Loving yourself means knowing more about your unique menstrual cycle. No matter your goals or priorities in life, it pays to know as much as you can about it!
However, it’s not always a bed of roses because of how different our cycle can be – every. single. time. It can be frustrating and confusing, but gaining more knowledge and understanding helps us deal with that.
In this article, we will focus on the question “Can I get pregnant just after my period has finished?” as well as facts and figures to help you know more and plan ahead.
The simple answer to this question is yes. Women can conceive right after their period, or on any day of their cycle, for that matter. As long as you are engaging in sex without any form of birth control methods or contraception, the likelihood is never zero.
That’s the simple answer. However, as we all know, menstrual cycles are never simple.
Although there is always a risk, getting pregnant after your period has a lower likelihood, but it also depends on your cycle. If it is short or if your periods are long, then that would mean that ovulation can start right after your menstruation. That is, a woman who has a naturally short menstrual cycle can become pregnant 3 days after the start of her period.
Also, take note that sperm can survive in your body for a week and can fertilize an egg 3-5 days after ejaculation. So, if your ovulation overlaps with the usual lifespan of sperm in the body, then that increases the likelihood of pregnancy.
Tracking and being mindful of what affects it can really help. It is easier said than done, though, because we know that every cycle might be different from the next because of different factors. Research even shows that cycles can vary by up to 9 days per year. Some of the common factors that affect it include age, lifestyle changes, hormones, or even medical conditions like PCOS.
According to research, per cycle, 30-year-old females have an average of 20% chance of getting pregnant while 40 year-olds have less than a 5% chance of pregnancy. However, fertility can still vary from person to person. Moreover, weight changes, stress levels, and sleep quality can also affect it.
Aside from knowing when your period starts and ends, it is also important to know when you are ovulating. This is a more reliable basis in terms of the likelihood of pregnancy. Let’s talk figures. In terms of your menstrual cycle, the stages with the lowest likelihood of pregnancy are menstruation (days 1-7) and the thickening of your uterine lining (days 17-28). The possibility of pregnancy increases after menstruation (days 8-9) and after ovulation (days 15-16).
The highest chance of pregnancy is during your fertility window, which is around day 10-15 of your cycle. This is what’s typical or usual, but women have varying menstrual cycles; some may have it shorter and ovulate earlier, and some might have irregular ones.
Another research was conducted to study the timing of sex to the ovulation of women. The highest average rate of pregnancy is one day before ovulation with 42% while the lowest percentage is 7 days before ovulation at 3%.
So, the closer you are to your fertility window, the higher the likelihood of pregnancy.
The more you know about this, the more it helps you plan around it to meet your goals and priorities. That is, it might help you prevent pregnancy or plan for it. Whether you’re avoiding an unplanned pregnancy or looking for good news, knowing all of these can help you connect the dots and give you a clearer flow (pun intended) to follow.
Let’s go back to our question: “Can I get pregnant just after my period has finished?”. Knowing all of these, it might be safe to say yes, but now we have other questions to answer. You can also ask yourself “When do I usually ovulate?”, “When was the last time I had unprotected sex?”, “Is my body undergoing any changes?”, and “Do I have shorter or longer cycles?”.
Answers to these questions can help you form a definitive answer. This way, you get to incorporate research while taking the uniqueness of your cycle into consideration.
Knowing your own cycle is serious work. Period. There might be many factors that contribute to the likelihood of pregnancy, but educating yourself about your cycle really helps. Being mindful of these factors helps you better understand and take care of yourself more effectively, and make informed decisions and actions that are aligned to who you are and what your aspirations are.
Generally speaking, you can conceive on any day during your menstrual cycle when you have unprotected sex. According to research, the highest chance of pregnancy is around the days of your ovulation. So, if you have a cycle of 28 days, that would mean your ovulation may range from the 10th to the 14th day. Try to observe or track how many days your cycle is on your next period.
In theory, there is no ‘safe’ day in terms of pregnancy, especially if you have unprotected sex or have no birth control methods. It all boils down to your menstrual cycle to know when you start ovulating. If you have sex right around the time you’re ovulating, there is a higher risk of pregnancy.
This varies from woman to woman. According to research, spotting is an early sign of pregnancy which indicates that an embryo is pushing itself into your uterus causing some light bleeding– significantly different from your regular menstrual flow.
Some other early signs are fatigue, food cravings, and urinating more often. Fatigue and food cravings happen because the woman is experiencing hormonal changes.
Usually, you can experience these early signs while pregnant for 5 to 8 weeks counting from the first day of your last menstrual period.
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