At which time of the month is it possible to become pregnant

Only 10 percent had ovulation fall exactly 14 days before their next period. Stress and diet can also impact when ovulation occurs, as well as medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS and amenorrhea.

Menstrual cycles can also be more irregular during adolescence or perimenopause. But if your cycle length varies from month to month, it may be helpful to use a backup birth control method.

This can provide a more reliable view of your fertile window. An egg only lives for about 24 hours after being released from your ovary, and sperm can only live for up to five days inside the body. This will give sperm time to reach the fallopian tube and meet the egg there.

After that, if no sperm has fertilized the egg, it will dissolve. The timing would have to be perfect for the egg and sperm to reach each other in time. This is more likely with people who have a shorter-than-average cycle, because ovulation occurs more frequently.

However, you may experience some spotting during early pregnancy. One study found that 14 out of participants experienced one day of vaginal bleeding in the first eight weeks of pregnancy. Furthermore, 15 percent to 25 percent of people may experience spotting during the first three months of pregnancy. Taking note of the timing and any other symptoms present can help you differentiate between typical menstruation and pregnancy-related spotting.

Implantation bleeding usually occurs 6 to 12 days after conception. This light spotting usually only lasts 24 to 48 hours and is generally much lighter than the average period. You may also experience spotting as a result of increased blood flow in the cervix. This type of spotting is most common after sex , a Pap test , or a pelvic exam. If you had unprotected sex and want to avoid pregnancy, take emergency contraception EC as soon as possible.

There are two main types — the copper IUD and the hormonal EC pill — and they can both work up to five days after unprotected sex. The pill delivers a high dose of hormones to delay ovulation or prevent a fertilized egg from implanting to the uterus.

As a general rule of thumb, EC pills may be less effective for people who have a higher body mass index BMI. Talk to your local pharmacist or other healthcare provider about which EC option is right for you. But if you can wait a little longer, taking the test one week after the date of your missed period may produce the most accurate result. This will allow your body to develop high enough human chorionic gonadotropin hCG levels to be detected by the test.

Then reach out to a medical provider to confirm the results. They can help you learn more about your cycle and discuss your options moving forward. This could include birth control, fertility awareness, or family planning. You'll see a line that is the same or darker than the control line. A next-level option is a fertility monitor. This device lets you check LH and estrogen levels in your urine. You turn on the monitor when you get your period and it alerts you when it's time to start using the urine strips.

Then you pee on a strip and insert it into the monitor to find out whether you're having a low, high or peak fertility day. There are also saliva tests that check electrolytes in your spit to predict when your estrogen is high. First thing in the morning, you put saliva on a lens.

Then, five minutes later, you play scientist and look at it under an eyepiece. Most of the month you'll just see random dots, but a day to three days before you ovulate, you should notice a pattern like a fern or frost on a window.

The downside to saliva tests: Some women have trouble distinguishing the patterns. Finally, there are wearables. A fertility watch works by analyzing the salts in your sweat. About four to six days before ovulation, it picks up a chloride ion surge — your sign to get busy. A fertility tracker bracelet works with your smartphone to chart key measures like skin temperature, breathing and resting pulse.

It tips you off as soon as you're in your fertile zone — and whether it's time to try to conceive. You've been checking for CM and charting your BBT, but for some reason, it seems that you're not ovulating every month — or not at all. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations.

Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy. The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.

This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. Registry Builder New. Medically Reviewed by Aaron Styer, M. Medical Review Policy All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals. Trying to have a baby? Back to Top. In This Article. Continue Reading Below. Read This Next. Ovulation Pain and Cramping. View Sources.

How soon after chemical did you conceive? To track or not to track ovulation. There are , active discussions happening now in our Trying to Conceive community group. Getting Pregnant. Find out how a more healthy lifestyle increases your chance of pregnancy and having a healthy baby. Share Back to Top. Apart from being healthy, what else can help you get pregnant? Sex of course - at the right time! Your chance of getting pregnant is dramatically increased if you have sex on the day of ovulation, or two days before that.

When are you more likely to conceive? Ovulation Calculator What day did you your most recent period start? What is an ovulation calculator and how does it help you get pregnant? It can also estimate your due date if you do become pregnant during your next fertile days. Others ways to help you work out when you're ovulating:. Facts about timing Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from the ovary. A period is when you bleed or menstruate. Example Sarah tracked her last three menstrual cycles by counting the time from the first day of one period, to the day before the next period.

When you know your average menstrual cycle length, you can work out when you ovulate. Ovulation happens about 14 days before your period starts. If your average menstrual cycle is 28 days, you ovulate around day 14, and your most fertile days are days 12, 13 and If your average menstrual cycle is 35 days ovulation happens around day 21 and your most fertile days are days 19,20 and If you have shorter cycles, say 21 days, ovulation happens around day 7 and your most fertile days are days 5, 6 and 7.

FACT A woman can only get pregnant on a few days during her menstrual cycle. Because eggs and sperm only live for a short time: Sperm live for around five days. Eggs can only be fertilised for around 24 hours one day after being released from the ovary. Getting the timing right If you're trying to get pregnant, timing is everything. What are the chances? Having sex as close as possible to the time of ovulation increases the chance of pregnancy.

If she has sex five days before she ovulates, her probability of pregnancy is about 10 percent. When does preconception health begin? How to know you are ovulating Kerry Hampton, a registered nurse and fertility specialist, discusses the importance of fertility awareness, and how to determine your fertile window to improve your chances of conceiving.

Identification and prediction of the fertile window using Natural Cycles. Self-identification of the clinical fertile window and the ovulation period.