I got pregnant right after my period ended

Signs of pregnancy

I just ended my period. My boyfriend came and then an hour and a half later he we did it wihtout a condom… Could i be pregnant?

It’s possible — there’s no “safe” time in your menstrual cycle to have sex without using birth control. Here’s why: 

Pregnancy can happen when the sperm cells in semen (cum) meet up with one of your eggs. Your ovaries release an egg every month — that’s called ovulation. 

After sex, sperm can live for up to 5 days in your body waiting for one of these eggs. That means that even if you weren’t ovulating when you had sex, sperm can still meet up with your egg later on. 

Ovulation usually happens about 14 days before your period starts — but everyone’s body is different. You may ovulate earlier or later, depending on the length of your menstrual cycle.

If all this sounds super complicated, that’s because it is. And everyone’s menstrual cycle is a little different, which makes it even MORE complicated. It’s also very common for peoples’ cycles to be irregular, which means your period comes at different times  —  especially when you’re younger. But even if your cycle is regular, it can be hard to know exactly when you’re ovulating and at risk for pregnancy. That’s why it’s so important to use birth control (like condoms, the pill, or an IUD) every time you have sex if you don’t want to get pregnant. 

If you do have unprotected sex, there’s still something you can do to prevent pregnancy afterwards. The morning-after pill (also known as emergency contraception) is a type of birth control that you can take up to 5 days after unprotected sex — but the sooner you take it, the better it works. You can get the morning-after pill at drugstores, pharmacies, and superstores without a prescription from a doctor, no matter your age or gender. Learn more about emergency contraception.

I got off my period on Saturday and I had unprotected sex on Sunday. I’m not sure. Could I be pregnant?

Anytime you have unprotected sex, there’s a chance of pregnancy — even during your period or right after your period ends. In fact, right after your period you may be even more likely to get pregnant from unprotected sex because you’ve just started a new menstrual cycle and you could start ovulating at any point.

If you want to avoid getting pregnant, use a birth control method like a condom, the pill, the IUD, or the  implant.

If it’s been fewer than 5 days since you had sex without a condom or another birth control method, you can still use emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy.

Yes, it's possible to get pregnant right after, on, or even just before your period. The likelihood of getting pregnant varies depending on timing and the length of your cycle.

If you're trying to get pregnant, the best time to have sex is just before or during ovulation. If you're not trying to get pregnant, use reliable contraception no matter which day of your cycle it is.

Here's a rundown of your chances of getting pregnant during your period, and on the days before and after it.

Can you get pregnant on your period?

Yes, but it's unlikely. It's possible to get pregnant during your period when:

• You have a very short menstrual cycle (the time from the first day of one period to the first day of your next period).
• You have long periods.
• You were bleeding around the time of ovulation (spotting between periods) and mistakenly thought it was a regular period. If you had unprotected sex at that time, you could conceive.

Here's why you could get pregnant during your period:

Ovulation happens during the middle of your menstrual cycle – anywhere between 7 and 19 days before your period starts. During ovulation, an egg reaches maturity in one of your two ovaries, the ovary releases the egg into your abdomen, and it gets sucked into the nearest fallopian tube, where it can survive for about 24 hours. Conception occurs when an egg and sperm meet in a fallopian tube.

A typical menstrual cycle is 28 days, which usually leaves a good few days between the end of your period and the start of ovulation. But some women have cycles as short as 22 days. If you have a short cycle or long periods, you could ovulate right after your period ends. And because sperm can survive in your reproductive tract for up to five days, if you have sex during your period, it's possible that live sperm will be there when you ovulate, ready to fertilize the egg.

Can you get pregnant right after your period?

Yes. Immediately after your period is still not the ideal time to get pregnant, but you are more likely to conceive at this time than during your period. That's because you're closer to the time when you will ovulate.

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Again, two factors can increase your chances of getting pregnant right after your period:

1. A short menstrual cycle
2. A long period

The shorter your cycle and the longer your period, the more likely it is that you'll be fertile during the last few days of your period or in the days just afterward.

Can you get pregnant right before your period?

Yes, but it's unlikely, and chances are even lower that you could conceive during this time than while you are on your period or right after it.  That's because the time you are fertile has probably passed.

However, if you have a menstrual cycle that is shorter than the typical 28 days, there are fewer days between ovulation and the start of your next period during which you are not fertile. That means your chances of getting pregnant right before your period are higher if you have a shorter cycle and lower if you have a longer cycle.

Learn more:

• The best time to get pregnant
• How to get pregnant: A primer
• Ovulation symptoms
• Ovulation predictor kits

Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Claudia Boyd-Barrett is a longtime journalist based in Southern California and a proud, continually adapting mom of a teenager.