Can You Become Pregnant the First Day of Your Period?

According to the American Pregnancy Association, 47 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. Couples commonly believe that they are safe from conception during a woman's menstrual cycle, but that is not always true.

Significance

• Depending upon when sexual intercourse occurs in relation to ovulation, there is a chance that a woman can become pregnant when she is on her period.

Time Frame

• Ovulation occurs midway through a woman's menstrual cycle, or 14 days before the start of the next period. For example in a 28-day cycle a woman might ovulate on day 14. Sperm can live up to three days in a woman's fallopian tubes and the released egg lives about 24 hours.

Considerations

• Many women do not have regular menstrual cycles, which can make ovulation difficult to determine. Even in women who have regular 28-day cycles, ovulation can occur earlier or later.

Prevention/Solution

• Couples should not rely on a safe period during a woman's cycle unless they are practicing natural family planning and fertility charting. The best way to prevent an unplanned pregnancy is to use contraception every time sexual intercourse occurs.

Warning

• Some women experience breakthrough bleeding during ovulation, which can be mistaken for their period. Unprotected sexual intercourse during ovulation could easily result in a baby.