Can you get pregnant when on your period? This is a common question. In fact, it’s a common misconception that you can’t. The reality is that women are less likely to get pregnant on their period, but they really can. Menstruation marks the point of the menstrual cycle where the egg that hasn’t been fertilized by sperm is sloughed off and discharged with blood. It is still possible to fertilize an egg during your period but it might not be the one being discharged.
Let's take a deeper look at exactly what happens during your period and how it is possible to get pregnant while on it.
Had a full period but am pregnant: How did this happen?
Birth control precautions
Because there is no guarantee that you can’t get pregnant while on your period, you may still want to use birth control. Birth control will still be your best method of preventing an unwanted pregnancy. Of course, there are other reasons to use certain birth control, such as a condom, to help protect against sexually transmitted diseases. But using birth control pills and other widely used contraceptives can help protect against an unwanted pregnancy.
Some may decide to try the rhythm method of watching the calendar. Dr. Tedjasukmana says that this is only 76% effective. For those who don’t want to take a contraceptive but want to have the best chance of preventing an unwanted pregnancy, there are more effective natural family planning methods. These include Billings, Creighton, and Marquette methods that track cervical mucus levels. The Marquette Method also tracks estrogen levels and luteinizing hormone levels. Dr. Tedjasukmana says that these methods, when done correctly, can be “99% effective in preventing pregnancy.” Using birth control correctly will always be an important step in preventing unwanted pregnancies. As we can see, just choosing to have sex during your period is not enough to prevent fertilization.
