Can I Get Pregnant During My Period? Menstruation and Fertility

There is a common misconception that women can get pregnant at any time during the menstrual cycle. However, there is actually only a small window where pregnancy can occur. You cannot get pregnant during the first 5-6 days of your period. This is because during menstruation, the lining of the uterus is shedding off and so your body knows that it’s not time yet to release an egg. Once the lining of the uterus is completely shed (that is, the end of your period), your body will spend about one more week rebuilding the lining before it releases an egg.

Pregnancy is most likely to occur if you have intercourse near the time of ovulation. For women with regular cycles, ovulation happens about fourteen days before the next period starts. After sexual intercourse, sperm can live for several days inside of a woman. Although most sperm die within three days, they can live as long as a week under certain conditions. Once released, an egg lives for twenty-four hours. So, if you account for the lifespan of the sperm and the lifespan of the egg, the fertile period is from several days before, to one day after, ovulation. It is important to remember, however, that your fertile period may occur at a different time each month.

Some women experience some mid-cycle spotting, which they may mistake for a period. This spotting occurs during ovulation, when the egg bursts out of the ovary. (Some women can actually feel this happening and experience it as a slight cramp in the side.) Therefore, if you have sex during mid-cycle spotting, pregnancy can occur quite easily. So, unless you are practicing a method of contraception based on fertility awareness (also called Natural Family Planning), it is safest to assume that you can get pregnant at any time.

An abnormally short or light period can occur even if you are already pregnant. Some spotting in early pregnancy is not uncommon, due to hormone changes or implantation bleeding. A few rare women continue to have periods throughout their pregnancies, and women should be aware of this possibility if this propensity runs in the family or has happened to you before. That being said, anytime you notice unusual bleeding, you should contact your doctor, because it could be a sign of a serious problem or a sexually transmitted disease.

If you suspect that you might be pregnant, the most important thing you can do is to get a pregnancy test right away. Your local pregnancy resource center can offer you one for free.