Content
- Physiological features of conception
- Follicular
- Ovulatory
- Luteal
- Conditions for pregnancy
- Should I allow intimate contacts during menstruation?
- Risks of conception during menstrual bleeding
- Causes of cycle failures and conception during menstruation
- Taking contraceptive pills
- Increased sperm vitality
- Repeated ovulation
- The likelihood of getting pregnant with menstruation as a percentage
- How to determine ovulation with an irregular cycle
- Unprotected intercourse occurred at the end of menstruation - algorithm of actions
Women who monitor the stability of the menstrual cycle mark the unfavorable and successful for fertilization time and use effective contraception, are almost completely protected from the onset of unexpected pregnancy. If only unreliable methods of protection are used (calendar, early symptoms of ovulation), the risk of accidental fertilization increases. When asked whether it is possible to become pregnant during menstruation, doctors give the answer that when certain factors, conception can occur in almost any period, not excluding the time of the menstrual bleeding.
Physiological features of conception
Before asking doctors a question, is it possible to unexpectedly become pregnant during menstruation without using contraception, you should independently figure out exactly how the female reproductive system functions, and how conception occurs child. If we talk about conception during menstruation, then its probability is much higher in women with an irregular cycle.
Every month, changes occur in the organs of the reproductive system, characteristic of each of the three phases:
Follicular
The phase was named so due to the process that occurs during the 14 days of the duration of the stage, namely, the maturation of the follicles. Only one of them will carry an egg that is ripe for fusion with a sperm. The stage begins on the first day of menstruation, which normally lasts 3-7 days, now the old endometrium leaves the uterus. The bubbles mature due to the constant production of follicle-stimulating hormone. The duration varies from 7 to 21 days, depending on the length of the cycle.
Ovulatory
It lasts 24–48 hours, during which a mature gamete leaves the main follicle due to a sharp release of luteinizing hormone. She is already ready to merge with an active sperm, if he waits for her in the cavity of the fallopian tube, the fusion will surely occur.
Luteal
After the gamete has left the Graaf bubble, the corpus luteum begins to grow in the area of the ruptured follicle. In the case when the egg has not been fertilized within two days, it dissolves in the layer of the myometrium of the uterus, leaving the organ along with menstruation, the corpus luteum atrophies. If conception has taken place, with the help of this body, the production of progesterone is launched, which is needed for the introduction of the gamete into the wall of the genital organ and the continuation of gestation.
The probability of whether it is possible to suddenly fly in during menstruation depends on several factors - this is the cyclical duration and the number of days of menstrual flow, the presence or absence of problems at the hormonal level, sperm vitality and others.
The fertile window is the time frame during which there is the highest chance of conception.With a standard 28-30 day cycle, the likelihood of pregnancy is high in the middle of the cycle, at 14-15 days and four more days before ovulation.
Cycle times vary:
- short - less than 21 days;
- average (taken as the norm) - 28-30 days;
- long - 35 days.
Cycle times in the range of 21 to 35 days are normal, especially if they remain constant.
When a woman's periods come every 25 days, then they begin after 35 days, this is a reason to visit a doctor and identify hormonal disorders.
Conditions for pregnancy
When assessing the likelihood of conception during menstruation, it is important to consider not only the cycle time, whether it will be favorable for pregnancy, but also the observance of all the conditions necessary for fertilization:
- Sexual intercourse should take place on the last day of menstruation, as close as possible to the ovulatory phase.
- Spermatozoa must be viable in order to maintain their properties when passing through cervical mucus, survive in an acidic environment for several days and drill the mucous membrane of the gamete.
- The cervical secretion should not be too viscous, so as not to deprive the sperm of vitality and the ability to reach the uterus.
- Both partners should not be protected.
- There should be no acute and chronic infectious diseases.
With a successful coincidence of several factors, pregnancy can occur during a period that is unfavorable for fertilization - during menstruation. This fact must be taken into account if the couple does not want to have children yet.
Should I allow intimate contacts during menstruation?
Often couples refuse to have sex during the menstrual period, but many do not consider these days to be forbidden in terms of sexual intercourse. Doctors do not prohibit intercourse on the days of menstruation, if you follow precautions - protect bed linen and clothing from contamination, use condoms. There are several factors to consider:
- For the release of a large volume of blood, the uterus needs to open - the mucus leaves the cervix, which protects the organ from infection, and there is a risk of inflammation.
- Because of the increased chance of contracting an infection, you should not engage in relationships with unverified partners.
- It is worth giving up intimacy at elevated body temperature, which really speaks of the presence of an inflammatory process.
If all safety conditions are met and the partners decide to have sex, many women have sex with menstruation. allows you to reduce pain, eliminate headache and nervousness, shorten the duration bleeding.
Risks of conception during menstrual bleeding
Less worries about whether it will be possible to become pregnant during or immediately after menstruation should be women with a stable cycle, because they can independently calculate the fertility window and take enhanced contraceptive measures that are favorable for fertilization days. But the risks of its accomplishment always exist, and they depend on the cyclical duration:
- 28-30 days - with a standard cycle, the period of ovulation falls on the 14-15th day. Almost two weeks remain before menstruation, therefore, if conception did not take place, the gamete descends into the uterus, and after two days it dissolves in the mucous membrane of the organ. By the time of menstruation, there is no risk of pregnancy.
- Elongated - with a cycle of 33–35 days, it is almost impossible to fly in with menstruation. Sexual intercourse even on the last day of menstruation with strong sperm is unlikely to lead to pregnancy, since the duration of the follicular stage is more than two weeks.
- Short - if the intervals between menstruation for a lady are less than 21 days, and the menstruation itself lasts 6-7 days, the possibility of conceiving during it increases. The luteal phase has a standard duration of 14 days, it turns out that only 7 days remain for the follicular and ovulatory phase. If menstruation lasts 4 days, and intercourse was performed on the last day, with good sperm viability, one of them can wait for the gamete in the uterus and fertilize it.
Even against the background of stable menstruation for women who are not yet ready for motherhood, it is recommended, together with a doctor, to choose a suitable method of contraception, because the cycle will not always remain regular.
Against the background of stress or a sharp hormonal disruption, the duration of the phases may change and an unexpected conception may occur, even during menstruation.
Causes of cycle failures and conception during menstruation
Stable time intervals between periods and a logical sequence of phases one after another leave almost no chance of conception, which is why the question of whether it is possible to get pregnant on the 5th or 6th day of menstruation is asked more often by women with cyclic disorders duration. Many factors provoke malfunctions in the functioning of the reproductive organs, due to which the likelihood of conception during menstruation increases:
- advanced infectious diseases;
- disorders in the work of the endocrine system - diseases of the kidneys, adrenal glands, thyroid gland, diabetes mellitus;
- uterine fibroids, polyps in the uterus and ovaries;
- endometriosis;
- excessive physical and mental fatigue, stress;
- inflammation in the organs of the genitourinary system;
- long colds;
- a sharp drop in the defenses of the female body.
Women who are aware of their health problems and are registered with doctors should choose a more reliable method of protection than the calendar one.
Taking contraceptive pills
Despite the long-term use of OK, many ladies are interested in whether it is possible to get pregnant on the first day from the beginning. menstruation - this outcome of events is extremely small if a woman uses pills with strict adherence instructions. The risk of conception increases several times, in the presence of one or more factors:
- Violation of the rule for taking the drug - skipping one or two days of taking a contraceptive or abrupt refusal from it can provoke spontaneous ovulation, when several matures in the follicles at once gametes. Against the background of superovulation, even if one of them was not fertilized, the second may be in the uterine cavity already in the period of menstrual bleeding - this, with shortened intervals between menstruation, will lead to the onset pregnancy.
- OCs are drunk simultaneously with antibiotics or other potent drugs that are not combined with contraceptives - the effect of a contraceptive may partially decrease and come to naught.
- The woman independently picked up a contraceptive without being examined by a doctor.
For girls who are postponing motherhood for now, it is worth examining the blood for the content of hormones, choosing the most effective OK together with a gynecologist, taking them in accordance with the instructions. Then the risk of fertilization during menstruation, as well as at any other time of the cycle, will drop to almost zero.
Increased sperm vitality
The usual duration of sperm viability is 2 to 4 days. In a physically healthy man who does not suffer from somatic diseases, who leads the correct lifestyle, the sperm life can be extended to five to six days. As a result, when a lady has a shortened cycle, and sexual intercourse took place on the final day of her period, the sperm is able to wait for the gamete in the uterus for almost a week. This development of events is quite a sufficient condition for conception.
Repeated ovulation
Whether it will be possible to get pregnant during menstruation on the 3rd or 4th day - such a chance is in women who are prone to to the syndrome of repeated ovulation (this is the maturation of two eggs at the same time during one cycle). The onset of re-fertility is due to a hereditary predisposition, long-term intake of pills containing hormones, including the period of preparation for IVF.
The probability of re-ovulation is 10-17%, but it does exist. If one mature egg entered the uterus in the middle of the cycle and was not fertilized, then the second could leave the follicle on the eve of menstruation.
When a woman has her period, the gamete is in the fallopian tube. As soon as the critical days are over, it gets inside the genital organ, and a strong sperm ready to impregnate her within two days, if an intimate act was performed on the last day menses.
The likelihood of getting pregnant with menstruation as a percentage
Having intercourse once at the end of critical days may not lead to pregnancy, but the risk of conception increases if the couple repeats this repeatedly. When using the calendar method of protection, this approach is even more doomed to failure. If one intimate act by 10-15% can end in fertilization, then monthly unprotected contacts, even during menstruation, will sooner or later provoke an unplanned flight. The likelihood of getting pregnant during your period is expressed as a percentage as follows:
- In the first two days - it is almost impossible to get pregnant, the risk is 1–2%. This fact is explained by the abundant flow of blood from the uterus, washing away the old unfertilized gamete and rejected by the endometrioid layer.
- On the third day - the chance of unexpected conception is small. With a shortened cyclic duration and early ovulation, when intimate intercourse occurs on the third day menstruation, and the fertility window will open on the 6-8th day, conception with sufficient vital capacity of sperm is real for 2-3%.
- On the fourth day - it is worth using a barrier method of contraception, especially for women with hormonal disruptions, early ovulation and after a long intake of OK (superovulation may develop). The risk of getting pregnant is 4-5%.
The more days pass from the onset of menstruation, the higher the risks of an unplanned pregnancy become. Girls with prolonged menstruation (more than 6 days) and early ovulation should be more careful. On the fifth, sixth and seventh days, the chance of conceiving a baby is 6-8%.
How to determine ovulation with an irregular cycle
To assess the risks, is it possible to accidentally become pregnant during menstruation on days 2 to 7 with unstable intervals from one menstruation before another, a girl should be more attentive to the signals of her body and pay attention to signs of impending ovulation:
- Breast augmentation, it becomes tender and painful.
- A surge of energy, well-being and mood - the body strives to realize during ovulation the instinct of procreation, due to which a woman becomes attractive, the frequency of intimate contacts.
- Weak pulling pains on the side of the abdomen, where there was a rupture of the dominant follicle and the release of a mature egg.
- The appearance of scanty viscous discharge is the discharge of cervical mucus from the cervix. It frees the way for the sperm to reach the reproductive organ, and maintains the viability of the sperm.
- An increase in basal temperature - if a woman regularly measures it in the rectum in the morning, she cannot help but notice that before ovulation, the thermometer's readings become slightly lower, and during the period of egg release, they increase to 37-37.3 ° C.
Girls who have long wanted to get pregnant regularly visit Internet forums, communicate with those who have expectant mothers, read their reviews and comments, where you can find stories about the onset of conception during the period menstruation. In the same place, any pregnant woman can share the symptoms that appeared in her during the ovulatory period, thanks to which she managed to conceive even on "unsuitable" days for this.
Unprotected intercourse occurred at the end of menstruation - algorithm of actions
What unprotected sexual intercourse can lead to during menstruation and how to avoid unexpected consequences - the answers depend on the woman's desire or unwillingness for motherhood. In the case when there are suspicions that fertilization has occurred, several ways will help to find out for sure:
- The use of a sensitive pregnancy test - they react to the hCG content in urine at a level of 10-15 mIU / ml, and they should be used already a few days before the delay.
- Blood test for hCG - the substance begins to be produced immediately after the introduction of the ovum into the uterine wall. In the blood, the indicators of the substance grow an order of magnitude faster than in the urine, therefore, you can visit the laboratory for diagnosis 8-10 days after the intended conception.
- Ultrasound - it will not be possible to examine an embryo of a very small size at the initial stage, but the doctor can conclude whether fertilization has occurred by the presence of a corpus luteum. If it has not atrophied by the end of the cycle, this may indicate pregnancy. A decrease in the corpus luteum in size and signs of scarring suggest that menstruation will soon begin.
Is pregnancy possible at the beginning of the menstrual period - if the lady does not want to become a mother yet, she has a short cycle and is premature ovulation, she should use emergency contraception, Postinor or Escapel, and then choose an effective remedy protection.
The calendar method is one of the most unreliable means of contraception, especially for the fair sex with an unstable cycle and hormonal disruptions. Since the probability of getting pregnant during the critical days exists, albeit small, for women, there is ready to become mothers, it is important to protect yourself with suppositories, condoms, spirals or oral contraceptives.