Getting Pregnant During Your Period

Is it really possible? (And you thought you were safe...)

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Wondering if you can get pregnant when you're having your period? While getting pregnant during period isn't really likely, it really is possible.

Many people don't think that it can occur, but at least in theory, it can happen. I know, because it happened to one of my friends. They had sex only once and during her period. She just recently gave birth to their fourth child...

Getting Pregnant During Your Period

Conception 101
So How is It Possible to Get Pregnant During Period?
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Conception 101

First of all, you need to understand how conception actually works before you can understand how getting pregnant during period is actually possible. When you go through your menstrual cycle, your ovaries are getting an egg ready to be released. Then, when you ovulate, that egg is released into the fallopian tubes. Usually the average menstrual cycle lasts about 28 days, but some can have cycles that are shorter, while others have other cycles. Sometimes your menstrual cycle can even vary in length from month to month. Sometimes it may be a bit shorter, and sometimes it can be a bit longer.

Ovulation usually takes place about 14 days before your cycle ends, which is about 14 days before the next period occurs. Of course, ovulation can vary as well each month because of the balance in your hormones. Even those who have periods on a regular basis can have a fluctuation on their ovulation time. No matter when it occurs, when ovulation occurs, the egg goes into the fallopian tubes and starts on it's way towards the uterus. If there are sperm available, then fertilization can occur while in the fallopian tubes.

After ovulation occurs, there is only about 24 hours of time when you can conceive. If your egg does not get fertilized, then it is shed in the next period you have. However, if you do conceive, then the fertilized egg goes into the uterus and embeds in the lining of your uterus and develops into a baby. In such case, teh week of menistruation is actually countd by your midwife as your first week of pregnancy.

If you are not sure when your ovulation usually takes place, make sure you find out! Get yourself a good ovulation prediction kit immediately.

You can read about the most common ovulation symptions here.

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So How is It Possible to Get Pregnant During Period?

So, you may be wondering how it is actually possible to get pregnant while you are having your period. Here are a few ways that this can occur.

Sperm that Have a Long Life - Getting pregnant during your period can occur if there are sperm that have a long life. In most cases sperm are only able to live inside a female for about 3-4 days when intercourse occurs. However, there are times when the sperm can last from 5-7 days at one time and they still may be able to fertilize the egg. This means that if you have sex while you are having your period, the sperm could live long enough to be alive when you ovulate, and conception could occur.
Short Menstrual Cycles - Usually ovulation occurs about 14 days before you have your next period, no matter how long your period is. So, if you have a short cycle, it is possible that you will ovulate while you are having your period, which makes getting pregnant possible. If you have sex during your period or even right before it occurs, pregnancy can occur.
Ovulation Spotting - Sometimes spotting occurs during ovulation, which makes a woman think she's having her period. Often this leads a woman to think she got pregnant when she had her period.
Longer Menstruation - If you have longer menstruation, getting pregnant while having your period is possible. While most people only menstruate from 3-5 days during a one month cycle, some people may bleed 7-10 days at a time. This means that if you have sex while still having your period, getting pregnant could be possible.

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