Both, two weeks after and/or two weeks before. Usually women ovulate (release an egg) two weeks before they menstruate. This is the prime time for getting pregnant. Typically, the cycle is about 28 days (although it varies between women and can be anywhere between 15 and 50 days). So if the woman has a common cycle of 28 days (4 weeks), then she is fertile two weeks before and 2 weeks after (which is the same week). But if her cycle is longer or shorter, than it would only be the two weeks before. Get it? Little confusing I know.
For example, if she has a 28 day/4 week cycle, it would look like this:
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
and so on...
It's even possible to get pregnant DURING menstruation if the woman's cycle is short enough or if her hormones are irregular enough. It's a little more uncommon though, but still possible.
Typically though, if she has sex too soon before she menstruates, the egg wouldn't have enough time to fertilize and attach to the walls of the uterus before it gets bled out during menstruation. And if she has sex too soon after she menstruates, then her ovaries haven't released the egg yet, therefore there is no egg to be fertilized and she can't become pregnant. Be aware though that sperm can live inside the female body for up to 7 days. So if she has sex on the last couple days before her "fertile week" then the sperm could stay alive and fertilize the egg soon after it's released. This is often when tubal pregnancies occur (when the egg attaches itself to the walls of the felopian tubes instead of the uterus, which leads to a very complicated, risky pregnancy).
It just gets tricky for the woman to figure out if she's very irregular, like most teenagers. Women's periods tend to fall very irregularly for the first 5 or so years after she reaches menarch (puberty and beginning of monthly periods). So she is still fertile 2 weeks before she menstruates, but she won't know when that will be, and therefore should use protection EVERY time. Taking Birth Control Pills are fantastic at regulating periods. I used to be so irregular. They could fall anywhere between 12 and 60 days of one another, which was very frustrating. I'd be wearing pads for weeks waiting for it to come. I started Kariva and wouldn't ever go back. Now I know exactly what day and even exactly what TIME it will start. However it prevents pregnancy entirely and can lead to birth defects if the woman does happen to become pregnant and continues to take the pill. The failure rate is approximately 5%.
Hope that's enough info to help you! Any questions, just ask. I'm good at all this health stuff. I loved health class and my mom's a nurse, so she taught me all kinds of health stuff as well.
2006-07-28 17:35:33
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answer #1
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answered by chica_zarca 6
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Getting pregnant is a product of ovulating and intercourse. Ovulation (the release of eggs) happens between menstruation...usually only a few days after completion of menstruation. There is generally a condition of necessity that pregnancy occurs before menstruation because the fertilized egg needs the blood that clings to the uterine walls...this blood is lost during/after menstruation, so then it's difficult for the fertile egg to implant upon the uterine wall.
But ovulation is more of the necessity than any condition (post/prior/during) of menstruation. The presence of the egg is more critical. Thus, it's possible to become pregnant at almost any time in the woman's monthly cycle...so long as an egg is present. So menstruation has an important impact, but not *the* most important one.
2006-07-28 17:43:00
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answer #2
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answered by gene_frequency 7
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Pregnancy/conception can accrue 4 - 10 days after your cycle ends. the Egg and Sperm must meet up at just the right time in the Fallopian tube. This is how I planned all my pregnancies (4) of (4). never missed!
So, where ever 4 - 10 days past your cycle falls between your periods is your answer.
2006-07-28 17:46:41
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answer #3
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answered by 4mom 4
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