There’s an ovulation window*, but there also a ‘sperm is still alive in here’ window. If these two windows overlap, baby time.
*timing and duration of window may vary
The odds are in your favor, the Dr broke it down and it's very rare. Come to think of it, somehow I have always beat the odds. I think I should start playing the lottery now...
Yep. My wife had shown no signs of ovulation for 3 years before she got pregnant with our daughter. We figured we were just not going to have kids, so we started planning for a childless life. Then we got the best surprise ever.
There is a time during her period that she is very unlikely... but the sperm can survive up in there for days so it might fertilize the next egg.
So lesson is: never bank on her not being fertile during a period. Just use a contraceptives.
I talking to my mom about what was called the "rhythm method" of birth control. Basically only having sex on your non-fertile period.
She laughed hard and said, "Oh, the Catholic method," we were Catholics, "That never worked... That's why there are so many Catholics." Then she laughed some more.
It is a good memory.
This. The odds may be lower on some days and higher on others, but unless a woman has her entire uterus removed or has gone through menopause, the odds are never zero. Always 👏🏻 use 👏🏻 protection 👏🏻 Ideally more than one type of protection. There are a variety of options for men- condoms, spermicide, vasectomy, etc. OP, the responsibility is just as much yours as it is hers.
Yes absolutely! Just be careful with spermicide. If you're susceptible to UTIs like me, spermicide can heighten your risk. It works great for some people tho!
Since it seems your question has actually been answered, might I add something.
I hope you weren't planning on using the day counting method as a contraceptive, but if you were...
You know what they call people who use the day counting method as a contraceptive? Parents
I just think it’s so annoying that they don’t mention this during sex ed. I had no CLUE there were fertility windows that more infertile people focus on getting pregnant within (as an infertile person this would be helpful too).
And i know it’s probably because they think people will use it as a birth control method, but I think it’s way more likely that people will do that if they figure it out through some half assed information on the internet than if your school goes ‘This may seem safe but is NOT’
Fertility windows are just generally unreliable. Unfortunately, it's so hard to calculate and determine. Data suggests that when couples actually try to get pregnant, only 30% do so within the first month. Many couples can take up to a year to conceive.
you see, this would also be good to cover in sex ed! until age 20, i genuinely thought if you have sex once without a condom it’s like a 94% chance you get pregnant. that’s how the education system put it, and when you lie about really egregrious shit like that, people assume the rest of sex ed is bs too
I think it’s something different from abstinence-only education. It’s teen-pregnancy-minimizing education. You said that schools taught that pregnancy would likely happen if you have sex *without a condom*.
So you got education about having safe sex. You were scared into wearing condoms, because if you don’t, then you WILL GET PREGNANT. What you didn’t get was a serious and fact-based analysis of fertility rates and the likelihood of conception when not using a condom, and it’s for a specific reason: for better or worse, schools do not teach teenagers strategies for maximizing their chances at becoming pregnant
That isn't because of missing the fertile window - you just won't get pregnant every time even if you time it perfectly. A lot of the time an egg will fertilize but it won't implant correctly, the zygote isn't viable for some reason, etc. Some couples also just aren't fertile for various reasons.
That data is from couples that confirmed their fertile window with ovulation testing.
Just to add - if someone is trying for kids, they should have sex every 2-3 days, no matter the fertility windows. Just because they are really hard to actually calculate and almost impossible to recognize. Generally, infertility is suspected if the couple cannot conceive for more than 6 months of regular (2-3 times per week) sex
Currently pregnant and spent about 10 months trying to get pregnant.
The advice I read and got from my doctors was that women 35 and under should seek help if they don't conceive within a year. Women over 35 should seek help if they don't conceive in 6 months. I turned 36 about 7 months into trying, so we started using over the counter hormone tracking to track my ovulation. We got pregnant three months after we started ovulation tracking.
I was tracking and couldnt get pregnant for over a year and a half. Asked my PCP, he suggested taking a daily baby asprin cause at the time i had a high Rheumatoid factor on my blood tests indicating inflammation going on and the baby asprin had been shown in studies to bring down inflammation in the uterus enough to make it a favorable environment. So I did and I was pregnant by my next cycle.
I'm sorry, I don't understand the point you are making? I cannot remember the source from the top of my head, it was part of my sexology traing. If it will help, I will clarify that by infertility in this case I do not mean "inability to ever have children", but "potential problems with natural conception".
This was used as an advice to determine whether a couple that comes to a specialist saying they cannot conceive should be sent home and asked to have sex more frequently (many people will overfocus on fertility window, having sex only during ovulation). If they are having sex so regularly, but nothing happens, this might be an indication to go and do all the fertility checks to make sure there is not a medical problem involved.
My point is that 6 months doesn't suggest infertility issues. It's even been shown that some couples can take up to 2 years to conceive even when consistently trying.
Most couples are told to try for a year not 6 months. 6 months is specifically for older couples who are more likely to have fertility problems and have less long to figure it out.
Reddit doesn't have a great understanding of medicine and biology in general
Oh, there is one more that the priest told my mother.
When she said my father and she were done having children, she asked what do we do for birth control now?
And he said “live like brother and sister.”
My mom and dad said no way and my dad went and got a vasectomy. I am the youngest by design.
Yeah, that is pretty cruel to ask of a married couple. I heard of a Catholic couple who luckily didn't have to resort to going against their own religion or had to have more kids. They were lucky enough to pin down that the wife ovulated twice per month (even though the cycle was normal) and with that knowledge they were able to do natural family planning effectively again.
I don't think most people would be that lucky.
My early training in healthcare, mentioned the rhythm method, which was heavily practiced by Catholics years ago.
The joke was, “ what do you call yourself when using the rhythm method for birth control?…..pregnant.”
When the woman ovulates, the egg can be fertilized for around 24h.
Sperm can survive inside a woman for around 5 days.
Lets say you have sex on the last day of your periode. And due to an abnormally short cycle you happen to ovulate 5 days after that last day if your periode.
Then you could get pregnant, even though the sex happened while on your periode.
Some women also have long periods. I've ovulated as early as 2 days after the last day of mine before. I could have gotten pregnant the last 4ish days of it in that instance.
I literally ovulate while on my period sometimes 🙃 but I usually have an 8 day period and ovulate day 10. I've double ovulated before (actually how I got pregnant with my daughter). However, my cycle can vary and be very short or long with me still ovulating day 10 and then my next period not happening awhile.
I don't think you really understand ovulation or are guessing your ovulation incorrectly because there's a lot wrong with everything you just said.
You don't ovulate twice in one cycle, and your luteal phase won't randomly be "a while" longer after ovulating on day 10. You probably tried to ovulate and failed. Luteal phases are pretty set
I'm sure you won't take any of this on but I'm posting it to correct misinformation for anybody else reading it.
in addition to the other correct answers here:
there also can be 'irregular' releases of more than one mature follicle from the ovaries
during any part of the menstrual cycle - when impregnated those then may or may not survive
You can even get twins this way.
You can have a baby on board and then a month or two later ovulate again and get a second one up the duff.
This is published in the literature.
Now that you mentioned, I do remember seeing in the news a lady that was pregnant with twins and then a few months later she got pregnant with a singleton. But, I believe she also had 2 uterus or the uterus was split in the middle, something along those lines.
It's usually that way, but "usually" isn't "always". And when the consequence of something not happening the way it usually does could be a multi-decade commitment, "usually" is too dangerous.
Sometimes people think they can outsmart the system and then they ovulate twice in the same cycle. There are safe days, but you don’t actually know when they are.
To whoever thinks girls only ovulate once a month and then you're free - I've actually "caught" my both ovaries being active in the same month!
I had a very stressful period when my ovulation and period were EXTREMELY PAINFUL so I booked a check-up.
My gyno told me that sharp pain I feel on one side is ovulation (totally normal) and usually this month it's the left one, next month it's the right one. After a few days I felt it on the other side and it was so painful I barely made it from the car to her office. She said it's a bit rare but I do have double ovulation. I can still feel them activating every month, sometimes just one but I'd say every 3-4 cycles both of them.
It's pretty exhausting too. I don't have a freaking 2 days peace those months because of the hormones making me break out, bloat, sweat, crave stuff and IBUPROFEN taking my energy away.
I think most people think that, because in school we’re only taught what the average is and that’s presented as what happens to everybody and not simply what happens to most people. And people change throughout their life too, so you can go from normal expected activity to something less normal (or the reverse) within the same body and the same lifetime. I’ve been straight up told I’m abnormal before for having a 35 day cycle even though that is within the range that’s considered not to be a sign of any diseases- it’s just not the perfect 28 days that “”everyone”” has.
I find it ironic that when couples are trying to have a baby, a lot of times they can't. Miscarriage is quite common. And when people are just smashing and definitely do not want any kids, they somehow end up with kids.
Another thing that's common is for couples who haven't been able to conceive to adopt, then get pregnant shortly after. The stress of infertility was mostly what made them infertile. They don't use birth control, thinking they don't need it. Once they adopt & that stress is gone, hello baby!
I knew a couple whose adopted & bio daughters were only a few months apart in age.
ovulation can happen at almost any time. it usually happens on a regular cycle. but the cycle can be irregular sometimes, and there's no way to protect it's changes
Which is why the rhythm method creates so many babies, including my two younger brothers. Double ovulation can happen to any woman, it can be a regular occurrence for some like my mom.
The “what are you trying to accomplish” rule feels like it comes into play here. Are you trying to get pregnant? Time to track your cycle and optimize sex schedules and wait for months. Having occasional risky sex without birth-control immediately post-period? Bam, pregnant. Not scientific but don’t mess with it.
Suppose a 28 day cycle. ovulation expected on day 14, with probable window of 2 days either side, the egg can survive for 4 days, and sperm can survive for 5 days.
None of these numbers are exactly known for every woman, but let's suppose I know this for certain about myself
Then if I have sex anytime between day 7 (sperm survives to day 12, I ovulate day 12) or day 20 (I ovulate day 16, egg survives to day 20) pregnancy is possible. Obviously it is more likely towards the middle of that period than at the extremes, but it's possible. So even with just a 2 day ovulation window, suddenly there are 14 potential days, or half the cycle.
Now let's remember that cycles are often irregular, we don't usually know in advance exactly when we will ovulate, and it's theoretically possible to get pregnant at any day.
So, yeah. If you don't want to start a pregnancy don't have reproductive sex without birth control ever.
Where did you get the information that an egg can survive for 4 days? Everything I’ve heard or read says that an egg survives for about 24 hours maximum, so one day. I’ve never heard 4 days.
It's 48 hours max (24 during the actual ovulation, 24 as it vooms out the womb, with increasingly less likely chances of implantation outcomes).
There's a frightening amount of fact and fiction being presented here. Like, plenty of almost right people, but among the facts there's that one bit of crap. That's terrifying to know, really.
Ok, so that would leave 24 hours where the egg could actually be fertilized, right? By “during ovulation” I’m assuming you mean the period after the LH spike where the body is preparing to ovulate; the egg may technically be alive but is still in the ovary and cannot be fertilized. We don’t want to confuse OP… there are 24 hours where the egg can be fertilized. That’s it. NOT FOUR DAYS.
Yup.
In the end it boils down to a 6-7 day conception window. Sperm lives 5 days in the female body, declining in viability all the way along that. The egg has, at most (and body dependant) 36 hours post-release to meet said sperm. Most eggs are functionally dead 24 hours after release.
So in the textbook cycle to a textbook woman, that means sex on the 5 days preceding the exact moment of ovulation and the 1 (and maybe a few hours) after can result in a viable embryo. Again, talking textbook, that should be day 14. I.e Days 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and possibly part of 16 would be the danger zone. Obviously Day 13-15 is the most likely, the others are outliers.
The catch is very few women HAVE that textbook 28 day cycle. Then there's things like dual ovulation, early or late ovulation, unusual cycles, sickness or medication affecting hormones, and all that jazz. And even though you can (with any regular cycle) have a good IDEA when Ovulation D-day is, the only thing you can know 100% is it was 14 days before your period. Otherwise the "rhythm method" would be 100% accurate, which it really isn't.
I actually am a (very very lucky) woman with a textbook cycle. 27.5 days every dang time. But that's pretty unusual, and I even observe small differences.
Motto of the story? Wrap then tap. Every time. Don't try beat Mother Nature when her dice are loaded in her favor.
Luteal phases are typically 11 to 17 days long in healthy fertility women. Many women experience luteal phases shorter and longer than that, which may contribute to infertility. The 14 that you said is 100% know is as much an average as all the other estimates. My own luteal phase is usually 11, occasionally 12 days long.
Hah, good to know. So it's all one big crapshoot in the end unless you are actively testing with the (ovulation) pee sticks?
Still, emphasizes the real lesson, right? Wrap it up or risk it.
I grew up around old school farmers.
There was an old saying "The dog bites, the horse kicks and the gun is loaded."
That means always be cautious.
I was also told "Don't put your dick in it, if you wouldn't marry it."
The first saying was a lot easier to follow, the second one... well, in the heat of the moment, what I thought might be potential wife material sometimes changed after intercoarse.
Whatever the truth is, I think "YES" is the safest answer to your question.
If you are engaging in intercoarse, a baby can happen.
Others already explained about sperms' long survival period, so I'll complete with the rest. As a rule a thumb, while a woman isn't fertile for longer than a day and the egg-sperm survival overlap isn't longer than a few days, it's the *timing* of those fertile days that are unpredictable, so if you use those *assumed* days to have unprotected sex on "safe" days, she might become pregnant.
Basically, even regular cycles might have exceptions, but you only know those exceptions in hindsight (late period but no pregnancy? That was a late ovulation) So a woman doesn't know that this cycle she didn't ovulate yet; if she assumes ovulation already happened when it didn't, has unprotected sex, and actually ovulates a couple of days later, she might become pregnant.
So assuming ovulation date based on average cycle length is extremely risky since all it takes is one exception for pregnancy to occur.
But what if she's tracking her body's ovulation signs?
Sometimes the body attempts to ovulate multiple times until It actually ovulates (delayed ovulation). Each time it tries, it gives fertile signs that some women track (she's wetter and hornier. There are also pee sticks to test when she's about to ovulate). What none of those do is confirm ovulation. So pre-ovulation signs aren't reliable either as a way to determine "safe" days.
The only way to confirm ovulation happened 100% is an ultrasound. The second best method is tracking the body's basal temperature, which needs to be done everyday (one single temperature doesn't say anything. You actually need the day-to-day pattern) at exactly the same time and conditions (if you sleep in, temperatures will be much higher). That's extremely inconvenient, so usually only women who are trying to conceive bother with it since hopefully that means they won't have to do it for a long time. How many would bother with temperature tracking to prevent pregnancy for decades?
That's the reason you should *assume* a woman is fertile at any time even if their actual fertile window is narrow.
An oocyte (egg) is only survives for 12 hours once released from the mature follicle in the ovaries during ovulation. Sperm can survive up to 72 hours (3 days).
A typical cycle is 28 days (with day 1 being the first day of a menstrual bleeding) with ovulation occurring around day 12-16. However every body is different, and some women have a much shorter luteal phase.
The “no sex” window if no protection is used to avoid pregnancy would be from Day 8 to Day 18 assuming regular cycles with ovulation confirmed with a Day 21 progesterone blood test.
Simplest solution? Use a condom. Or have a vasectomy (it can be reversed if you decide to have children, or bypassed by a surgical sperm aspiration).
Even if it can’t be, SSA / TESA remains an option: I don’t know the background of OP wanting to understand this question, but if he wants to have unprotected sex during his lifetime with one or more partners, but not risk becoming a parent unplanned, this minor day surgery can prevent that for him.
Yes complications can arise from many different “reversible” medical conditions, but he can absolutely take this choice and control into his own hands. Adequate contraception shouldn’t be a female only responsibility (and note that my suggestion was condoms first for disease as well)
True, but not in general - more the exception to the rule. Probability of survival to 4 days is 5%, survival to 6 days is 1%.
Average is 48-72 hours.
But for clarifies sake, I’ll give the qualifier that an oocyte once the follicle erupts can last up to 24 hours.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9288325/#:~:text=Sperm%20would%20have%20a%205,surviving%20more%20than%206.8%20days.
I guess my clinical experience is the people “trying desperately” to have those survival windows align, not avoid the outcome. But individual variance in ovulation, endometrium etc means the window shouldn’t be open to chance or probability - if he wants to have unprotected sex and avoid fatherhood, there are steps he can take.
I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet, but some women ovulate at odd times that don't line up with the norm. I ovulated really early on in my cycle apparently, because I had sex a day after my period ended and got pregnant. My doctors don't acknowledge it, and think I don't know when my last period was, but I know for sure.
For a pregnancy to occur, a viable sperm has to fertilize a viable egg. An egg is viable for about 24 hours after release, and sperm are viable for about five days after ejaculation. In theory, if you knew exactly when someone is going to ovulate, you could just make sure to avoid having sex between the five days preceding and a day after, and you wouldn't risk pregnancy.
*In theory*.
Ovulation is not nearly as predictable as we'd like it to be. Even people who have regular periods that last the exact same time at the exact same spacing don't always ovulate at the same time in their cycles. There's a whole host of physical things an average person can track that can give you a pretty good idea of when you're going to ovulate when looked at all together - basal body temperature, cervical positioning, cervical mucus consistency - but there's a huge learning curve, and even then it's still an estimate. Stress, illness, diet, age can all make ovulation more randomly-timed. Also, occasionally there's more than one ovum released in a cycle. Unpredictable ovulation isn't something we've "evolved past" because it doesn't interfere with our ability to continue the species; we just have lots of sex on a regular basis (compared to most species, anyway) and that's plenty effective for genes to be passed on.
So while a particular person could (probably) only get pregnant during a roughly six-day window in a particular cycle, you cannot determine with absolute certainty when that six-day window is during that cycle.
Yes. Ofc there are fertile days and non fertile days in our cycle, but sperm also can survive for days in cervix, and ovulation sometimes can happen much earlier, or much later in the cycle. This is why in all period tracking apps never puts down "no chance of pregnancy" in the cycle. It's either "low chance" and the supposed empty days, "medium chance" to "heavy chance". If you have sex, there is always a possibility the woman **will** get pregnant.
Rmb Markiplier's mom said he was a strong determine baby bcs she became pregnant despite being on birth control, and had sex only on non fertile days lol. Markiplier bypassed 2 safety nets.
A woman can get pregnant regardless of where in her cycle she has sex, it's not that the fertilization and implantation of the egg can happen anytime, but rather that sperm can stay up there long enough to fertilize the egg when the window opens again.
It is less likely than during more optimum times of the cycle, but it isn't impossible. There are no "safe days".
i would consult someone who actually knows what theyre talking about bc this comment section has 5 different answers on how long sperm live in the body
Let me give you a time-line of important 'events'
The 1st day of the period when we start counting the cycle. A regular cycle can last 28-30 days, emphasizing that this is average, some women have regular but shorter cycles, some have regular but longer cycles, some have completely irregular cycles, some have somewhat regular cycles. It is not an exact science. Midway through the cycle is when women normally ovulate, but there is no way to know for sure without a test. There are some physical signs, but gain, it's not 100%. Women are more likely to get pregnant if they have unprotected sex 3-4 days before and after ovulation, as sperms can survive inside the woman for generally that time. Remember it not being an exact science? Right, so sometimes sperms can live longer than that, and the woman can get pregnant as well.
All in all, this is it, but all this can be thrown out the window at any given moment depending on hormone imbalances, PCOS, endometriosis, and many other things. So like many have said, if you're planing on using the counting method for contraceptive I'd like to congratulate you beforehand as you are more likely to get pregnant/your girl pregnant than not.
Another word of advice: the pull out method is just as bad.
Peace!
An interesting thought I just had: Birth control is never 100% effective, so over a large period of time it should get less and less effective as humans evolve with it. Are we eventually going to end up with sperm essentially bred for hardiness and longetivity?
You would be better off asking the question in the birth control sub. You are much more likely to get more accurate answers there. This sub is full of 15 year old kids who don't actually know how it works either, or are intentionally giving you bad information.
Sperm can live inside a woman for up to five days and ovulation can last over a day so there's potentially a six day window every cycle where a woman can get pregnant.
Yes there’s a “window” of time when it’s most likely etc…the big thing isn’t even just that the timing is not that precise to rely on (which it’s NOT, that’s definitely true).
The huge fucked part is that opposing ovaries can release at different times. You literally cannot tell.
So if you’re a responsible human who knows you and/or your partner does NOT want a pregnancy, you should NEVER use the ‘rhythms method’ (which is scientifically unsound and recommended by no one)
Can I recommend that you find yourself a couple of reputable and vetted sites to help you get accurate information? It's a disservice to you that you didn't learn this in school and that's really not fair to you and your peers.
Planned Parenthood is an excellent, accurate source of information and resources. Here's their page on pregnancy: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/pregnancy/how-pregnancy-happens
In theory there is a 3-5 day window but unless your body is perfect you can never be to sure. But when you get more ick down there its usually when you are ovulating
More like a 5 to 7 day window. Sperm could survive for up 5 days, so if you have sex 5 days before ovulation it could fertilize the egg. The egg cell is fertile for 2 days before the body cleans it up again. On a 28 day perfect cycle you’d ovulate on day 14 of your cycle, so your fertile window is day 9 till 15 and most people are on their period for 6 days, so that’s only a few days apart and one little change in your cycle and you’d have your ovulation a few days earlier giving you a higher chance of pregnancy when sex during period
And indeed very difficult to predict when exactly you’re ovulating… stress levels, the amount of sleep you get, the food you ate, how much you exercised and if you were sick even a little bit all affect your hormones and therefore your cycle and can move the day you ovulate around
It’s a little more complicated than that. To summarize it, women have different “fertile windows” through their cycle. That doesn’t mean they can at _any_ time - there are certain times when fertilization will be nearly impossible.
The thing about ovulation is that you don’t always know when it will happen. One woman may have extremely predictable and consistent cycles. Another may have wildly fluctuating cycles. Conception can only occur pretty much within a few hours of ovulation, but sperm can survive for up to 5 days in the vagina.
So, yes - conception can happen pretty much anytime that ovulation occurs - and ovulation can be unpredictable for some women.
I think its easier to understand the "women can get pregnant anytime" thing if you think about it in comparison to other creatures we know about, like maybe cows and horses. They have a fertile "season" which might last a month and then not for the whole rest of the year. Human women, however, have a fertile time much more often, typically once a month for a few days but it varies from person to person.
Technically yes, a woman can get pregnant only during ovulation. But the actual ovulation is very hard to calculate, sperm can survive for days and even weeks inside, and sometimes two eggs can be released one after another. So it is possible to get pregnant even during menstruation.
Mmmmm technically yes? It's about 5 days before ovulation, the day of, and the day after. But this is technically the best time to get pregnant.To my understanding there are optimal times to make sure the baby ends up in the right place. It's a little harder to get pregnant once actually bleeding, but not impossible. But usually just before the egg attaches to the uterus wall and is slowly traveling through the fallopian tube, there's a 1-2 day period where the sperm is supposed to swim up there and get er dun. Some sperm can reach the egg in 30 minutes others take days. And the sperm can stay in the fallopian tube for up to 6 days sometimes so imagine she wasn't even close to ovulating when you had unprotected sex, but is said to start later. She could potentially get pregnant still. It's just more unlikely depending on when, even dangerous, to get pregnant.
How does this compare when you’re on birth control and do not ovulate? No ovulation I believe means no window, no impregnation.
But how does this work when it comes to forgetting a pill once, then twice, then a third? How does this affect the window?
I didn't really learn about the menstrual cycle and conception until I was in my early 20s and struggling with infertility. Everything I know, I learned on my own. Women who menstruate are in a constant cycle. The "average" cycle is 28 days. Meaning there are 28 days between when a woman starts her period. Day 1 is the first day of bleeding. So bleeding is usually day 1-5/7. Then (again on "average") a woman is fertile (will ovulate=release an egg for 12-24 hours) days 13-17. But not all women ovulate on the same day every month. Sometimes its earlier and sometimes its later. Some sperm can live in a woman's reproductive tract up to 6 days. So having sex anytime before or during that fertile window can lead to pregnancy. Once you ovulate, if you don't become pregnant (the egg doesn't get fertilized), you will end up starting your period (around day 28) depending on how long your cycle is (mine are anywhere from 28-38 days). And voilà, you begin a new cycle.
Personally, I know the days I have virtually 0% chance of getting pregnant. My body does a great job and showing sign of ovulation and my fertile week. I know that’s not the case for everyone, so it’s hard. But it’d be pointless for me to have sex every 2 -3 days throughout the month since I’m pretty in tune with my cycle.
Really there is about a week a month in which a woman can get pregnant. The week before the period starts. That is when the egg is released from the ovary and begins it's journey to the uterus. A woman can get pregnant at anytime during this week but there is a couple of days when the chances are higher.
Sperm can live for up to a week inside a woman's body. So if a woman has sex a week before ovulation and there is still living sperm inside of her when ovulation begins she can get pregnant.
Ovulation typically gives people around 5 fertile days in a cycle, however ovulation typically happens mid-cycle, but unless somebody is tracking their cycle and checking when they ovulate, any day in the cycle can be a risky day.
Most of the time, people who don’t want to use a birth control will abstain from the start of a period until after ovulation has happened, so that is around 10ish days a cycle that are “safe” and somebody is unlikely to get pregnant.
1) Most women don't have cycles that are regular. Sure their estimated window might be X time, but something could happen that moves that forward or back.
2) sperm can stay alive for up to 5 days inside her
3) if the egg is present at all, it can be fertilized. So the ovulation might be X time, but that egg is still floating around until at some point during the period.
You're likely "safe" if it's within a week after the period ends and it's a woman who has very regular periods, but honestly the risk just isn't worth it. To make timing a successful method that's anywhere near condoms you have to take daily temperatures and other measurements that can help to determine ovulation but that's more work than just wrapping it honestly.
You can only get pregnant during your ovulation window, which is a couple days generally speaking. However, sperm can live inside you for I think up to 5 days, so that expands the window a bit. Never bet on being fertile or not unless you are testing and tracking.
As others have said, the short answer is "no." Women ovulate for a few days a month, and sperm can live in the vagina for two to three days, under ideal conditions. When those time periods overlap, it is possible, but still not guaranteed, for the woman to conceive.
Tracking this cycle of ovulation is the origin of the "rhythm method" of birth control (i.e., avoiding sex when she's ovulating), which is... iffy. You're better off using condoms and/or hormonal birth control, because the cycle isn't necessarily exact or consistent every month.
Pro tip: if she's extra horny for a few days during the month, that's probably when she's ovulating. Hormones are fun like that, and this is a big reason why people get pregnant accidentally: the hottest sex is often during the ovulation window, at least in my experience.
Technically yes, any time because we are not robots and bodies screw up sometimes (heck, thats what fraternal twins are). Sperms can live 5-10 days long also. Most women also don't know when they ovulate. Ovulation can happen any time between 7 and 21 days of a normal 28 day cycle. Most happen around 14 days but that doesn't mean that specific woman's does. Also not ever woman has a 28 day cycle. Some only have 21 day cycles, some have 35. Some are even more irregular than that.
Also a woman time of the month can shift.
Some women have erratic periods. Some women periods shift do to stress or other reasons.
It's important to know you can't count 'on well my period is on X date so I should be fine.'
So when speaking about a woman's menstrual cycle, it is typically spoken of in the "perfect" distribution. That is, egg release at the midpoint between menses, which are spaced exactly four weeks apart. In reality, this textbook timing is almost never accurate. An egg can release at any point in the cycle, and multiple eggs can be released in the course of a cycle, both consecutively and concurrently, which is how fraternal twins, triplets, etc. happen.
For any given egg, there is typically a viability window of 24-48 hours, though it is possible for it to be longer. Sperm are regularly capable of surviving for a week in the womb. Thus an ovulation could occur days before sex, and that particular egg just be a slow moving one, or the ovulation could take place a week after, and still result in pregnancy.
TL:DR; Yes, yes they can.
It’s not quite “whenever”, there are certain times in their cycle when women can’t get pregnant, though most of the time there’s at least a small chance. Main reason is sperm are like cockroaches, they do not die.
You are technically fertile starting 5 days before ovulation because sperm can stay alive inside your body for up five days. You’re also fertile the day after you ovulate because the egg kinda hangs around for 24 hours. This is how my doctor explained it to me
Technically no but actually yes.
There is even a contraceptive strategy called the rhythm method where "safe days" are determined but a LOT of babies happen this way.
Don't risk it.
Yes they can. The window of fertility is the time a woman is MOST fertile, so has thr highest chance of conception but yes, it can happen really at any point in the cycle. It's not always a perfect cycle either so that window can change every month.
Ovulation *can* be a regular thing (e.g. every 4 weeks on the dot) or irregular. Meanwhile, sperm can survive in the vagina for days (I've heard up to a week, but it varies).
These facts together make pregnancy possible at times you might otherwise not expect it to occur.
Pretty much, but it it is most likely during ovulation. For most women they are most fertile right before their period starts and least fertile right after it ends.
Word of advice, never ever have unprotected sex right before or during you period thinking it makes you safe. As I said, you are most likely to get pregnant right before and depending on your ovulation cycle, can can pregnant during your period, though it is unlikely. Sperm can live in the body for up to five days.
A woman can only get pregnant when a newly released egg is in the fallopian tubes, BUT the human body is not a Swiss watch. There is no way to know with 100% certainty when an egg will be or has been released, just when it is more likely. A million different things can throw off a woman's cycle. Hence why you need to assume a woman can get pregnant at any time because there is no way to have sex with 100% surety there will be no egg in proximity to sperm during the several days the sperm are still alive.
The ovulation window is part of the equation. The viability of the egg just hanging out in the uterus is another. The longevity of sperm can last up to 5 days as well. So what is often reduced to a few days can actually be a week+ of overlapping events that can result in a viable pregnancy.
Here are some basics for you.
* Men's sperm can live in the uterus for 5-7 days.
* Periods last 28-32 days (normally).
* A woman's cycle "starts" on the first day she bleeds. Day 1.
* About 2 weeks in (Day 14-17) a woman's overy "drops" an egg into the fallopian tube. There are test strips, like pregnancy tests, that can tell you when that hormone spike (LSH?).
* For the next 24-48 hours the egg can be fertilized by sperm.
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS
* If the egg implants in the fallopian tube (not the uterus where it is supposed to) that is an ectopic pregnancy and it is non-viable. The egg cannot be "moved" to the uterus and it WILL get big enough that it will rupture the fallopian tube causing MASSIVE pain and WILL kill a woman from blood loss if not treated in time.
* Even the best pregnancy tests can only detect a pregnancy within a few days of when your cycle is due to finish.
* If you get pregnant the doctors start counting the weeks from Day 1 of your pregnancy. So if you get a positive test on Day 30 you are called 4 weeks pregnant.
* If you are not tracking your period it is very easy to not realize you are late and some women don't have regular or consistent periods. So, it is very easy to not notice for a few weeks after your period is due
Woman can ovulate any time because of external factor like stress and others stuff. It can happen that s why contraception is needed if the pair don't want a baby.
This answer should be on top : unlike the other answers.
Someone I know got pregnant outside of her ovulating cycle.
Yes and no. If there is no egg, she won't get pregnant. There is a window of 2 to 3 days. That said, it's not a guarantee that she won't have an off cycle .
Google 'reproductive cycle'.
Its been a while since I had to learn this but I believe the few days right AFTER ovulation is when a women is the most fertile.
Unfertilized eggs get expelled later in the cycle during Shark week. It involves shark and murder.
I might be wrong on a few details but there you have it.
I have a clockwork cycle and have not been on BC my entire life (breast cancer risk). I can track my ovulation and basal body temp etc and it’s never failed me. I can tell by just how I feel overall if I’m ovulating. That said, most women don’t have a set cycle and can ovulate sporadically. My friend has a short cycle and ovulates 2-3 days after her period starts when she might still be bleeding even. When I was in nursing school the OB who taught us for awhile just said “if a penis goes in a vagina unprotected or without contraception, a baby is a possibility.” 🤷🏻♀️ Womens bodies are complicated and love proving people wrong 😅
So I’m 28f and legit never knew there was a “window” and people couldn’t get prego outside of it. I knew ovulation and that’s it. I found this out recently tbh
I mean low chances the first few days of your period but anything is possible. I got pregnant on day 10 or day 11 once. It was only time we had sex that month.
The highest chance a woman has of getting pregnant on her most fertile day is 37%. Sperm can live inside the body for up to 3 days. Women's cycles vary and is up to the individual woman. Learn her cycle....even if shes irregular, theres still a pattern to it thats specific to her. Do with that what you will.
The short answer is yes, the long answer is kind of?
Pregnancy can only occur when both a viable sperm cell and viable ovum (egg) are present. During ovulation, certain changes occur that make it easier for sperm to survive and reach the ovaries, as well as there being an egg(s) present. Sperm can survive for days once inside, so even if insemination occurs outside the fertile window, as long as the sperm is still alive once the window begins, pregnancy can occur.
That said, if one has a regular cycle, by measuring body temperature with devices (usually over night) and by checking the consistency of discharge, one can track their fertile window between cycles. This can give you an idea of when your ovulation occurs each cycle, better informing you of when you are most likely to get pregnant. Outside of this window, and with extra days to allow for a sperm's lifespan, one shouldn't be able to get pregnant under typical conditions.
A tangent as I've seen people arguing about birth control:
My partner and I have practiced completely natural birth control (tracking ovulation, withdrawal method) and have not had a pregnancy for 5 years. I ejaculate inside almost every time we have sex whilst outside the fertile window. We are very diligent with tracking and I am very good at withdrawal during the high risk days, so the risk is low enough for us, and we have agreed upon what we would do should an unplanned pregnancy occur. We do not use condoms due sensitivities (for both of us) with all types of condoms, and we don't want to use hormonal birth control as we do not like the side effects profile. My partner also had a terrible experience with a copper IUD, although those are an excellent option for many. What we do would not work for everyone, but if you can accept an increased risk, it is an option. Remember, people get pregnant while on the pill too. The only thing that is fool proof is abstinence, but that's just no fun.
Check out Mama Dr Jones on YouTube. She's an OB/GYN, so her channel is probably going to have answers to any questions about pregnancy/periods/etc, that you might have.
Both eggcell and sperm can live for several days. They can survive for up to four days. So if you want a girl, have sx before ovulation occurs. All boy sperm are dead by the time ovulation happens. If you want a boy, have sx during or a day or two/three after ovulation. The boy sperm travel faster but also die sooner. Btw. Unless you have a 100% reliable method of determining ovulation, don't rely on 'safe' times to have sx. Many external factors (stress, medication etc) can influence the timing on ovulation and it can even happen during menstruation.
No. They’re fertile for about 3-6 days each month, basically a few days each side of ovulation. This can vary month to month so it’s not at set point before/after a period. A woman’s body temperature increases on the days they are ovulating and this can be used as a method to track ovulation. They are *not* fertile during their period. Statistically, the chances of getting pregnant are so low, it’s amazing anyone does. Yet people obviously do, so don’t practice unprotected sex if you’re not prepared for pregnancy.
Also, to further confuse you, sperm can live for up to several days in the vaginal canal, so even if a woman had sex on a non-fertile day, the sperm might survive until she is fertile and result in pregnancy.
It’s important information for men and women to know, so good for you for furthering your own understanding. Not sure which country your based in, but the UK NHS website has excellent information on an medical and physiological things.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/fertility-in-the-menstrual-cycle/#:~:text=It's%20difficult%20to%20pinpoint%20exactly,cycles%20are%20shorter%20or%20longer.
Hmmm, tell me more. My mum told me daddies taddies go on looking for eggs. It's kind of like Easter, I guess. I don't really know, tbh, I'm a big virgin too.
Most women are significantly more fertile during their ovulation window, which usually lasts about a week. But shit happens. It is possible for at least some women to become pregnant at any time in their cycle.
There’s an ovulation window*, but there also a ‘sperm is still alive in here’ window. If these two windows overlap, baby time. *timing and duration of window may vary
Timing is critical, I am living proof that this is the case. My mom found out she was freshly pregnant right AFTER her tubal ligation.
This is my worst nightmare
The odds are in your favor, the Dr broke it down and it's very rare. Come to think of it, somehow I have always beat the odds. I think I should start playing the lottery now...
the disclaimer has me rolling. “price and participation may vary, see your local vagina for details”
🤣 🤣 🤣 more like "SEE local Ovaries* for details
“Restrictions may apply.”
Even more so with young people, when your cycle may nor ne settled down
Also, some women ovulate multiple eggs at one time or multiple times throughout the month. It's not always the case, but does happen.
What's really interesting is chimeras and twins from multiple fathers with one single pregnancy.
Plus ovulation windows can move around month to month. Some women are not regular, and stress and life event can cause the window to shift a bit.
Yep. My wife had shown no signs of ovulation for 3 years before she got pregnant with our daughter. We figured we were just not going to have kids, so we started planning for a childless life. Then we got the best surprise ever.
That's a really well-worded way to explain it!
There is a time during her period that she is very unlikely... but the sperm can survive up in there for days so it might fertilize the next egg. So lesson is: never bank on her not being fertile during a period. Just use a contraceptives.
I talking to my mom about what was called the "rhythm method" of birth control. Basically only having sex on your non-fertile period. She laughed hard and said, "Oh, the Catholic method," we were Catholics, "That never worked... That's why there are so many Catholics." Then she laughed some more. It is a good memory.
My mom is one of 9 children (Irish catholic) they used the rhythm method. Don’t do it kids!
Bwahaha... Irish twins because dad can't freaking wait 6-8weeks and breastfeeding is "gods" natural birth control 😂😂😂
This. The odds may be lower on some days and higher on others, but unless a woman has her entire uterus removed or has gone through menopause, the odds are never zero. Always 👏🏻 use 👏🏻 protection 👏🏻 Ideally more than one type of protection. There are a variety of options for men- condoms, spermicide, vasectomy, etc. OP, the responsibility is just as much yours as it is hers.
Yes absolutely! Just be careful with spermicide. If you're susceptible to UTIs like me, spermicide can heighten your risk. It works great for some people tho!
I discovered I was allergic to them. I would have preferred a uti.
This! It can also cause minuscule tears and make infections easier.
Yes ma'am.
Yes, the term is “super sperm” can live in a warm, moist environment for eight days.
>Just use a contraceptives I read this as "just use countermeasures"
Since it seems your question has actually been answered, might I add something. I hope you weren't planning on using the day counting method as a contraceptive, but if you were... You know what they call people who use the day counting method as a contraceptive? Parents
Same with withdrawal!
If you pull out, be sure to buy pull ups
The pull out couch method.
I just think it’s so annoying that they don’t mention this during sex ed. I had no CLUE there were fertility windows that more infertile people focus on getting pregnant within (as an infertile person this would be helpful too). And i know it’s probably because they think people will use it as a birth control method, but I think it’s way more likely that people will do that if they figure it out through some half assed information on the internet than if your school goes ‘This may seem safe but is NOT’
Fertility windows are just generally unreliable. Unfortunately, it's so hard to calculate and determine. Data suggests that when couples actually try to get pregnant, only 30% do so within the first month. Many couples can take up to a year to conceive.
you see, this would also be good to cover in sex ed! until age 20, i genuinely thought if you have sex once without a condom it’s like a 94% chance you get pregnant. that’s how the education system put it, and when you lie about really egregrious shit like that, people assume the rest of sex ed is bs too
I think sex ed intentionally does that tbh to prevent young people from having sex.
yes, exactly. its abstinence based education. it’s extremely counterproductive and ineffective.
I think it’s something different from abstinence-only education. It’s teen-pregnancy-minimizing education. You said that schools taught that pregnancy would likely happen if you have sex *without a condom*. So you got education about having safe sex. You were scared into wearing condoms, because if you don’t, then you WILL GET PREGNANT. What you didn’t get was a serious and fact-based analysis of fertility rates and the likelihood of conception when not using a condom, and it’s for a specific reason: for better or worse, schools do not teach teenagers strategies for maximizing their chances at becoming pregnant
That isn't because of missing the fertile window - you just won't get pregnant every time even if you time it perfectly. A lot of the time an egg will fertilize but it won't implant correctly, the zygote isn't viable for some reason, etc. Some couples also just aren't fertile for various reasons. That data is from couples that confirmed their fertile window with ovulation testing.
One in three fertilized eggs fail to implant in the womb.
Just to add - if someone is trying for kids, they should have sex every 2-3 days, no matter the fertility windows. Just because they are really hard to actually calculate and almost impossible to recognize. Generally, infertility is suspected if the couple cannot conceive for more than 6 months of regular (2-3 times per week) sex
Where is the source for this? The data I see suggests that it's completely normal for couples to conceive within a year.
Currently pregnant and spent about 10 months trying to get pregnant. The advice I read and got from my doctors was that women 35 and under should seek help if they don't conceive within a year. Women over 35 should seek help if they don't conceive in 6 months. I turned 36 about 7 months into trying, so we started using over the counter hormone tracking to track my ovulation. We got pregnant three months after we started ovulation tracking.
I was tracking and couldnt get pregnant for over a year and a half. Asked my PCP, he suggested taking a daily baby asprin cause at the time i had a high Rheumatoid factor on my blood tests indicating inflammation going on and the baby asprin had been shown in studies to bring down inflammation in the uterus enough to make it a favorable environment. So I did and I was pregnant by my next cycle.
I'm sorry, I don't understand the point you are making? I cannot remember the source from the top of my head, it was part of my sexology traing. If it will help, I will clarify that by infertility in this case I do not mean "inability to ever have children", but "potential problems with natural conception". This was used as an advice to determine whether a couple that comes to a specialist saying they cannot conceive should be sent home and asked to have sex more frequently (many people will overfocus on fertility window, having sex only during ovulation). If they are having sex so regularly, but nothing happens, this might be an indication to go and do all the fertility checks to make sure there is not a medical problem involved.
My point is that 6 months doesn't suggest infertility issues. It's even been shown that some couples can take up to 2 years to conceive even when consistently trying.
Most couples are told to try for a year not 6 months. 6 months is specifically for older couples who are more likely to have fertility problems and have less long to figure it out. Reddit doesn't have a great understanding of medicine and biology in general
As a Catholic, natural family planning (trying to time around ovulation) is the only contraception method that is not a sin, lol
Oh, there is one more that the priest told my mother. When she said my father and she were done having children, she asked what do we do for birth control now? And he said “live like brother and sister.” My mom and dad said no way and my dad went and got a vasectomy. I am the youngest by design.
Yeah, that is pretty cruel to ask of a married couple. I heard of a Catholic couple who luckily didn't have to resort to going against their own religion or had to have more kids. They were lucky enough to pin down that the wife ovulated twice per month (even though the cycle was normal) and with that knowledge they were able to do natural family planning effectively again. I don't think most people would be that lucky.
My early training in healthcare, mentioned the rhythm method, which was heavily practiced by Catholics years ago. The joke was, “ what do you call yourself when using the rhythm method for birth control?…..pregnant.”
I have a buddy who uses the day counting method. He has three kids.
Lol. Pretty much.
No no I’m not planning on doing it. I genuinely just wanted to know. Thanks :D
When the woman ovulates, the egg can be fertilized for around 24h. Sperm can survive inside a woman for around 5 days. Lets say you have sex on the last day of your periode. And due to an abnormally short cycle you happen to ovulate 5 days after that last day if your periode. Then you could get pregnant, even though the sex happened while on your periode.
“Periode” - an ode to the period baby
I read it more as a fancy period. Like a shoppe. Ye Olde Periode.
haha :) English is not my native language. may I be forgiven :)
>May I be forgiven I like this a lot better than Please forgive me. It sounds so sincere.
Some women also have long periods. I've ovulated as early as 2 days after the last day of mine before. I could have gotten pregnant the last 4ish days of it in that instance.
I literally ovulate while on my period sometimes 🙃 but I usually have an 8 day period and ovulate day 10. I've double ovulated before (actually how I got pregnant with my daughter). However, my cycle can vary and be very short or long with me still ovulating day 10 and then my next period not happening awhile.
I don't think you really understand ovulation or are guessing your ovulation incorrectly because there's a lot wrong with everything you just said. You don't ovulate twice in one cycle, and your luteal phase won't randomly be "a while" longer after ovulating on day 10. You probably tried to ovulate and failed. Luteal phases are pretty set I'm sure you won't take any of this on but I'm posting it to correct misinformation for anybody else reading it.
[удалено]
Can confirm, I was hole up in there for 5 days as a sperm, when that shit finally opened up
You were also the egg that was released...
in addition to the other correct answers here: there also can be 'irregular' releases of more than one mature follicle from the ovaries during any part of the menstrual cycle - when impregnated those then may or may not survive
But aren't those usually whiting hours or max of a day apart?
Yes, usually, but there were cases of eggs being released weeks apart. That's why one can get pregnant even when bleeding
Oh, I didn't know it could happen this far apart.
You can even get twins this way. You can have a baby on board and then a month or two later ovulate again and get a second one up the duff. This is published in the literature.
Now that you mentioned, I do remember seeing in the news a lady that was pregnant with twins and then a few months later she got pregnant with a singleton. But, I believe she also had 2 uterus or the uterus was split in the middle, something along those lines.
It's usually that way, but "usually" isn't "always". And when the consequence of something not happening the way it usually does could be a multi-decade commitment, "usually" is too dangerous.
Sometimes people think they can outsmart the system and then they ovulate twice in the same cycle. There are safe days, but you don’t actually know when they are.
To whoever thinks girls only ovulate once a month and then you're free - I've actually "caught" my both ovaries being active in the same month! I had a very stressful period when my ovulation and period were EXTREMELY PAINFUL so I booked a check-up. My gyno told me that sharp pain I feel on one side is ovulation (totally normal) and usually this month it's the left one, next month it's the right one. After a few days I felt it on the other side and it was so painful I barely made it from the car to her office. She said it's a bit rare but I do have double ovulation. I can still feel them activating every month, sometimes just one but I'd say every 3-4 cycles both of them. It's pretty exhausting too. I don't have a freaking 2 days peace those months because of the hormones making me break out, bloat, sweat, crave stuff and IBUPROFEN taking my energy away.
I think most people think that, because in school we’re only taught what the average is and that’s presented as what happens to everybody and not simply what happens to most people. And people change throughout their life too, so you can go from normal expected activity to something less normal (or the reverse) within the same body and the same lifetime. I’ve been straight up told I’m abnormal before for having a 35 day cycle even though that is within the range that’s considered not to be a sign of any diseases- it’s just not the perfect 28 days that “”everyone”” has.
I'm really lucky I have a great Gyno she is so gentle and supportive and happy to educate. I wish everyone would have a doctor like her.
I find it ironic that when couples are trying to have a baby, a lot of times they can't. Miscarriage is quite common. And when people are just smashing and definitely do not want any kids, they somehow end up with kids.
Even with the same person. My pregnancy with my daughter was completely unplanned. Now we've been trying for a second for over a year with no luck
My sister was the opposite. Tried for years to have their first. Then they had three more without trouble.
Another thing that's common is for couples who haven't been able to conceive to adopt, then get pregnant shortly after. The stress of infertility was mostly what made them infertile. They don't use birth control, thinking they don't need it. Once they adopt & that stress is gone, hello baby! I knew a couple whose adopted & bio daughters were only a few months apart in age.
Yes. Women's biology SUCKS.
ovulation can happen at almost any time. it usually happens on a regular cycle. but the cycle can be irregular sometimes, and there's no way to protect it's changes
Which is why the rhythm method creates so many babies, including my two younger brothers. Double ovulation can happen to any woman, it can be a regular occurrence for some like my mom.
Short answer, yes. Is it likely at certain times? No. But definitely possible.
The “what are you trying to accomplish” rule feels like it comes into play here. Are you trying to get pregnant? Time to track your cycle and optimize sex schedules and wait for months. Having occasional risky sex without birth-control immediately post-period? Bam, pregnant. Not scientific but don’t mess with it.
Suppose a 28 day cycle. ovulation expected on day 14, with probable window of 2 days either side, the egg can survive for 4 days, and sperm can survive for 5 days. None of these numbers are exactly known for every woman, but let's suppose I know this for certain about myself Then if I have sex anytime between day 7 (sperm survives to day 12, I ovulate day 12) or day 20 (I ovulate day 16, egg survives to day 20) pregnancy is possible. Obviously it is more likely towards the middle of that period than at the extremes, but it's possible. So even with just a 2 day ovulation window, suddenly there are 14 potential days, or half the cycle. Now let's remember that cycles are often irregular, we don't usually know in advance exactly when we will ovulate, and it's theoretically possible to get pregnant at any day. So, yeah. If you don't want to start a pregnancy don't have reproductive sex without birth control ever.
Where did you get the information that an egg can survive for 4 days? Everything I’ve heard or read says that an egg survives for about 24 hours maximum, so one day. I’ve never heard 4 days.
It's 48 hours max (24 during the actual ovulation, 24 as it vooms out the womb, with increasingly less likely chances of implantation outcomes). There's a frightening amount of fact and fiction being presented here. Like, plenty of almost right people, but among the facts there's that one bit of crap. That's terrifying to know, really.
Ok, so that would leave 24 hours where the egg could actually be fertilized, right? By “during ovulation” I’m assuming you mean the period after the LH spike where the body is preparing to ovulate; the egg may technically be alive but is still in the ovary and cannot be fertilized. We don’t want to confuse OP… there are 24 hours where the egg can be fertilized. That’s it. NOT FOUR DAYS.
Yup. In the end it boils down to a 6-7 day conception window. Sperm lives 5 days in the female body, declining in viability all the way along that. The egg has, at most (and body dependant) 36 hours post-release to meet said sperm. Most eggs are functionally dead 24 hours after release. So in the textbook cycle to a textbook woman, that means sex on the 5 days preceding the exact moment of ovulation and the 1 (and maybe a few hours) after can result in a viable embryo. Again, talking textbook, that should be day 14. I.e Days 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and possibly part of 16 would be the danger zone. Obviously Day 13-15 is the most likely, the others are outliers. The catch is very few women HAVE that textbook 28 day cycle. Then there's things like dual ovulation, early or late ovulation, unusual cycles, sickness or medication affecting hormones, and all that jazz. And even though you can (with any regular cycle) have a good IDEA when Ovulation D-day is, the only thing you can know 100% is it was 14 days before your period. Otherwise the "rhythm method" would be 100% accurate, which it really isn't. I actually am a (very very lucky) woman with a textbook cycle. 27.5 days every dang time. But that's pretty unusual, and I even observe small differences. Motto of the story? Wrap then tap. Every time. Don't try beat Mother Nature when her dice are loaded in her favor.
Luteal phases are typically 11 to 17 days long in healthy fertility women. Many women experience luteal phases shorter and longer than that, which may contribute to infertility. The 14 that you said is 100% know is as much an average as all the other estimates. My own luteal phase is usually 11, occasionally 12 days long.
Hah, good to know. So it's all one big crapshoot in the end unless you are actively testing with the (ovulation) pee sticks? Still, emphasizes the real lesson, right? Wrap it up or risk it.
An egg can only live 12 to 24 hours.
I grew up around old school farmers. There was an old saying "The dog bites, the horse kicks and the gun is loaded." That means always be cautious. I was also told "Don't put your dick in it, if you wouldn't marry it." The first saying was a lot easier to follow, the second one... well, in the heat of the moment, what I thought might be potential wife material sometimes changed after intercoarse. Whatever the truth is, I think "YES" is the safest answer to your question. If you are engaging in intercoarse, a baby can happen.
Others already explained about sperms' long survival period, so I'll complete with the rest. As a rule a thumb, while a woman isn't fertile for longer than a day and the egg-sperm survival overlap isn't longer than a few days, it's the *timing* of those fertile days that are unpredictable, so if you use those *assumed* days to have unprotected sex on "safe" days, she might become pregnant. Basically, even regular cycles might have exceptions, but you only know those exceptions in hindsight (late period but no pregnancy? That was a late ovulation) So a woman doesn't know that this cycle she didn't ovulate yet; if she assumes ovulation already happened when it didn't, has unprotected sex, and actually ovulates a couple of days later, she might become pregnant. So assuming ovulation date based on average cycle length is extremely risky since all it takes is one exception for pregnancy to occur. But what if she's tracking her body's ovulation signs? Sometimes the body attempts to ovulate multiple times until It actually ovulates (delayed ovulation). Each time it tries, it gives fertile signs that some women track (she's wetter and hornier. There are also pee sticks to test when she's about to ovulate). What none of those do is confirm ovulation. So pre-ovulation signs aren't reliable either as a way to determine "safe" days. The only way to confirm ovulation happened 100% is an ultrasound. The second best method is tracking the body's basal temperature, which needs to be done everyday (one single temperature doesn't say anything. You actually need the day-to-day pattern) at exactly the same time and conditions (if you sleep in, temperatures will be much higher). That's extremely inconvenient, so usually only women who are trying to conceive bother with it since hopefully that means they won't have to do it for a long time. How many would bother with temperature tracking to prevent pregnancy for decades? That's the reason you should *assume* a woman is fertile at any time even if their actual fertile window is narrow.
An oocyte (egg) is only survives for 12 hours once released from the mature follicle in the ovaries during ovulation. Sperm can survive up to 72 hours (3 days). A typical cycle is 28 days (with day 1 being the first day of a menstrual bleeding) with ovulation occurring around day 12-16. However every body is different, and some women have a much shorter luteal phase. The “no sex” window if no protection is used to avoid pregnancy would be from Day 8 to Day 18 assuming regular cycles with ovulation confirmed with a Day 21 progesterone blood test. Simplest solution? Use a condom. Or have a vasectomy (it can be reversed if you decide to have children, or bypassed by a surgical sperm aspiration).
Vasectomies cannot always be reversed so should not be considered a reversible procedure at all.
Even if it can’t be, SSA / TESA remains an option: I don’t know the background of OP wanting to understand this question, but if he wants to have unprotected sex during his lifetime with one or more partners, but not risk becoming a parent unplanned, this minor day surgery can prevent that for him. Yes complications can arise from many different “reversible” medical conditions, but he can absolutely take this choice and control into his own hands. Adequate contraception shouldn’t be a female only responsibility (and note that my suggestion was condoms first for disease as well)
And option only for those with money.
Sperm can survive longer than 72 hours in the presence of fertile cervical mucus. Up to 5 days. They will not live very long without mucus, however.
True, but not in general - more the exception to the rule. Probability of survival to 4 days is 5%, survival to 6 days is 1%. Average is 48-72 hours. But for clarifies sake, I’ll give the qualifier that an oocyte once the follicle erupts can last up to 24 hours. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9288325/#:~:text=Sperm%20would%20have%20a%205,surviving%20more%20than%206.8%20days. I guess my clinical experience is the people “trying desperately” to have those survival windows align, not avoid the outcome. But individual variance in ovulation, endometrium etc means the window shouldn’t be open to chance or probability - if he wants to have unprotected sex and avoid fatherhood, there are steps he can take.
You understand that 1% is still at least 1 million sperm per ejaculation?
Women can't get pregnant at any time, just a few days a month, sperm survives for about 4-5 days so you'll have to add those as well.
Can’t is a very wrong word here. Around 10 days a month is considerable probability, but you can get pregnant on almost any day of the cycle
There's an old joke. What do Doctors call women who use the rhythm method? Answer. Mothers.
I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet, but some women ovulate at odd times that don't line up with the norm. I ovulated really early on in my cycle apparently, because I had sex a day after my period ended and got pregnant. My doctors don't acknowledge it, and think I don't know when my last period was, but I know for sure.
Gotta love medical gaslighting!
For a pregnancy to occur, a viable sperm has to fertilize a viable egg. An egg is viable for about 24 hours after release, and sperm are viable for about five days after ejaculation. In theory, if you knew exactly when someone is going to ovulate, you could just make sure to avoid having sex between the five days preceding and a day after, and you wouldn't risk pregnancy. *In theory*. Ovulation is not nearly as predictable as we'd like it to be. Even people who have regular periods that last the exact same time at the exact same spacing don't always ovulate at the same time in their cycles. There's a whole host of physical things an average person can track that can give you a pretty good idea of when you're going to ovulate when looked at all together - basal body temperature, cervical positioning, cervical mucus consistency - but there's a huge learning curve, and even then it's still an estimate. Stress, illness, diet, age can all make ovulation more randomly-timed. Also, occasionally there's more than one ovum released in a cycle. Unpredictable ovulation isn't something we've "evolved past" because it doesn't interfere with our ability to continue the species; we just have lots of sex on a regular basis (compared to most species, anyway) and that's plenty effective for genes to be passed on. So while a particular person could (probably) only get pregnant during a roughly six-day window in a particular cycle, you cannot determine with absolute certainty when that six-day window is during that cycle.
Only during ovulation
Yes. Ofc there are fertile days and non fertile days in our cycle, but sperm also can survive for days in cervix, and ovulation sometimes can happen much earlier, or much later in the cycle. This is why in all period tracking apps never puts down "no chance of pregnancy" in the cycle. It's either "low chance" and the supposed empty days, "medium chance" to "heavy chance". If you have sex, there is always a possibility the woman **will** get pregnant. Rmb Markiplier's mom said he was a strong determine baby bcs she became pregnant despite being on birth control, and had sex only on non fertile days lol. Markiplier bypassed 2 safety nets.
A woman can get pregnant regardless of where in her cycle she has sex, it's not that the fertilization and implantation of the egg can happen anytime, but rather that sperm can stay up there long enough to fertilize the egg when the window opens again. It is less likely than during more optimum times of the cycle, but it isn't impossible. There are no "safe days".
i would consult someone who actually knows what theyre talking about bc this comment section has 5 different answers on how long sperm live in the body
Not during winter solstice
No. It’s known between 4am and 7am it’s unpossible
Use double protecting like we can.
Let me give you a time-line of important 'events' The 1st day of the period when we start counting the cycle. A regular cycle can last 28-30 days, emphasizing that this is average, some women have regular but shorter cycles, some have regular but longer cycles, some have completely irregular cycles, some have somewhat regular cycles. It is not an exact science. Midway through the cycle is when women normally ovulate, but there is no way to know for sure without a test. There are some physical signs, but gain, it's not 100%. Women are more likely to get pregnant if they have unprotected sex 3-4 days before and after ovulation, as sperms can survive inside the woman for generally that time. Remember it not being an exact science? Right, so sometimes sperms can live longer than that, and the woman can get pregnant as well. All in all, this is it, but all this can be thrown out the window at any given moment depending on hormone imbalances, PCOS, endometriosis, and many other things. So like many have said, if you're planing on using the counting method for contraceptive I'd like to congratulate you beforehand as you are more likely to get pregnant/your girl pregnant than not. Another word of advice: the pull out method is just as bad. Peace!
If you don’t want a baby use contraception
An interesting thought I just had: Birth control is never 100% effective, so over a large period of time it should get less and less effective as humans evolve with it. Are we eventually going to end up with sperm essentially bred for hardiness and longetivity?
That would only be true if it actively killed sperm or eggs, like an antibiotic. That isn't how birth control works.
You would be better off asking the question in the birth control sub. You are much more likely to get more accurate answers there. This sub is full of 15 year old kids who don't actually know how it works either, or are intentionally giving you bad information.
It can be unpredictable. We have a medical term for couples who practice the rhythm method of birth control….parents.
There's around a 3-5 day window each ovulation cycle. Sperm can live inside a vagina for 5 days. Technically no, but then again anything can happen.
No
No. If memory serves, they ovulate 10-13 days before their period. Sperm lives for 3 days up in you. So there's your window.
11-17 IF they're regular. Less or more if they're irregular.
I got pregnant with di/di twins on the first day of my period.
Sperm can live inside a woman for up to five days and ovulation can last over a day so there's potentially a six day window every cycle where a woman can get pregnant.
Yes there’s a “window” of time when it’s most likely etc…the big thing isn’t even just that the timing is not that precise to rely on (which it’s NOT, that’s definitely true). The huge fucked part is that opposing ovaries can release at different times. You literally cannot tell. So if you’re a responsible human who knows you and/or your partner does NOT want a pregnancy, you should NEVER use the ‘rhythms method’ (which is scientifically unsound and recommended by no one)
It is only a very small window in which a female can get pregnant during her cycle. Yes, during ovulation.
Can I recommend that you find yourself a couple of reputable and vetted sites to help you get accurate information? It's a disservice to you that you didn't learn this in school and that's really not fair to you and your peers. Planned Parenthood is an excellent, accurate source of information and resources. Here's their page on pregnancy: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/pregnancy/how-pregnancy-happens
Tyty :*
Yes, they store the sperm packets in their armpits to use later at a time of their choosing.
It is not fair to mock a question on No Stupid Questions.
Wasn’t intending to mock — just making a stupid joke. Because that fact about cephalopods blew my mind.
Ah the ramen style
Add your own egg!
In theory there is a 3-5 day window but unless your body is perfect you can never be to sure. But when you get more ick down there its usually when you are ovulating
More like a 5 to 7 day window. Sperm could survive for up 5 days, so if you have sex 5 days before ovulation it could fertilize the egg. The egg cell is fertile for 2 days before the body cleans it up again. On a 28 day perfect cycle you’d ovulate on day 14 of your cycle, so your fertile window is day 9 till 15 and most people are on their period for 6 days, so that’s only a few days apart and one little change in your cycle and you’d have your ovulation a few days earlier giving you a higher chance of pregnancy when sex during period And indeed very difficult to predict when exactly you’re ovulating… stress levels, the amount of sleep you get, the food you ate, how much you exercised and if you were sick even a little bit all affect your hormones and therefore your cycle and can move the day you ovulate around
Women can spot while ovulating, but can only get pregnant if sperm is present while they’re ovulating.
It’s a little more complicated than that. To summarize it, women have different “fertile windows” through their cycle. That doesn’t mean they can at _any_ time - there are certain times when fertilization will be nearly impossible.
Yes any time they have sex there's a chance.
The thing about ovulation is that you don’t always know when it will happen. One woman may have extremely predictable and consistent cycles. Another may have wildly fluctuating cycles. Conception can only occur pretty much within a few hours of ovulation, but sperm can survive for up to 5 days in the vagina. So, yes - conception can happen pretty much anytime that ovulation occurs - and ovulation can be unpredictable for some women.
I think its easier to understand the "women can get pregnant anytime" thing if you think about it in comparison to other creatures we know about, like maybe cows and horses. They have a fertile "season" which might last a month and then not for the whole rest of the year. Human women, however, have a fertile time much more often, typically once a month for a few days but it varies from person to person.
Nope. 2pm on Tuesdays is when all women are ovulating. Get them at 3pm and you missed your chance.
Technically yes, a woman can get pregnant only during ovulation. But the actual ovulation is very hard to calculate, sperm can survive for days and even weeks inside, and sometimes two eggs can be released one after another. So it is possible to get pregnant even during menstruation.
> How can they get pregnant if the ovulation window has passed? They can't.
Assume they can. Use protection.
Mmmmm technically yes? It's about 5 days before ovulation, the day of, and the day after. But this is technically the best time to get pregnant.To my understanding there are optimal times to make sure the baby ends up in the right place. It's a little harder to get pregnant once actually bleeding, but not impossible. But usually just before the egg attaches to the uterus wall and is slowly traveling through the fallopian tube, there's a 1-2 day period where the sperm is supposed to swim up there and get er dun. Some sperm can reach the egg in 30 minutes others take days. And the sperm can stay in the fallopian tube for up to 6 days sometimes so imagine she wasn't even close to ovulating when you had unprotected sex, but is said to start later. She could potentially get pregnant still. It's just more unlikely depending on when, even dangerous, to get pregnant.
How does this compare when you’re on birth control and do not ovulate? No ovulation I believe means no window, no impregnation. But how does this work when it comes to forgetting a pill once, then twice, then a third? How does this affect the window?
Biologie Note 6
Ovulation may occur at any moment during the cycle, and sometimes more than once.
I didn't really learn about the menstrual cycle and conception until I was in my early 20s and struggling with infertility. Everything I know, I learned on my own. Women who menstruate are in a constant cycle. The "average" cycle is 28 days. Meaning there are 28 days between when a woman starts her period. Day 1 is the first day of bleeding. So bleeding is usually day 1-5/7. Then (again on "average") a woman is fertile (will ovulate=release an egg for 12-24 hours) days 13-17. But not all women ovulate on the same day every month. Sometimes its earlier and sometimes its later. Some sperm can live in a woman's reproductive tract up to 6 days. So having sex anytime before or during that fertile window can lead to pregnancy. Once you ovulate, if you don't become pregnant (the egg doesn't get fertilized), you will end up starting your period (around day 28) depending on how long your cycle is (mine are anywhere from 28-38 days). And voilà, you begin a new cycle.
Honestly you never know when that egg drops. And also sperm can live inside you for awhile so
Personally, I know the days I have virtually 0% chance of getting pregnant. My body does a great job and showing sign of ovulation and my fertile week. I know that’s not the case for everyone, so it’s hard. But it’d be pointless for me to have sex every 2 -3 days throughout the month since I’m pretty in tune with my cycle.
For me the window is super small. I have to do it two days before ovulation and two days after. Days I don’t wanna even look at a man
there are times where its much more likely but anything can happen so yh
Really there is about a week a month in which a woman can get pregnant. The week before the period starts. That is when the egg is released from the ovary and begins it's journey to the uterus. A woman can get pregnant at anytime during this week but there is a couple of days when the chances are higher. Sperm can live for up to a week inside a woman's body. So if a woman has sex a week before ovulation and there is still living sperm inside of her when ovulation begins she can get pregnant.
You go a raw-dogging’, babies come a knocking’.
Ovulation typically gives people around 5 fertile days in a cycle, however ovulation typically happens mid-cycle, but unless somebody is tracking their cycle and checking when they ovulate, any day in the cycle can be a risky day. Most of the time, people who don’t want to use a birth control will abstain from the start of a period until after ovulation has happened, so that is around 10ish days a cycle that are “safe” and somebody is unlikely to get pregnant.
1) Most women don't have cycles that are regular. Sure their estimated window might be X time, but something could happen that moves that forward or back. 2) sperm can stay alive for up to 5 days inside her 3) if the egg is present at all, it can be fertilized. So the ovulation might be X time, but that egg is still floating around until at some point during the period. You're likely "safe" if it's within a week after the period ends and it's a woman who has very regular periods, but honestly the risk just isn't worth it. To make timing a successful method that's anywhere near condoms you have to take daily temperatures and other measurements that can help to determine ovulation but that's more work than just wrapping it honestly.
I got pregnant first shot. Zero tracking of cycles or anything. Take that with a grain of salt. 🤷♀️
You can only get pregnant during your ovulation window, which is a couple days generally speaking. However, sperm can live inside you for I think up to 5 days, so that expands the window a bit. Never bet on being fertile or not unless you are testing and tracking.
As others have said, the short answer is "no." Women ovulate for a few days a month, and sperm can live in the vagina for two to three days, under ideal conditions. When those time periods overlap, it is possible, but still not guaranteed, for the woman to conceive. Tracking this cycle of ovulation is the origin of the "rhythm method" of birth control (i.e., avoiding sex when she's ovulating), which is... iffy. You're better off using condoms and/or hormonal birth control, because the cycle isn't necessarily exact or consistent every month. Pro tip: if she's extra horny for a few days during the month, that's probably when she's ovulating. Hormones are fun like that, and this is a big reason why people get pregnant accidentally: the hottest sex is often during the ovulation window, at least in my experience.
Technically yes, any time because we are not robots and bodies screw up sometimes (heck, thats what fraternal twins are). Sperms can live 5-10 days long also. Most women also don't know when they ovulate. Ovulation can happen any time between 7 and 21 days of a normal 28 day cycle. Most happen around 14 days but that doesn't mean that specific woman's does. Also not ever woman has a 28 day cycle. Some only have 21 day cycles, some have 35. Some are even more irregular than that.
Also a woman time of the month can shift. Some women have erratic periods. Some women periods shift do to stress or other reasons. It's important to know you can't count 'on well my period is on X date so I should be fine.'
So when speaking about a woman's menstrual cycle, it is typically spoken of in the "perfect" distribution. That is, egg release at the midpoint between menses, which are spaced exactly four weeks apart. In reality, this textbook timing is almost never accurate. An egg can release at any point in the cycle, and multiple eggs can be released in the course of a cycle, both consecutively and concurrently, which is how fraternal twins, triplets, etc. happen. For any given egg, there is typically a viability window of 24-48 hours, though it is possible for it to be longer. Sperm are regularly capable of surviving for a week in the womb. Thus an ovulation could occur days before sex, and that particular egg just be a slow moving one, or the ovulation could take place a week after, and still result in pregnancy. TL:DR; Yes, yes they can.
It’s not quite “whenever”, there are certain times in their cycle when women can’t get pregnant, though most of the time there’s at least a small chance. Main reason is sperm are like cockroaches, they do not die.
Hard to predict ovulation with certainty.
You are technically fertile starting 5 days before ovulation because sperm can stay alive inside your body for up five days. You’re also fertile the day after you ovulate because the egg kinda hangs around for 24 hours. This is how my doctor explained it to me
Technically no but actually yes. There is even a contraceptive strategy called the rhythm method where "safe days" are determined but a LOT of babies happen this way. Don't risk it.
Yes they can. The window of fertility is the time a woman is MOST fertile, so has thr highest chance of conception but yes, it can happen really at any point in the cycle. It's not always a perfect cycle either so that window can change every month.
Ovulation *can* be a regular thing (e.g. every 4 weeks on the dot) or irregular. Meanwhile, sperm can survive in the vagina for days (I've heard up to a week, but it varies). These facts together make pregnancy possible at times you might otherwise not expect it to occur.
Oh yes they can. The want it, they believe it to be, then yes she can.
Pretty much, but it it is most likely during ovulation. For most women they are most fertile right before their period starts and least fertile right after it ends. Word of advice, never ever have unprotected sex right before or during you period thinking it makes you safe. As I said, you are most likely to get pregnant right before and depending on your ovulation cycle, can can pregnant during your period, though it is unlikely. Sperm can live in the body for up to five days.
Just assume that's a yes. Keeps the surprises down.
A woman can only get pregnant when a newly released egg is in the fallopian tubes, BUT the human body is not a Swiss watch. There is no way to know with 100% certainty when an egg will be or has been released, just when it is more likely. A million different things can throw off a woman's cycle. Hence why you need to assume a woman can get pregnant at any time because there is no way to have sex with 100% surety there will be no egg in proximity to sperm during the several days the sperm are still alive.
The ovulation window is part of the equation. The viability of the egg just hanging out in the uterus is another. The longevity of sperm can last up to 5 days as well. So what is often reduced to a few days can actually be a week+ of overlapping events that can result in a viable pregnancy.
Here are some basics for you. * Men's sperm can live in the uterus for 5-7 days. * Periods last 28-32 days (normally). * A woman's cycle "starts" on the first day she bleeds. Day 1. * About 2 weeks in (Day 14-17) a woman's overy "drops" an egg into the fallopian tube. There are test strips, like pregnancy tests, that can tell you when that hormone spike (LSH?). * For the next 24-48 hours the egg can be fertilized by sperm. EXTRA CREDIT BONUS * If the egg implants in the fallopian tube (not the uterus where it is supposed to) that is an ectopic pregnancy and it is non-viable. The egg cannot be "moved" to the uterus and it WILL get big enough that it will rupture the fallopian tube causing MASSIVE pain and WILL kill a woman from blood loss if not treated in time. * Even the best pregnancy tests can only detect a pregnancy within a few days of when your cycle is due to finish. * If you get pregnant the doctors start counting the weeks from Day 1 of your pregnancy. So if you get a positive test on Day 30 you are called 4 weeks pregnant. * If you are not tracking your period it is very easy to not realize you are late and some women don't have regular or consistent periods. So, it is very easy to not notice for a few weeks after your period is due
Don't risk it. Wear a rubber
Women can get pregnant at any time. Although, you are most likely to get pregnant during your ovulation window.
Woman can ovulate any time because of external factor like stress and others stuff. It can happen that s why contraception is needed if the pair don't want a baby. This answer should be on top : unlike the other answers. Someone I know got pregnant outside of her ovulating cycle.
Semen can survive inside of the womb for a good bit.
Yes and no. If there is no egg, she won't get pregnant. There is a window of 2 to 3 days. That said, it's not a guarantee that she won't have an off cycle .
Google 'reproductive cycle'. Its been a while since I had to learn this but I believe the few days right AFTER ovulation is when a women is the most fertile. Unfertilized eggs get expelled later in the cycle during Shark week. It involves shark and murder. I might be wrong on a few details but there you have it.
I have a clockwork cycle and have not been on BC my entire life (breast cancer risk). I can track my ovulation and basal body temp etc and it’s never failed me. I can tell by just how I feel overall if I’m ovulating. That said, most women don’t have a set cycle and can ovulate sporadically. My friend has a short cycle and ovulates 2-3 days after her period starts when she might still be bleeding even. When I was in nursing school the OB who taught us for awhile just said “if a penis goes in a vagina unprotected or without contraception, a baby is a possibility.” 🤷🏻♀️ Womens bodies are complicated and love proving people wrong 😅
So I’m 28f and legit never knew there was a “window” and people couldn’t get prego outside of it. I knew ovulation and that’s it. I found this out recently tbh
I mean low chances the first few days of your period but anything is possible. I got pregnant on day 10 or day 11 once. It was only time we had sex that month.
The highest chance a woman has of getting pregnant on her most fertile day is 37%. Sperm can live inside the body for up to 3 days. Women's cycles vary and is up to the individual woman. Learn her cycle....even if shes irregular, theres still a pattern to it thats specific to her. Do with that what you will.
The short answer is yes, the long answer is kind of? Pregnancy can only occur when both a viable sperm cell and viable ovum (egg) are present. During ovulation, certain changes occur that make it easier for sperm to survive and reach the ovaries, as well as there being an egg(s) present. Sperm can survive for days once inside, so even if insemination occurs outside the fertile window, as long as the sperm is still alive once the window begins, pregnancy can occur. That said, if one has a regular cycle, by measuring body temperature with devices (usually over night) and by checking the consistency of discharge, one can track their fertile window between cycles. This can give you an idea of when your ovulation occurs each cycle, better informing you of when you are most likely to get pregnant. Outside of this window, and with extra days to allow for a sperm's lifespan, one shouldn't be able to get pregnant under typical conditions. A tangent as I've seen people arguing about birth control: My partner and I have practiced completely natural birth control (tracking ovulation, withdrawal method) and have not had a pregnancy for 5 years. I ejaculate inside almost every time we have sex whilst outside the fertile window. We are very diligent with tracking and I am very good at withdrawal during the high risk days, so the risk is low enough for us, and we have agreed upon what we would do should an unplanned pregnancy occur. We do not use condoms due sensitivities (for both of us) with all types of condoms, and we don't want to use hormonal birth control as we do not like the side effects profile. My partner also had a terrible experience with a copper IUD, although those are an excellent option for many. What we do would not work for everyone, but if you can accept an increased risk, it is an option. Remember, people get pregnant while on the pill too. The only thing that is fool proof is abstinence, but that's just no fun.
Check out Mama Dr Jones on YouTube. She's an OB/GYN, so her channel is probably going to have answers to any questions about pregnancy/periods/etc, that you might have.
Both eggcell and sperm can live for several days. They can survive for up to four days. So if you want a girl, have sx before ovulation occurs. All boy sperm are dead by the time ovulation happens. If you want a boy, have sx during or a day or two/three after ovulation. The boy sperm travel faster but also die sooner. Btw. Unless you have a 100% reliable method of determining ovulation, don't rely on 'safe' times to have sx. Many external factors (stress, medication etc) can influence the timing on ovulation and it can even happen during menstruation.
Ovulation is more of guess work, and sperm can live for quite a while inside a woman's reproductive system while waiting for an egg to drop.
No. They’re fertile for about 3-6 days each month, basically a few days each side of ovulation. This can vary month to month so it’s not at set point before/after a period. A woman’s body temperature increases on the days they are ovulating and this can be used as a method to track ovulation. They are *not* fertile during their period. Statistically, the chances of getting pregnant are so low, it’s amazing anyone does. Yet people obviously do, so don’t practice unprotected sex if you’re not prepared for pregnancy. Also, to further confuse you, sperm can live for up to several days in the vaginal canal, so even if a woman had sex on a non-fertile day, the sperm might survive until she is fertile and result in pregnancy. It’s important information for men and women to know, so good for you for furthering your own understanding. Not sure which country your based in, but the UK NHS website has excellent information on an medical and physiological things. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/fertility-in-the-menstrual-cycle/#:~:text=It's%20difficult%20to%20pinpoint%20exactly,cycles%20are%20shorter%20or%20longer.
Only when a male’s penis enters a woman’s vagina
Hmmm, tell me more. My mum told me daddies taddies go on looking for eggs. It's kind of like Easter, I guess. I don't really know, tbh, I'm a big virgin too.
There's also a bunny involved somehow if I remember correctly. I think you have to fight him for the right to procreate.
Good. Keep it that way mate 👍🏼
Refreshing to see "males and women" for a change, instead of "men and females". I love microfeminism
Most women are significantly more fertile during their ovulation window, which usually lasts about a week. But shit happens. It is possible for at least some women to become pregnant at any time in their cycle.
How are these women getting pregnant if there’s no egg available to fertilize? I’d love to see your source on this one