The New Intimacy

Can you get pregnant from period sex?

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Contributor: Gracie Gracie
Quote:
Originally posted by Airen Wolf
I think she meant she has had 4 pregnancies that happened in the first month of relaxing their contraception methods. IE: 4 seperate times they relaxed their contraception and it resulted in a pregnancy each time.
Yes, this is what I meant. It did work for us, but we were well aware of the risks and and if an unplanned pregnancy had resulted it would have been fine for us. Actually there is no risk free sex. Condoms break, and I have a neice who was concieved while her mother was taking the pill. The unexpected happens in life! Airen thanks for fielding the question for me and thanks for sharing your life experiences!
03/08/2012
Contributor: thebest thebest
unlikely but yes
03/11/2012
Contributor: Khanner Khanner
It depends on how long your cycle is, and when you usually ovulate during that cycle. Taking into account that sperm can live a maximum of 10 days in the body, and an egg is only viable for 2 days, many people can reliably avoid pregnancy by tracking their fertility signs alone.

So, if you have a reliable "ovulate on day 14" cycle, you could have unprotected sex with no withdrawal on the first 3 days of your period, and 2 days after you ovulate. See also Fertility Awareness Method.

FAM has a 1% failure rate when used perfectly. That's the same failure rate as the pill. However, failure rates in real life with FAM alone are about 25%. It's best used as a backup method in conjunction with barriers, withdrawal, and abstinence.

tl;dr, yes, you can get pregnant, but you're much less likely to the earlier you are in your cycle.
03/11/2012
Contributor: Tuesday Tuesday
Not everyone ovulates in the middle of their cycle. I think I probably ovulated irregularly.

One time, during a gyn exam, I was told that I was ovulating. I responded that that couldn't be. My period was due in a day or two. She insisted that I had the 'fertile mucous' that goes along with ovulation. My period started the next day.
03/11/2012
Contributor: hyacinthgirl hyacinthgirl
Quote:
Originally posted by bayosgirl
I've always understood that the day or two after a period ends is the LEAST fertile time. And I've had unprotected sex quite a few times right after my period and haven't gotten pregnant yet.
Not always. There are always freaks when you release an egg when you're not supposed to. Not getting pregnant yet is a confirmation bias. It hasn't happened to you yet, but that doesn't mean that it can't.
03/11/2012
Contributor: shySEXXaddict shySEXXaddict
Quote:
Originally posted by spineyogurt
The reason I ask is because I have heard that some people track ovulation and know exactly when they can or cannot get pregnant? How does this work? Im really skeptical
Of course if that's the time you ovulate. There is a grid you hoop by to find out when that is. Depends on length of cycle..etc
03/11/2012
Contributor: kitty377 kitty377
The rhythm method is unreliable and it is very possible for you to get pregnant any time of the month even while on your period.
03/11/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Possible but not probable. Beside the fact that the average 5 day fertile time in a woman's cycle (and that's taking the average life of a sperm into account) is midcycle, and the fact that menstrual blood is fairly toxic to sperm, as is the highly alkaline environment during menstruation, changes are possible, but not probable. The problem comes in when women don't realize that "active menstruation" has ceased and the light blood they are seeing is left over, and the actual "menstrual period" is over and they also have short menstrual months (meaning usually less than 28 day or very erratic ovulation) that pregnancy happens during menstruation.

One needs to know one's body well. Natural Family Planning did NOT work for us, NFP is very different than "rhythm" (which is no more than counting days) I got pregnant several times during my "safe time." However, I have never gotten pregnant during menstruation. I have long menstrual cycles, very alkaline menstural fluid and even though it works for us, it will not work for everyone. Also, when one is using Natural Family Planning, menstruation is NOT a "safe time" because one cannot determine the consistency of the mucous properly, so sex during menstruation is prohibited if one is using NFP.

(Of course, using NFP to the letter, with no barrier back up, MOST of the time is "unsafe time." I honestly think the people who thought up NFP wanted people to have little sex, and may have even planned it to fail so that pregnancies happened. This is from knowing leaders of "The Couple to Couple League" and their attitudes toward sex, plus the fact that so many people I know who used it got pregnant anyway. One CtC League leader told me, when I said we were using a barrier method during most of my "unsafe times" because my cycles were so long, we'd have to go weeks without sex if barrier methods were not used. She said that my husband and I were not patient people, that we had no "self control" and were giving in to "base instincts and lust." Uh, yeah, that's why we were having sex in the first place.
03/11/2012
Contributor: jmex83 jmex83
Quote:
Originally posted by spineyogurt
The reason I ask is because I have heard that some people track ovulation and know exactly when they can or cannot get pregnant? How does this work? Im really skeptical
I know that there are a few days that you are "more fertile" but I think women are able to always get pregnant. Just during those few days more than others.
03/12/2012
Contributor: Brandonn Brandonn
If a second egg is somehow released.
03/12/2012
Contributor: Khanner Khanner
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
Possible but not probable. Beside the fact that the average 5 day fertile time in a woman's cycle (and that's taking the average life of a sperm into account) is midcycle, and the fact that menstrual blood is fairly toxic to sperm, as is the ... more
Ah, I had no idea the people behind it were so prudish. But they are Catholic so it makes sense.

I chart but I'd have to be trapped on a desert island to use NFP alone.
03/12/2012
Contributor: MissCandyland MissCandyland
Yes
03/18/2012
Contributor: Alyxx Alyxx
It can happen. Somewhat unlikely, but possible, especially if your period is irregular.
03/18/2012
Contributor: mistressg mistressg
You can always get pregnant.
03/18/2012
Contributor: tigertiger tigertiger
Quote:
Originally posted by spineyogurt
The reason I ask is because I have heard that some people track ovulation and know exactly when they can or cannot get pregnant? How does this work? Im really skeptical
some people CAN track their ovulation WITH THEIR DOCTOR'S HELP but it's not really worth the trouble. just use a condom or something dude

but yeah sperm can survive inside a woman's body for days
03/20/2012
Contributor: SaMiKaY SaMiKaY
The last period I had I engaged in unprotected sex. I am now 9 weeks pregnant... lol
03/21/2012
Contributor: Ilovelingerie Ilovelingerie
You can get pregnant any time if you are a fertile woman.
03/21/2012
Contributor: lustylusty lustylusty
if yes, how do you figure?
03/29/2012
Contributor: Lilith Bealove Lilith Bealove
Yup. Sure can.
03/30/2012
Contributor: DiamondKoala DiamondKoala
It can happen, the idea that it cannot is a myth.
03/30/2012
Contributor: WD40watcher WD40watcher
Quote:
Originally posted by spineyogurt
The reason I ask is because I have heard that some people track ovulation and know exactly when they can or cannot get pregnant? How does this work? Im really skeptical
Yes you can get pregnant during your period. The sperm can live in the uterus for up to 5 days.
04/03/2012
Contributor: hyacinthgirl hyacinthgirl
Quote:
Originally posted by lustylusty
if yes, how do you figure?
Sometimes an extra egg can be released. Sometimes ovulation can be off. Sperm can survive five days to a week in the female reproductive tract, and a fertile woman can release an egg at any time.

Period pregnancy is less likely, but it's far from impossible.
04/03/2012
Contributor: Stinkytofu10 Stinkytofu10
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
Possible but not probable. Beside the fact that the average 5 day fertile time in a woman's cycle (and that's taking the average life of a sperm into account) is midcycle, and the fact that menstrual blood is fairly toxic to sperm, as is the ... more
This exactly
04/03/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Khanner
Ah, I had no idea the people behind it were so prudish. But they are Catholic so it makes sense.

I chart but I'd have to be trapped on a desert island to use NFP alone.
Yep. Even though the Couple to Couple League is founded and mostly taught by Catholic couples, it odd, because the Pope says "any concentration and planning to avoid intercourse during fertile days to avoid pregnancy is a form of birth control and not condoned by the Church." Or somesuch....

We have a long track record of ejaculation during menses. (How sexy it sounds.) We use withdrawal all month and then at least once during my period, we go whole hog! I certainly hope it continues to work..... we did it this morning. *sigh* You almost forget how nice it is to have him come inside when you don't do it often. It is very sweet. We couldn't let go of each other afterward. Finally I had to break us apart and say, "I'm not done. Get to work!"
04/14/2012
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
sure can!
04/19/2012
Contributor: HouseWench HouseWench
it's definitely possible, but we take steps to ensure that it's not. For example, he only cums inside me when we know for certain that the next day will be a heavy flow to wash out the sperm, so no later than two days before my period ends since I'm a heavy bleeder.
04/22/2012
Contributor: MistressDandelion MistressDandelion
You have two ovaries. If you are menstruating because one ovulated, the other one can still chose to ovulate while you're menstruating.
05/08/2012
Contributor: badk1tty badk1tty
Quote:
Originally posted by spineyogurt
The reason I ask is because I have heard that some people track ovulation and know exactly when they can or cannot get pregnant? How does this work? Im really skeptical
It's very rare, but if your cycle is messed up you can.
05/08/2012
Contributor: sweetpea12 sweetpea12
Quote:
Originally posted by spineyogurt
The reason I ask is because I have heard that some people track ovulation and know exactly when they can or cannot get pregnant? How does this work? Im really skeptical
Duh, of course you can
05/15/2012
Contributor: Allison.Wilder Allison.Wilder
You can always get pregnant. Wear a condom, bro!
05/20/2012