Can one become pregnant if you have sex while you are on your cycle?

Question

I have always thought you could not, but I have a few friends who state differently..

Who's right?

Answer 1

It is possible.

Answer 2

Your friend is right, ovulation is not always precisely 3 days before your bleeding starts. If you have unprotected sex, you are risking pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, no matter what part of your cycle you are in. You should also know that even condoms do not prevent transmission of hpv, or human papiloma virus, which causes cervical cancer. Ask your gynecologist for more information during your next visit.

Answer 3

Yes it is possible, but not likely. It could happen if you had intercourse towards the end of your period (eg. day 4 or 5) and ovulated early in your cycle (day 9), since sperm can live for up to 5 days.

Answer 4

Are you asking if a woman can become pregnant if you have sex during your period?

Well, the chances are low, but it does happen. You can get pregnant at any time.

Answer 5

Yes you can. You can get pregnant at any point in time if you have sex regardless of where you're at in your cycle.

Answer 6

Okay, let's go back to sex 101:

Normal Menstrual Cycle - Topic Overview
What is a menstrual cycle?
The menstrual cycle is the series of changes a woman's body goes through to prepare for a pregnancy. About once a month, the uterus grows a new lining (endometrium) to get ready for a fertilized egg. When there is no fertilized egg to start a pregnancy, the uterus sheds its lining. This is the monthly menstrual bleeding (also called menstrual period) that women have from their early teen years until menopause, around age 50.

The menstrual cycle is from Day 1 of bleeding to Day 1 of the next time of bleeding. Although the average cycle is 28 days, it is perfectly normal to have a cycle that is as short as 21 days or as long as 35 days.1 For a teen, a normal cycle can last up to 45 days.2

Girls usually start having menstrual periods between the ages of 11 and 14. Women usually start to have fewer periods between ages 39 and 51. Women in their 40s and teens may have cycles that are longer or change a lot. If you are a teen, your cycles should even out with time. If you are nearing menopause, your cycles will probably get longer and then will stop.

Talk to your doctor if you notice any big change in your cycle. It’s especially important to check with your doctor if you have three or more cycles that last longer than 7 days or are very heavy. Also call if you have bleeding between your periods or pelvic pain that is not from your period.

What controls the menstrual cycle?
Your hormones control your menstrual cycle. During each cycle, your brain's hypothalamus and pituitary gland send hormone signals back and forth with your ovaries. These signals get the ovaries and uterus ready for a pregnancy.

The hormones estrogen and progesterone play the biggest roles in how the uterus changes during each cycle.

Estrogen builds up the lining of the uterus.
Progesterone increases after an ovary releases an egg (ovulation) at the middle of the cycle. This helps the estrogen keep the lining thick and ready for a fertilized egg.
A drop in progesterone (along with estrogen) causes the lining to break down. This is when your period starts.
A change in hormone levels can affect your cycle or fertility. For example, teens tend to have low or changing progesterone levels. This is also true for women close to menopause. That is why teens and women in their 40s may have heavy menstrual bleeding and cycles that change in length.

Other things can change your cycle. They include birth control pills, low body fat, losing a lot of weight, or being overweight. Stress or very hard exercise also can change your cycle. Pregnancy is the most common cause of a missed period.

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So now that we know how a menstral cycle works, here are what the experts have to say about it:

Expert Answers
Carolyn Kubik, fertility specialist
It's possible — but highly unlikely. You'd have to have a very short menstrual cycle, which is the time from the first day of one period to the first day of the next period, or a tendency to have long periods. This would bring the time of ovulation closer to the time when you would start bleeding.

Conception occurs when an egg and sperm meet in a fallopian tube. Sometime during the middle of your menstrual cycle, most likely between the 12th and 16th days, an egg reaches maturity in one of the two ovaries. The ovary releases the egg into the abdomen, where it's quickly sucked up by the tulip-shaped opening of the nearest fallopian tube.

An egg can survive in your fallopian tube for about 24 hours after it's released from the ovary. So the only way you can get pregnant is if sperm are present in your fallopian tube during this window of opportunity. If the egg isn't fertilized, it's shed along with your uterine lining during your period.

Typically, when you have your period, another egg is developing in preparation for release during the current cycle. But not every woman's cycle length is the same. Many women have a cycle that's about 28 days long, but some have cycles as short as 22 days long. If you have a shorter cycle, you could ovulate just a few days after you have your period. And considering that sperm can survive in your reproductive tract for up to three days, it's theoretically possible for the sperm to hang around until you ovulate again.

It's also possible to mistake breakthrough bleeding — spotting between your periods — for a regular period. So you may be bleeding right at the time of ovulation, when you're most fertile.

The time that it takes for an egg to develop, or mature, within the ovary can vary, and therefore, the actual day of ovulation can vary by several to many days. Some ovulation kits also base the "fertile time" on rising estrogen levels rather than the peak of luteinizing hormone, or LH, which is the actual trigger for egg release. In those situations the "fertile time" may seem to be longer.

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So there is your answer. "It's possible — but highly unlikely". Who cares what your friends say, are they medical professionals? Did they go to medical school for 5 years? If they were to say, "If you jump off of a bridge I can tell you you will not die." Would you believe them? You may not die, but you may have serious injuries - head trama, broken bones, be paralyzed from the neck down, but you are not dead, right?

Always talk to your Doctor, they are the ones with the "real" answers.

Answer 7

There's only one day of the month that you can't get pregnant and that's when your egg has dropped and a new one hasn't. besides that one very tiny chance, you can pretty much get pregnant at any time.

Answer 8

Do you have a vagina?
How about a fertile uterus?
Do you have at least one functioning ovary?
Do you regularly put an unwrapped penis into your vagina?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then you can get pregnant at any time. Either wrap it, suck it, or stick it in your as s. Otherwise, you can get pregnant.

Answer 9

You can.

Happened to a good friend of mine who thought she couldn't.
It increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy too.

Answer 10

You can get pergnant no matter what time of the month it is. If it is unprotected sex or the condom snaps.

Answer 11

the chances are very slim but is possible, you have to be careful if you are not ready to be a mommy