How Accurate Are Home Pregnancy Tests
Home pregnancy tests are quite accurate and reliable when you use them correctly. Most of the tests available at drugstores claim that they work 99 out of 100 times. Their accuracy is similar to that of a urine pregnancy test that you get in a doctors office or hospital.
- Because these tests work by detecting the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in your urine, their accuracy might be lower in early pregnancy or when you have just missed your period.
- If your pregnancy test comes out negative but you feel that you might be pregnant, repeat the test a week after the date you missed your period.
You may want to visit your healthcare provider if you are not confident about the result of your pregnancy test.
If You Want To Get Pregnant Timing Is Everything
Many people have only a vague understanding of a womans menstrual cycle and when she is most likely to get pregnant.
For people trying for a baby, it helps to know when a woman is most fertile and when to have sex to increase their chances of having a baby.
Knowing whens the right time
When a woman ovulates, an egg is released from the ovary and if there is sperm waiting around at that time there is a good chance that it will be fertilised and grow into a baby over the next nine months.
Ovulation happens about 14 days before a period starts, but womens menstrual cycles are not all the same length. To work out the day of ovulation, it helps to know how to count the days in a menstrual cycle. A cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the day before the next period. So, the day a womans ovulation occurs depends on the length of her cycle.
Conception is possible during the fertile window the five days leading up to, plus the day of ovulation. There is even more chance of a woman becoming pregnant if she has sex during the two days leading up to or on the day of ovulation.
Women who have a period every 28 days will ovulate around day 14 and their best chance of conceiving is between days 11 and 14. For a woman whose cycle is 24 days, ovulation happens around day 10 and her most fertile days are between days 7 and 10, while someone who has a 35 day cycle will be most fertile between days 18 and 21.
Noticing when its the right time
If You Have Sex During Your Period You Cant Get Pregnant
Its unlikely that youll get pregnant, but not impossible. You are fertile on the days leading up to and around the time of ovulation due to the lifespan of sperm and if you have a short cycle you could be ovulating just after your period. So you could be fertile very early in your cycle when you are still bleeding.
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Fertility Does Not Depend On The Age Of The Couple
The prime reproductive age of humans has been found to be the ages between the 20s and the 30s. There will be a slight fall in fertility levels after the age of 35 and a sharp fall after that. After this, that is, any time during the age of 40 and above, the chances of a healthy unassisted pregnancy without complications, such as a miscarriage and genetic abnormalities, are quite low. This is true for both men and women.
Fertility Awareness And Family Planning
Some women use fertility awareness as a method of natural birth control. One of the tools used is something called the Standard Days method. This establishes that if you have a period that is between 26 to 32 days long, days eight through 19 will be your most fertile days. However, this method is most effective when you have regular menstrual cycles.
If a woman has a regular period and uses the method perfectly, less than one to five women out of 100 will become pregnant. However, the key words here are perfect use. The typical use rate is different. Typical use means that the methods may be done incorrectly or measured inconsistently. In the first year of this typical use, 12 to 24 women out of 100 will become pregnant.
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Fertility During The Rest Of The Month
Tips For Those Preventing Pregnancy
Have sex only on days that are considered safe. The safest time is six or more days before ovulation, where the chance that a woman will get pregnant is virtually zero. These are the days of your period and a few days after the period. So whilst you can technically pregnant three days after your period, it is less likely on this day of your cycle.
Especially if you are planning to have sex during your fertile period, always use protection. Contraceptives come in many forms and methods. Birth control pills aim to prevent unplanned pregnancy by releasing synthetic hormones that prevent ovulation. However, when dealing with contraceptives, it is important to find the one that is right for you, as not doing so can lead to hormonal imbalances and changes to your body or mood.
Tips For Those Trying To Conceive
Most of the time, it’s all about finding the perfect timing. It is important to engage in sexual intercourse right away when you confirm that you are indeed fertile or are currently on your fertile window .
If you do fall pregnant, implantation bleeding can occur 10 to 14 days after conception. This is completely normal and can be a sign of a fertilized egg attaching to the uterus lining.
The best way to know your chances of pregnancy is to know your own body, be aware of its cycles and make sure you are always in optimal health.
Can You Take Emergency Contraception
If you had unprotected sex and want to avoid pregnancy, take emergency contraception as soon as possible.
There are two main types the copper IUD and the hormonal EC pill and they can both work up to five days after unprotected sex.
The IUD prevents pregnancy by producing an inflammatory reaction thats toxic to sperm and eggs.
Its more effective than the morning-after pill, but its only available by prescription and has to be inserted by a doctor within five days of unprotected sex.
The pill delivers a high dose of hormones to delay ovulation or prevent a fertilized egg from implanting to the uterus.
Plan B One-Step, Next Choice, and MyWay are all available over the counter.
Which should you use?
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Managing Fertility After Your Period
You don’t want to worry about getting pregnant before you’re ready. That’s why it’s essential to know your cycle and your body and use protection whenever there’s a chance you could get pregnant. Having a birth control plan in place is especially important when you’re actively trying to avoid pregnancy.
If you had unprotected PIV sex during your period and are concerned that you may be expecting, look out for early pregnancy symptoms like mild lower abdominal cramping, breast tenderness, and moodiness. Other common pregnancy symptoms will manifest closer to six or seven weeks of gestation, including nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
Got It So When Can You Have Unprotected Sex
Erm NEVER?!
Just kidding . In general, your period is the part of your cycle when youre least likely to make a baby. But regardless of timing, its impossible to be 100 percent sure that unprotected sex wont result in pregnancy.
If you have a 28-day cycle that runs like clockwork, your fertile window lasts for about 6 days mid-cycle . Your safest bet for unprotected sex is a week or so after ovulation just before, during, or just after your period.
But and were sounding like a broken record you could still get pregnant if you have an unpredictable cycle, if you have short cycles, or if you have sex within 5 days of your fertile window .
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When Can You Get Pregnant After Your Period
Chapel Hill Obstetrics & GynecologyFertility & Family Planning, Infertility Treatments, Pregnancy
Understanding your menstrual cycle is crucial to defining when you ovulate and calculating when you are most likely to get pregnant.
Women should be aware that if they have an irregular period, it can make the ovulation days difficult to determine. Said Dr. Martinelli. When examining fertility, its important to realize that an egg can survive for about 24 hours after ovulation, and sperm can live inside a womans body for three daysthough sometimes its possible for them to survive for five days.
When Is The Best Time To Get Pregnant
Most pregnancies result from sex that happened less than 2 days before ovulation, Manglani says. But you can get pregnant earlier or later. Sperm can live in fertile cervical mucus for up to 5 days, she says. An egg can live up to 24 hours after ovulation.
Generally, your best chance of getting pregnant is 12-16 days before your period, says Edward Marut, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
The tricky part is identifying when ovulation occurs, Manglani says. Every womans menstrual cycle is different. Many women think they ovulate on the 14th day of their cycle. But thats a myth. Most dont.
Try one or more of these methods to figure out when you ovulate.
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It’s Possible To Get Pregnant At Any Time Of The Month
To get pregnant, you need to have sex on the days leading up to and around when you ovulate. The day prior to ovulation, and the day of ovulation itself, being your . Once the egg has gone you cannot get pregnant until after your next has started. Methods that tell you after you have ovulated are of no help if you are
Start Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle
Each new menstrual cycle is marked by the first day of your period. And tracking your cycle along with any daily symptoms youre experiencing can be incredibly helpful. Why?
Tracking your cycle helps you get to know your body better, including how long your cycle is. The length of your cycle is what determines your fertile window, which well get to in the next section.
Tracking the symptoms you experience such as changes in sex drive, mood or cervical mucus can help you identify patterns throughout your cycle, including what you typically experience leading up to your most fertile days.
How do you get started? When your next period arrives, start tracking since that is Day 1 of your cycle. You can keep a journal and write things down, or you can use mobile apps such as Fertility Friend and Clue.
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Chances Of Getting Pregnant Before Your Period
Can a woman get pregnant right before her period? For the sake of this question, let us assume that this refers to the week leading up to the period. In this scenario, we also need to assume that the woman in question is aware of her period cycle.
In that case, unless she is ovulating in that week, it is highly unlikely that sex that takes place during that week will lead to conception. Typically, a womans most fertile period to get pregnant is the period lasting from five days before her ovulation to ovulation itself. Unless this time matches with the week before her period, fertilization cannot happen. The rare case where this can happen is when a woman has a very short cycle of about 19-22 days, where it is possible that sex before periods can lead to a pregnancy.
If you are trying to get pregnant and are wondering, Can I get pregnant after ovulation but before my period?, the answer is yes, you can. While the chances are low, it is certainly not impossible.
I Never Used A Hormonal Birth Control Method So We Should Get Pregnant As Soon As We Start Trying
Just because your hormones havent been affected by hormonal contraceptives doesn’t necessarily put you at an advantage. Your body may be better able to regulate itself but this doesn’t mean you can get pregnant any more easily. Your fertility can be influenced by many factors other than contraceptives.
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Pregnancy Chances After Ovulation And Before Period: None
After 24 hours since the egg was released, it is no longer viable for fertilization. As such, a womans chances of conceiving after ovulation and before period are zero.
When not fertilized, the egg will move down to the uterus to be disintegrated and shed during the next period about two weeks later. The rise in progesterone will change the consistency of cervical mucus and create a plug in the cervix to prevent the sperm from entering the uterus, essentially creating the bodys own birth control method.
Can I Get Pregnant Just After My Period Has Finished
Yes, although it’s not very likely. If you have sex without using contraception, you can conceive at any time during your menstrual cycle, even during or just after your period.
You can also get pregnant if you have never had a period before, during your first period, or after the first time you have sex.
There’s no “safe” time of the month when you can have sex without contraception and not risk becoming pregnant.
But there are times in your menstrual cycle when you’re at your most fertile, and this is when you’re most likely to conceive.
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Check Your Basal Body Temperature
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to the signs that your body is ready to ovulate. Checking your basal body temperature is one way to do this.
The BBT is your temperature first thing in the morning. Just after you ovulate, it rises slightly — sometimes by less than a degree — and stays higher until your period starts. If you record your temperature every day, you can spot the subtle changes that mean one of your ovaries has released an egg.
To take your BBT, you need to:
Use a basal body thermometer. It’s more sensitive than a standard one and will show temperature changes down to a fraction of a degree. You can get them at many pharmacies for less than $20.
Take your temperature at the same time each morning. Always do it before you get out of bed. Even getting up to go to the bathroom can affect your body temperature. So can smoking, drinking, or getting a bad night’s sleep.
Remember, your BBT won’t tell you exactly when you’ve ovulated, and it may take a couple of months before you start to see a pattern. You’re most likely to get pregnant 2 or 3 days before your ovary releases an egg, and then another 12 to 24 hours after that. When your temperature has spiked for 3 days, your chances of conceiving drop.
Is Day 14 Your Most Fertile Day
You may have heard that day 14 of your cycle is when you ovulate. As a result, many women have sex on day 11, 12, and 13, thinking this will give them the best chance at conception. But many women dont ovulate on day 14. Normal ovulation can occur as early as day 10 and as late as day 20. If you have irregular cycles, ovulation can occur even later.
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Get An Ovulation Predictor Kit
If you’re looking for a higher-tech method for knowing when you should have sex to get pregnant, pick up an ovulation tester online or at a drugstore. There are a few types to consider. Ovulation predictor kits test your level of luteinizing hormone to suss out your O day. All you do is pee on a stick and wait for it to reveal if your level of luteinizing hormone is high, suggesting ovulation. You’ll see a line that is the same or darker than the control line.
A next-level option is a fertility monitor. This device lets you check LH and estrogen levels in your urine. You turn on the monitor when you get your period and it alerts you when it’s time to start using the urine strips. Then you pee on a strip and insert it into the monitor to find out whether you’re having a low, high or peak fertility day.
There are also saliva tests that check electrolytes in your spit to predict when your estrogen is high. First thing in the morning, you put saliva on a lens. Then, five minutes later, you play scientist and look at it under an eyepiece. Most of the month you’ll just see random dots, but a day to three days before you ovulate, you should notice a pattern like a fern or frost on a window. The downside to saliva tests: Some women have trouble distinguishing the patterns.
How Long Should You Wait
Keeping in mind that your body is constantly changing, its pretty much impossible to ever be 100 percent safe when it comes to avoiding pregnancy, if youre having unprotected sex.
Your menstrual cycle starts on the first day of your period, and ends on the last day before your next period starts. If you have a clockwork menstrual cycle of 28 days, you are at your safest but not totally in the clear around one week or so after you ovulate. Keep in mind that sperm can continue to live in your body, so if youve had unprotected sex, this sort-of-safe window may change.
If your periods are even the slightest bit irregular, so is your fertile window. And keep in mind that your cycle can change at any time, without giving you a heads up in advance.
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