Can I get pregnant from sex during my period?
Yes, you can get pregnant from sex during your period, though it is unlikely. Sperm survive up to five days, so sex late in a period can meet an early ovulation, especially in shorter or irregular cycles.
The calendar is a poor contraceptive: ovulation shifts with stress, illness and travel even in regular cycles.
If pregnancy would be unwelcome, use reliable contraception at every point in the cycle. If pregnancy is the goal, the fertile window opens roughly five days before ovulation and closes the day after.
See a doctor promptly if
- Bleeding between periods, after sex, or any bleeding at all after the menopause
- Soaking through protection hourly, passing very large clots, or feeling faint, breathless or dizzy with bleeding
- Sudden severe one-sided pelvic pain, especially with a late or missed period. This needs emergency assessment
- Pelvic pain with fever, foul-smelling discharge or feeling generally unwell
- No periods for three months or more when you are not pregnant, breastfeeding, or on a method that stops bleeding
- New heavy or irregular bleeding starting after the age of 45, or any change in a long-established pattern
Try the cycle tracker30 seconds, free, nothing to installCycle day, the next one and the fertile window, kept on your own device.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
For muscle aches and period pain
Heat works for cramps and sore muscles, without side effects. An electric pad beats a hot water bottle for steady, safe temperature.
Buying through this link supports the free library with a small commission. It never changes a pick.
A question about your own situation?
One question, answered personally by a doctor in writing within 24 hours.
People also ask
Health education, not medical advice.