When the menstrual period is delayed, it often arouses suspicion and causes confusion in women. For pregnancy to occur, couples must have sexual intercourse during the ovulation period. However, this relationship of the last days of the menstrual cycle when the mind of women who experience menstrual bleeding and then comes the following question “Can I get pregnant on my period?“ A common myth is that women cannot get pregnant while on their period. On the other hand, although the probability of pregnancy is low, the probability is never zero. Let’s look at this issue in more detail.
How Does Pregnancy Occur?
Pregnancy and the birth of a baby are miraculous events. For this miracle to happen, the man’s sperm must meet the woman’s egg. While the egg of the woman lives between 12-24 hours, the sperms can stay alive for 3 days.
A normal menstrual cycle in women is 28 days. Day one here is when menstruation begins, and expectant mothers ovulate around day 14. The event called ovulation is when a woman’s ovary releases an egg to be fertilized. If there are sperm in the uterus at that time, pregnancy occurs. Not everyone has the same ovulation cycle, some women may experience a longer or shorter menstrual cycle.
The Relationship between Menstrual Period and Pregnancy
Menstrual period is a process that occurs every month in women. It is a period in which the unfertilized egg is expelled from the body and the uterus prepares itself for pregnancy every month. When expectant mothers become pregnant, menstrual bleeding does not occur until delivery. If pregnancy does not occur, the egg that cannot be fertilized and implanted in the uterus is expelled from the body with menstrual bleeding.
How Can You Get Pregnant on Your Period?
The ovulation cycle for women is seen between 28-30 days on average. However, if you have a shorter cycle, the time between your period and ovulation is not the same. Another thing to know is that after ejaculation, sperm can survive in the uterus for up to 72 hours. Therefore, towards the last days of your period, your chances of getting pregnant will increase.
If you are worried about how your ovulation pattern is, you can track the number of days between your periods and take advantage of the many applications available for this. This way, you can create a sketch in your mind of when your ovulation cycle will occur.
What is the Probability of Getting Pregnant on Your Period?
The probability of getting pregnant may decrease or increase during the ovulation cycle. While the average monthly cycle of a woman is 28-29 days, it can vary between 20-40 days for some, or this cycle can be experienced longer. Women are not likely to become pregnant 1 or 2 days after the start of menstruation.
However, this possibility tends to increase every day as the bleeding continues. The probability of pregnancy is 9% on the 13th day from the start of the period. Even if these probabilities are low, it is not clear that the expectant mother will not get pregnant during her menstrual period.
Can You Get Pregnant Just Before or After Your Period?
According to experts, women are not likely to get pregnant until their menstrual period. This is especially true for women with regular menstrual cycles. However, women who do not want to be pregnant can use various birth control methods by applying to their physicians during this period.
Women can get pregnant right after their period. This is due to the fact that after the sexual intercourse, the sperm can fertilize the eggs in the uterus between 3 and 5 days.
Can You Get Pregnant While Your Menstrual Period Is Approaching?
The probability of pregnancy occurring close to the menstrual period is higher than the probability of getting pregnant during the menstrual period. In women, the time it takes for the egg to reach ideal maturity for fertilization is different. The egg is ready to hatch in the middle of the menstrual period, that is, on the 15th day. However, this may take longer for some expectant mothers. The fertilization of the released egg by cracking and the formation of pregnancy by the fertilized egg implanting in the uterus may correspond to a process close to the next menstrual period.
How is the Ovulation Period Calculated?
For pregnancy, it is necessary to know the process of the menstrual cycle and to follow the ovulation period. If the menstrual cycle is functioning regularly, the ovulation period coincides with 14 days before the menstrual period. The ovulation period can be calculated by counting from the first day of the menstrual period to the 14th day. It is possible to get pregnant if you have sexual intercourse 2 or 3 days before this process.
What Conditions Can Cause Pregnancy on Menstrual Period?
Worrying thoughts about whether I can get pregnant during menstruation is something that most women experience. In this process, favorable conditions for pregnancy may have formed in the body. Factors such as hormonal changes, the time of formation of the egg and the rate of development should also be taken into consideration. The conditions for getting pregnant during this period are:
- Formation of the egg and reaching a size ready to crack
- The sperms that go to the uterus after sexual intercourse are in the uterus and they are in ideal vitality
- A certain level of secretion of hormones in the body
Even if these conditions exist, it cannot be concluded with certainty that pregnancy can occur. However, we can also say that in order for such a situation to occur, these conditions must exist.
When to Go to the Doctor?
Not every woman’s ovulation cycle happens at the same time. Therefore, you are likely to get pregnant during your period. While this probability is seen as a low percentage in the first days of the menstrual cycle, it is more likely for the following days.
If you want to become pregnant and you have not been able to get pregnant despite having unprotected sexual intercourse with your partner in the last 1 year, you can contact your doctor. You can learn the menstrual cycle and ovulation period tracking recommendations.
What is said in public to the question of “Can I get pregnant on my period?” may not always reflect the correct information. Although it is thought that there is no possibility of pregnancy during the menstrual period, it should be underlined that the medical reality of this is not certain. Therefore, it is beneficial for couples who do not plan to have children yet to approach the issue of getting pregnant during the menstrual period sensitively.
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Have a nice and healthy day!
