When you have sex, there is always a chance of becoming pregnant. It can happen even when you have protected sex. Using protection will however increase your chances of preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Researchers believe that you are more likely to conceive when you have sex at certain times during your monthly cycle. How about unprotected sex before period? Can you get pregnant at this time? It all depends when you actually ovulate, but you cannot say for sure when you will or will not ovulate. Many researchers use the monthly cycle of a woman and calculate the average risk for pregnancy.
I Had Unprotected Sex Before Period, Can I Be Pregnant?
Yes you can. There is a chance of becoming pregnant irrespective of when you engage in sexual intercourse without practicing safe sex or using birth control. You ovulate when your ovary releases egg, which travels through the fallopian tube. You are most fertile at this stage and having sex may fertilize the egg and result in pregnancy.
Ovulation takes place midway between your periods – that is when you have regular periods, but there is a chance of it to vary from the 8th day to the 20th day of your cycle. What it means is that you can still become pregnant if you have unprotected sex before period.The chances of becoming pregnant may come down a bit when you have sex a week before your period when you may not be ovulating. There is no way to confirm when you will ovulate though. This is especially true if you have an irregular period. You can ovulate just before the date of the last time you had your period, in which case unprotected sex will lead to pregnancy. So no matter it’s 7 days, 5 days or even 2 days before period, you can never be sure if the ovulation has started.
What Others Have Experienced and Advised?
Some with strictly regular periods may argue that if you have sex close enough to the period, the chances of pregnant are very slim. They would give sex without pregnancy a try. Let’s see what others say:
“I believe you are not going to get pregnant 3-4 days before your period because the egg usually cannot survive past a day of ovulation. Similarly, the chances of you becoming pregnant soon after your period are low as well. Just remember, it is not impossible to become pregnant if you have unprotected sex before period.”
“I don’t know how it will turn out to be for you, but it worked differently in my case. I had sex 3 days before my period and I ended up being pregnant. Hope this helps.”
“I had sex about 5 days before my period and I became pregnant with a baby girl who is about to be 4 now. I am pregnant again and this time I had sex about 4 days before my period.”
What to Do?
As you can figure, you can still become pregnant if you have unprotected sex before period. It is therefore a good idea to take emergency pills if you do not want to become pregnant.
When Can You Get Pregnant?
It is possible to have an idea of when you will be most fertile. You have to keep track of when your period starts every month. Also, count the number of days between each period. It is also a good thing to notice any changes that happen in your body during that time.
The very first day of when your period starts is the first day of your cycle. For a 28-day cycle, you should expect ovulation to happen between day 12 and 17. You will notice certain changes in your body during this time. In a 35-day cycle, the signs of ovulation may appear around day 20 or later. Therefore, it is important to first determine the length of your cycle to know if it is possible to become pregnant when you have unprotected sex before period. The following chart gives the ranges:
You will experience certain symptoms when you ovulate, which is extremely helpful if your period is irregular. For instance:
- You will notice cervical mucus becoming very thin, slippery, and clear like egg whites. If you take some of it on your fingers, it will stretch.
- You may also notice lower abdominal pain by the time you ovulate. It is usually nothing more than a twinge in the lower abdomen. Some women even experience a backache by the same time.
- Your basal body temperature will increase by 0.4-1.0°F after ovulation.
How to Know If You Are Pregnant?
A missed period is the biggest sign of pregnancy. If you have had sex before period and it has not arrived yet, you may want to take a pregnancy test to confirm. You also need to bear in mind that many other factors can affect the timing of your period. You may miss your period if you’re using birth control pills. Similarly, stress, improper eating habits, sickness, and too much exercise can also cause late or missed period.
A pregnancy test is the best way to confirm if you are actually pregnant or something else resulted in a missed period. You can now easily find pregnancy test kits at drugstores and use them at home. The home pregnancy tests come with 99% accuracy rate, so you can trust them.