Can You Become Pregnant During Menstruation?
Determining what days during a woman's menstrual cycles could result in a pregnancy can be confusing, as few women have the model 28-day cycle with ovulation occurring on day 14. While the technical answer to the question "can you become pregnant during menstruation?" is "yes," that is highly unlikely for most women. A specific set of circumstances, most notably an extremely short cycle and long sperm life, must take place for a women to get pregnant during menstruation.
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Time Frame
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According to the model 28-day cycle, a woman will ovulate on day 14 of her cycle, with sperm surviving for up to five days in her body. In this scenario, sex before day 9 of the woman's cycle is unlikely to result in pregnancy, and most women stop menstruating long before day 9 of their cycle. However, a " normal" menstrual cycle can last anywhere from 25 to 35 days, with ovulation typically occurring 12 to 16 days before the start of the next menstrual period.
Potential
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While it is unlikely for most women that they could become pregnant during menstruation, it is not entirely impossible. For a woman to become pregnant during menstruation she would most likely experience very short cycles, usually 24 days or less. Also, extended menstruation can increase the likelihood that a woman could become pregnant during menstruation. Most women menstruate for only three to five days each cycle, but some women may experience bleeding for up to 10 days, making menstruation and ovulation occur close to one another. Long sperm life also may lead to pregnancy during menstruation in women with short cycles. Typically sperm live no longer than five days in a female's body, but under ideal conditions it is possible, though rare, for sperm to survive up to seven days.
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Possible Scenario
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These factors can coincide to result in a woman becoming pregnant during menstruation. A possible scenario would be a woman with a 21-day cycle who ovulates on day 7 of her cycle. Sex during her menstrual period, especially toward the final days of her period, could very well result in pregnancy. A woman experiencing a 24-day cycle with ovulation occurring on Day 10 could get pregnant from having sex during menstruation, if menstruation is still occurring beyond day 4 of her cycle.
Misconceptions
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Women with irregular cycles may misinterpret breakthrough bleeding from ovulation as their periods. While not all women experience bleeding at ovulation, other do notice spotting and might misconstrue the bleeding as a light period. Ovulation is the most fertile part of the menstrual cycle, so having intercourse during this perceived "period" could very well result in a pregnancy.
Prevention/Solution
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While it is unlikely for women with average or long cycles to become pregnant during menstruation, the only way to be certain a pregnancy will not result from intercourse during menstruation is to abstain from sex during this time frame or to use some other form of contraception.
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