Getting Pregnant on your Period – Is It Really Possible?

If you have been wondering (or worrying) over your chances of getting pregnant on your period then you’ll probably be relieved to know that it’s probably unlikely to happen.  The reason is that ovulation usually occurs around fourteen days after the start of your period (give or take a few days) and it’s only at that time where it’s possible to get pregnant.


Ovulation is when your body releases an egg ready to be fertilized by the sperm.  If there is no egg, there is no chance of conceiving a baby.  Your period, or menstruation, is when the body shed’s the uterine lining that has been built up in case you do conceive.  If you have your period it means that you are not pregnant.

Of course having said that, there  have been rare cases when a women has actually gotten pregnant while on her period – but remember these cases are very rare and the probability of it happening to you is quite low.
The only way it would be a possibility is if you either ovulate extremely early in your cycle, or that you have a period that lasts close to fourteen days instead of the usually 5 or 6.

Let’s have a look at these possibilities in further detail.

Short Menstrual Cycle
If you have irregular or very short cycles (21 days or less) then it’s possible that you may ovulate as early as day 7.  That means that if you have sex either on, or just as your period finishes then theoretically you might get pregnant.

Super Sperm
Most sperm can live for up to 3 or 4 days inside the female body after intercourse.  However some women are highly fertile and produce conditions inside their body that allows the sperm to live for a few extra days.

You can tell if you are fertile as you will produce lots of egg white cervical mucus (ewcm) during those days.  Therefore having sex right after your period, it might be possible for the sperm to live long enough to be ready to fertilize the egg when it is released.