Among the questions we ask ourselves about the “mysteries” of conception, there are some with surprising answers. One of the most common myths is that it is impossible to get pregnant during menstruation . Because, even if it is difficult, it is possible. We explain why.
The ovulation process tends to follow more or less similar patterns in each woman, as an important part of the menstrual cycle. But this varies from one woman to another, and even in the same woman it can change from one month to another.
Remember that the female sexual cycle comprises a series of more or less regular changes that naturally occur in the female reproductive system (especially in the uterus and ovaries). A regular menstrual cycle has an average duration of 28 days from the first day of menstruation, but it is considered normal to span between 21 and 35 days.
The menstruation, rule, period or menstrual bleeding , therefore, constitutes the beginning of the menstrual cycle. During this phase, the endometrium is shed along with blood if fertilization of the ovum has not occurred. Average menstruation usually lasts between three and five days, although those between two and seven days are considered normal.
After the rule, in regular cycles comes the pre-ovulation phase, when the ovary produces estrogen, the ovum matures and the endometrium thickens. Estrogen stimulates the cervix and fertile cervical mucus is produced, which can be identified by women as evidence of their most fertile days.
Between the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the cycle, the ovum completes its maturation and is conducted from the ovary to the uterus through the fallopian tube: it is ovulation . But these estimates are the averages of regular cycles: ovulation could occur on day 13, maybe 16, 17 …
Finally, in the luteal phase or secretory phase, which usually lasts from day 16 to 28 of the cycle, if fertilization of the ovum has not occurred, it disintegrates and is expelled by vaginal bleeding of the next menstruation, thus beginning a New cycle.
Taking into account that sperm can last functional within the woman’s body between 48 and 72 hours, it is usual that if intercourse is maintained even two or three days before ovulation (and this can occur regularly or not), when the This egg could be fertilized.
As seen, during menstruation there is no egg ready to be fertilized . You have to wait a few days for this possibility, but this is the usual thing in regular cycles. What happens to cycles that do not follow a regularity? What if there is something that causes my cycle, normally regular, to vary a certain month? We see it below.
Irregular menstrual cycles
Not all women have the “standard” period every 28 days. There are those who have longer cycles, in which ovulation occurs after day 14 and others with shorter cycles in which ovulation occurs earlier. By knowing my cycle and the changes in my body (watching for signs of ovulation), I might be able to predict when ovulation will occur, although this, as we will see later, is not always reliable.
Also, there are women who experience different cycles each month : not all of their cycles are regular. This is common, for example, in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a very common and usually mild hormonal imbalance that affects 8 out of 100 women.
In these cases, it is more difficult to know when ovulation occurs, but since there is usually no amenorrhea or total absence of periods, that is, the woman with PCOS also ovulates and menstruates, the possibility of pregnancy is possible, and it could be. also during menstruation if, for some reason, there is a mature egg at the same time.
Getting pregnant during your period
We might think that if we do not have PCOS and our cycle is regular, there is no risk of pregnancy outside of the key days of the cycle, after menstruation.
But it is that there is the possibility that there are changes in the cycle and, although it is difficult, it is not impossible that ovulation is advanced and there is a mature ovum ready to be fertilized at the time of menstruation . That is, while an unfertilized previous egg is being shed from the body.
On the other hand, in the case of short cycles, of about 20 days, the ovum could be released during the last days of menstruation or just after and increase the chances of pregnancy if you have sex during your period. And let’s not forget that sperm remain in the female reproductive system for three to four days, further increasing the possibility of pregnancy.
In addition, a woman can ovulate more than once during the same cycle, thus increasing the chances of pregnancy. It is known as polymenorrhea the reduction of the duration of the menstrual cycle , when it is less than 21 days, so that the period arrives too soon. The cycle can be shortened regularly or irregularly.
But what could cause my menstrual cycle, in a given month, to be shorter than usual and ovulation is early?
What can cause the menstrual cycle to change
There are factors that can alter the duration of the cycle without the woman knowing it , such as stress, life events, diet or illness:
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Stress : moments of great tension and anxiety can affect menstruation and even reproduction. When the pituitary gland is activated by stress, it produces higher amounts of prolactin, which can lead to irregular ovulation. There are studies that link stress to infertility, but it may affect women in different ways.
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The sudden change in weight in women (increase or decrease) can cause changes in the menstrual cycle and irregular periods.
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When girls start to have periods, it is also irregular and it takes time for the cycles to stabilize.
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With the approach of menopause, as hormone production (ie, estrogen) decreases, cycles change and lead to more frequent or infrequent periods.
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Intense exercise is considered among the factors that can alter a woman’s period, although in this case it usually causes longer cycles and even, in extreme cases, amenorrhea or disappearance of the rule.
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Suffering from a disease , thyroid, kidney problems, diabetes … Even a strong flu can cause a change in the female period if it is associated with other factors such as anxiety.
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Medications that affect hormone levels (for example, antipsychotics or steroids) can cause imbalances that affect reproductive hormones and thus alter the regularity of the cycle.
In short, it is not usual but it could happen that, if you have unprotected sex during menstruation, you get pregnant . The possibilities decrease the more regular you are in your menstrual cycle, but you have to take into account variables such as those indicated above and that could cause the cycle to vary in a given month.
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In Babies and more | Don’t you get pregnant? What steps to follow, how and when, What are your fertile days? I have polycystic ovaries: can I get pregnant?
