. For women who cant rely on predictability in their monthly cycles, the frustration begins with trying to pinpoint when they will have their period and ends with calculating when they are likely to ovulate all while knowing the estimates could end up being meaningless if their period falls at a dramatically different time than the previous month.

Fortunately, other physical signs of ovulation are often present to help you pinpoint when your body is preparing to release an egg. Vaginal discharge or mucus around this time is thinner, clearer and more slippery to help sperm move more efficiently through the reproductive tract. You may experience cramping on one side around the time you ovulate, but this is not true for every woman.

Your basal temperature body temperature when you first wake up but before you get out of bed and start moving around may be slightly elevated around the time of ovulation. You may need to track this reading for a few months to confirm your pattern. Over-the-counter ovulation predictors have also helped many women determine their estimated ovulation dates. If youre working with a doctor, he or she may test for LH levels, which start climbing about 36 hours before ovulation and peak at about 12 hours before.

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Can You Get Pregnant During Your Period

For those with a shorter cycle the average is 28 to 30 days theres still a possibility pregnancy could occur if you have sex during your period. For example, if you have sex toward the end of your period and you ovulate early, you can conceive. Using birth control, condoms, or another barrier method is typically the best way to prevent pregnancy.

Read on to learn more about how to time sex and other ways to prevent pregnancy.

How To Prevent Pregnancy

The most effective strategy for avoiding pregnancy is to refrain from sex. Sexually active people who do not wish to become pregnant should use contraceptives such as condoms or birth control.

Using two methods can offer additional protection, for example, when a person uses both hormonal birth control and condoms.

Several fertility monitoring techniques make it easier for a person to pinpoint their fertile window and avoid sex or use contraceptives during this time.

These methods are more effective if a person has regular periods. Some fertility monitoring strategies include:

• Charting basal body temperature: A persons morning body temperature usually rises shortly after ovulation.
• Using ovulation predictors: These tests typically give a positive result a day or two before ovulation, but it is possible to get a positive without ovulation.
• Looking for fertile cervical fluid:Thick cervical fluid with a texture similar to raw egg whites indicates ovulation is approaching.
• Checking cervical position and texture: Some females find that the position and texture of their cervix changes throughout their cycle.

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Can You Get Pregnant 4 Days Before Your Period

It can occur anywhere from four days before to four days after the midpoint of your menstrual cycle. If you ovulate later in your cycle or start your period sooner than usual, you could become pregnant if you have sex in the days leading up to your period. What if your cycle is shorter or longer than 28 days?

Can you get pregnant if you ovulate later in your cycle?

If you ovulate later in your cycle or start your period sooner than usual, you could become pregnant if you have sex in the days leading up to your period. What if your cycle is shorter or longer than 28 days?

How long does it take to get pregnant after your last period?

Researchers have shown that a persons chances of conception jumps starting 7 days after the start of your last period and rises steadily after that, peaking around day 15 LMP. 5

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Finding The Best Time To Get Pregnant

If you want to get pregnant and you have regular periods, the best time to have sex is the day before you ovulate. You also have a good chance of conceiving in the five days leading up to as well as on the actual day of ovulation. Basically, the more often you have sex during this window, the better. Frequent intercourse means increased sperm and, since sperm quality has a short shelf life, its good to strike when its fresh.

Many people use a variety of fertility methods and products to track changes to their basal body temperature and cervical mucus however, turning your journey into a complicated project wont necessarily help you get pregnant any more quickly. In fact, it could create obsessive behavior and be hard on your relationship with your partner. If youve already been tracking and collecting all of this data, your doctor will certainly take it into consideration. But if youre healthy and have regular periods, the most effective way to get pregnant is to simply stop using contraception .

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Previous Stds Do Not Impact The Chances Of Conceiving

The damage to sexual organs from previous sexually transmitted diseases can seriously impact fertility. Untreated chlamydia and gonorrhoea can adversely affect the fertility of both men and women. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or PID is a particularly serious condition and can permanently damage the uterus and the fallopian tubes.

What About Ovulation Predictor Kits Or Fertility Apps

Many couples choose to use ovulation predictor kits or fertility apps to help them work out the best time to get pregnant.

Ovulation predictor kits are designed to test urine or saliva and they work by detecting the changes in certain hormone levels that occur just prior to ovulation. In contrast, fertility apps or ovulation calculators rely on the input of your menstrual cycle statistics .

Although these options can be useful if youre trying to get pregnant, they are NOT fool proof and have a number of pitfalls. To find out more, check out the following articles:

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Your Period Lasts A Long Time

It’s not uncommon to have spotting in the day or so before your period starts and for a few days after that. Because of this bleeding, you might falsely believe you’re still on your period and can’t get pregnant. In reality, though, ovulation can be closer than you think.

After Having Sex How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant

Depending on the time of ovulation, the egg and sperm join and create a fertilized egg within five days of sex. Then, the fertilized egg can take 610 days to implant in your uterus. Pregnancy can be detected after implantation.

The best way to determine whether youre pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test after your period is delayed. Home pregnancy tests are available at drugstores and pharmacies, or you can visit a health center and take a pregnancy test there.

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Myth : Ovulation Occurs On Day 14

Although many textbooks and websites will have you believe that ovulation always occurs on Day 14 of the menstrual cycle, this is NOT the case. In fact its thought that ovulation occurs on Day 14 in only 13.5% of menstrual cycles!

While ovulation certainly occurs around this time for some women, there can be enormous variation. One excellent American study looked at a total of 696 menstrual cycles from a group of 213 women. In this study group, ovulation occurred as early as Day 8 of the menstrual cycle and as late as Day 60! .

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 To Calculate When I Am Ovulating

Method 3 of 5: Tracking Basal Temperature Buy a basal temperature thermometer. Right before ovulation is the womans most fertile time. Take your temperature daily. Its important to take your temperature at the same time every day, since it fluctuates throughout the day. Chart your temperature. Interpret your temperature pattern.

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When Is The Best Time In Your Cycle To Get Pregnant

Okay, here’s a quick biology refresher on how you really get pregnant: When you ovulate, your ovary releases a ripe egg into the fallopian tube that’s ready to be fertilized by a sperm. That egg has only 12 to 24 hours to meet that sperm.

Luckily, sperm stick around in the fallopian tubes for longer . That means that while it’s ideal to have sex on the day you ovulate, you may also get pregnant if you do the deed a few days before ovulation. Viable sperm should still be in your fallopian tubes when that egg arrives.

So how do you pinpoint when you’ll be ovulating? First, determine the length of your average monthly cycle. To do this, count the days between your periods, starting at the first day of your period. While 28 days is average, there’s a wide range of normal. Yours may be 21 days, 35 days or somewhere in between and that’s completely fine, fertility-wise.

Now, time for some math. The first half of the cycle varies from woman to woman. But the second half is usually the same for all of us: 14 days, though it can be 12 days. That means if you get your period 28 days after the last one began, for example, then you’ll likely ovulate on day 14 or 16.

The more regular your periods are, the more helpful this method will be. But what if you have irregular periods? You’ll want to be more alert to additional signs of ovulation, which are described below.

Understanding Your Most Fertile Days

There are six to seven days during your menstrual cycle when you can get pregnant. This is known as your fertile period.

You are most fertile during the five days before you ovulate, the day that you ovulate, and possibly a day after you ovulate.

Sperm can live up to five days. Once released, an egg only lives for about 24 hours. This is why there are six to seven days that count as being within your most fertile time.

If you have unprotected sex on those days, you may become pregnant.

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While Youre On Your Period

As any woman with a calendar and a bunch of best friends will tell you, the amount of days each woman spends menstruating can vary a lot.

Your menstrual flow may start to diminish and lighten in color, or turn brown towards the end of your cycle. It feels and looks like youre still menstruating, but your body is already gearing up for your next fertile time.

If you have sex towards the end of your period, you may actually be getting close to your fertile window, especially if you have a short cycle. Lets take a look at the math.

Say you ovulate early, about six days after your period starts. You have sex on the third day of your period. The sperm have no egg to fertilize, but theyre also in no hurry to die so they hang out, doin what sperm do.

A few days later, while theyre still swimming around, you ovulate and theyre drawn to that egg like a fish to water. One gets through, and there you have it fertilization has occurred as a result of period sex.

You Have A Short Menstrual Cycle

Although an egg doesn’t typically release during the immediate post-period phase, called pre-ovulation, your chances of conceiving aren’t zero. Sperm can live up to five days in fertile cervical mucus. That means they can stick around for a few days until your body does release an egg during ovulation. If you have a short menstrual cycle, you may be fertile soon after your period ends.

For example, if you ovulate on day 11, it is technically possible to get pregnant from sex as early as day six of that cycle, which may be right after your period ended.

“One study showed that people who had sex only one time during this phase still got pregnant,” says Steven R. Bayer, M.D., a Boston-based reproductive endocrinologist. In fact, a 2018 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology examined PIV intercourse patterns in people trying to conceive with the help of ovulation tests. Researchers found an increased pregnancy likelihood in the days leading up to ovulationâ18.5% for day one and 23.6% for day two.

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