Can You Get Pregnant If You Have Irregular Cycles?

Although irregular cycles may make it more difficult to predict ovulation, it is still possible to become pregnant even if your periods typically fall outside the average 28-day menstrual cycle.

Effects

Common causes of irregular menstrual cycles are stress, travel, exercise or illness.

Significance

According to Discovery Health, you can become pregnant with irregular periods because pregnancy depends on ovulation, not menstruation.

Significance

Ovulation occurs when your ovaries release a healthy egg.

Prevention/Solution

According to Discovery Health, if you're trying to get pregnant and have irregular menstrual cycles, ovulation predictor kits, which indicate when you're ovulating, can be used. Keeping records of basal body temperature and regularly examining cervical mucus are other methods to determine ovulation.

Considerations

Women with irregular cycles may have fewer opportunities to become pregnant than women who ovulate monthly. For example, if you ovulate every six weeks, you'll have approximately nine opportunities to become pregnant each year.

Increase Cycles

Consult your doctor to help regulate your menstrual cycles. For example, you may need to lose weight if you're obese or cut back on exercise to maintain a normal level of body weight to conceive. Also, your doctor may prescribe fertility drugs, like Clomid, to regulate ovulation.

References

• CNN
• Discovery Health