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Medical Video: Female fertility animation
Pregnancy is basically a matter of timeliness. Researchers believe that you will be more likely to get pregnant when you have sex at certain times during your monthly cycle. Then, what happens if you have sex before menstruation starts? Can you still be pregnant?
Can you get pregnant if you have sex before menstruation starts?
Before pregnancy can occur, the ovary releases one mature egg. This is called ovulation. Once released, sperm can fertilize the egg to continue the pregnancy. Instead, the egg will die within 12 to 24 hours if it is not fertilized by sperm, and then decays. That's when you know that your monthly guests have arrived.
Ovulation generally occurs midway through your menstrual cycle. For example, if your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days (which means that the first day of your period starts on day 1 and 29), then it is most likely that ovulation occurs midway through your menstrual cycle, that is, on day 14.This is usually a common benchmark for those of you who have a normal menstrual cycle. But even so, there is a high probability of your menstrual schedule going back and forth, which makes your ovulation time shift from the 8th day to the 20th day of your cycle.
Day cycles also do not always coincide with the number of days in a month. Some months of the year have 28 days, 29, 30, or 31. So, your fertility window might come sooner or even one or two days late every month. Plus, you can ovulate just before your last menstrual date in the previous month. Ovulation is a one-day event. That means there is no sure way to be sure when you ovulate.
Thus, having sex before menstruation without a condom or other contraception can still cause pregnancy. If you have sex before menstruation just before your usual schedule, and you don't get your period, the chance for pregnancy is worth considering.
This is because no matter it's 7 days, 5 days or even one day before menstruation, you can never be sure if ovulation has been through, until you really get menstrual bleeding which indicates that fertilization of the egg has failed. In addition, sperm can live in a woman's body for up to five days after intercourse to fertilize an egg.
How do I know if I'm ovulating?
Some women can know when they ovulate. But most women don't change at all.
In general, you will experience certain symptoms when you ovulate, which can be very helpful if your menstrual cycle is irregular. Example:
- Cervical mucus that is very liquid, slippery, and bright transparent in color like egg white. If you touch it, the liquid feels sticky and can stretch.
- Pain in the lower abdomen, but usually no more than pain like sting. Some women also experience back pain.
Ovulation is a golden age, where your fertility is at its optimum level. So if you already have a general idea about when you ovulate, you can plan a sexual relationship to start trying to get pregnant.
And if pregnancy isn't part of your plan, it's always better to use it contraception like condoms every time having sex with a partner to prevent unwanted pregnancies. There is an opportunity to get pregnant regardless of when you have had unprotected sex or use other contraceptives - especially if you have sex before your menstruation starts.
