Though the chances are low, you could get pregnant even if you are menstruating and have sex during your period.


For the obvious reasons that menstruation indicates the breaking of fertile eggs and shedding the uterine lining, it is difficult to conceive during that time.

But there are chances when an egg is still viable and could get fertilized by sexual contact even when you’re on your monthly cycle.

Here are five situations when this can happen and we list those situations below.

1. When duration of the monthly cycle is short

The standard monthly cycle is 28-30 days. If a woman has a shorter menstrual cycle, like 21 to 24 days, there are chances that she could ovulate a little early. This is a scenario where a woman could conceive not only during but immediately after her periods. A sperm can live in a woman’s body for 3 to 5 days and a shorter menstrual cycle means you have the chances to ovulate faster. And if sperm is still active and egg could fertilize, you can get pregnant.

2. When life of the sperm is long

A fertile sperm can live in the body for 3 to 5 days. Also, if sperm reaches fallopian tube, the chances of survival become higher and it can live even for 7 days. No matter when you’ve had sex, if sperm is viable and egg is fertile, you can get pregnant.

3. When you experience irregular menstrual cycle

Irregular periods can cause various health issues including difficulty in pinning down the exact ovulation dates. As it could cause various health conditions like PCOS and obesity, it could mess up with your hormones. So, because your ovulation can happen before you expect it, you may also get pregnant from period sex.

4. When you ovulate early

There are certain lifestyle factors like stress and illness which could make you ovulate much before than you usually do. So, this could lead to pregnancy after period sex.

5. When it’s ovulation, not period bleeding

Ovulation could also cause slight bleeding and can be mistaken for period bleeding. This can make you get cozy in bed and letting go off the rubber but this is the period when you’re most fertile and having sex could cause pregnancy.