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Health

15th Feb 2019

So lads, can you actually get pregnant while you’re on your period?

Jade Hayden

“I’m on my period, it’s grand, like.”

But honestly, is it?

Periods are good for a few things. One of those things is letting you know that you’re not pregnant. And another one of those things is period sex.

But can you actually get pregnant while you’re on your period?

Aren’t you least fertile at this time? Isn’t the lining of the womb all but lost in the abundance of blood that’s about to expel itself from your body?

Could you actually bring forth a new life during this crucial part of the month?

Yes, actually, yes you can.

Although it’s extremely unlikely to happen, it is indeed possible to become pregnant while you’re on your period.

You’ll be most fertile in the days leading up to ovulation – and the day the egg is released. This is generally between days 12 and 14 of your cycle.

However, not everybody who gets a period experiences a 28 day cycle. Some women have considerably shorter cycles, meaning that they could be about to ovulate as soon as their period ends.

In this case, the time just after menstruation could be a woman’s most fertile time of the month.

Sperm can live in the body for up to five or six days, so having unprotected sex during your period could give them the chance to hang around until this super fertile point.

And then, yeah, you could technically become pregnant from having period sex.

There is a very, very low chance of it happening, but it’s still very, very possible.

So essentially, if you don’t want to become pregnant, use some form of contraception every time you have penetrative sex.

You won’t entirely eradicate the risk, but you’ll seriously reduce it.

Simple.

For the month of February, Her will be #OnTheRag. 

We’ll be chatting all things periods, products, and pain as we delve deep inside the uterus to figure out why we bleed and – more importantly – how we cope.

We’ll also be talking to the experts about some of the period related conditions you have heard of – and all of the ones that you haven’t. 

You can follow the rest of the #OnTheRag series here or follow our Instagram account for more period related content. 

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