There is a common belief that people cannot get pregnant during menstruation.
However, this situation is quite risky for couples planning birth control.
Although a woman’s fertility may be low during her menstrual period, pregnancy may be possible under certain conditions.
What Will We Learn?
What Is The Menstrual Period And How Does It Occur?
Menstruation is the expulsion of blood and tissue from the uterus through the vagina. It usually occurs every month from puberty to menopause.
This process also means that a woman is fertile and has the ability to become pregnant.
A typical menstrual cycle lasts 28 days.
The menstrual period is divided into follicular and luteal phases.
In the follicular phase, a healthy egg is formed in the ovaries.
The luteal phase is the post-ovulation preparation period for the egg to meet with the sperm in the fallopian tubes.
All these actions develop daily like this:
- 1-5 days: Pregnancy has not occurred due to the inability to fertilize the egg and therefore menstruation has begun.
- 6-10 days: The hormone estrogen stimulates egg production and regrowth of endometrial cells in the uterus.
- 11-18 days: The ovulation period occurs when female fertility is at its highest level. A mature follicle is released and travels to the fallopian tubes to be fertilized.
- 19-28 days: Hormone secretions stimulate the lining of the uterus to thicken to create a nutritious environment for implantation.
In the last few days, if the released egg and sperm cannot unite, the menstrual cycle starts again.
If pregnancy has occurred, hormone levels are regulated according to pregnancy, menstrual bleeding does not occur.
The Period With The Highest Pregnancy Rate
The fertile window is the period when a woman is most likely to become pregnant.
The fertility window, which can vary depending on the menstrual cycle, usually lasts 6 days.
Ovulation and the release of the egg are the days when you are most likely to get pregnant.
In women with a regular 28-day menstrual cycle, the first day is considered the day when bleeding begins. On the 14th day, ovulation occurs.
During the few days before and after day 14, the chances of getting pregnant are very high.
However, this is not a rule.
Every woman’s menstrual cycle is different, and it is possible to get pregnant outside of the fertility window.
Can You Get Pregnant During Menstrual Period?
Getting pregnant is complex and involves many uncertainties.
Getting pregnant during menstruation is unlikely for many women, but it’s not impossible either.
Getting pregnant depends on the occurrence of ovulation in the menstrual cycle.
The day of ovulation can vary from one woman to another.
The egg can only survive for 12-24 hours after ovulation.
During this time, it must meet with a sperm cell for it to occur.
If the woman has sexual intercourse 3 days before and until the day of ovulation, the probability of getting pregnant is high.
Women with menstrual cycles shorter than 24 days may ovulate earlier than those with longer cycles.
The wide variation in menstrual cycle length and timing of ovulation makes it difficult to tell when during the fertile period.
However, sperm can remain viable for 3-5 days.
Thus, it is possible to get pregnant even if you have sexual intercourse 5 days before ovulation.
Being able to get pregnant during menstruation is possible depending on several factors:
- Short menstrual cycles: Some women have cycles as short as 21 days and there is not much time between ovulation days. Unprotected intercourse in this range can result in pregnancy, as sperm can remain viable for up to 5 days in the reproductive tract.
- Length of menstrual bleeding: The ovulation period may be repeated as the body sheds the inner wall of the uterus. The next ovulation may occur before the previous month’s unfertilized egg is expelled from the body. Thus, it is possible to get pregnant during the menstrual period.
- Irregular menstrual periods or breakthrough bleeding: It is very difficult to determine the fertility period of women who have irregular menstrual cycles or experience intermittent bleeding from time to time. There is a risk that the woman may become pregnant when menstrual bleeding and intermittent bleeding cannot be understood.
Is It Possible To Get Pregnant Just Before The Menstrual Period?
The chances of getting pregnant just before the menstrual period are very low.
In women with regular cycles, the ovulation period occurs sometime before the onset of bleeding.
Eggs are only active for 12 to 24 hours.
It can be said that sexual intercourse in the days before the menstrual period is safe.
The further you get from the day of ovulation, the less likely you are to get pregnant.
Is It Possible To Get Pregnant Right After The Menstrual Period?
There is a possibility of getting pregnant right after the menstrual period.
After the bleeding is over, the transition to the period when the fertility window is active is made.
Since the sperm can maintain their vitality for up to 5 days, pregnancy may become possible if there is sexual intercourse immediately after bleeding.
The probability of getting pregnant increases with each passing day after the bleeding has stopped.
Can You Get Periods While Pregnant?
Periods during pregnancy are not biologically possible, but there are exceptions.
HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is secreted from the beginning of pregnancy and known as the pregnancy hormone, stops menstrual periods.
However, implantation bleeding associated with light bleeding or spotting may occur before a missed period.
This situation, which is often confused with menstruation, is one of the signs that the embryo has settled in the uterus and pregnancy has begun.
If there is heavy bleeding similar to menstrual bleeding despite pregnancy, a doctor should be consulted.
What Can Be Done To Avoid Getting Pregnant During Menstruation?
Women who do not plan for pregnancy should use a contraceptive method during sexual intercourse, even if it is during menstruation. Commonly used birth control methods to prevent pregnancy include:
- Condom
- Birth control pills
- Injectable contraceptives
- Diaphragm
Result
The probability of pregnancy occurring in the first days of the menstrual period is very low (but there is still a risk). However, women who have sexual intercourse towards the last days of their menstrual period are more likely to have a pregnancy.
See also: Can You Get Pregnant With Friction?
