Can you get pregnant on your period?

Today on the Menstrual Mastery podcast I’m answering a question most of us have frantically typed into the Google search bar… Can you get pregnant on your period?

The age old question. The one that everyone loves to shout about on the internet, in the comments section, & at the doctor's office. ⁠

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Well, let's learn the truth...⁠

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From a Certified Fertility Awareness Educator - aka someone who is ACTUALLY trained in how the menstrual cycle & fertility cycle work. ⁠

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For questions as important as this one, it's time we STOP polling the internet and listening to scary stories about a friend of a friend who got pregnant on her period.⁠

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Getting pregnant on one's period can happen BUT only in specific circumstances that DO NOT apply to every person's cycle. It's crucial to know how YOUR specific cycle works, when your fertile window begins, & how to track your cycle using fertility awareness methods so that you can ACTUALLY know if YOU can get pregnant on YOUR period.⁠

Let’s take a closer look at when you CAN and CAN’T get pregnant on your period…

Can you get pregnant on your period? Yes if you ovulate early.

The earlier you ovulate, the closer to your fertile window will be to your period. Because we can get pregnant from getting busy on the 5 or so days before ovulation some women may still be on their periods at the start of their fertile window.

Can you get pregnant on your period? Yes, if you have a long period.

The longer your period is the closer to ovulation and your fertile window it will be. For folks with periods that are 5+ days long, the start of their fertile window may also be the last few days of their period.

Can you get pregnant on your period? Yes, with a breakthrough bleed.

What the heck is a breakthrough bleed? It’s when a bleed occurs that is not a true period. That is to say that the bleed did not happen because you ovulated, but because the uterine lining needed to release itself. These types of bleeds are common with really long cycles, anovulatory cycles, and irregular cycles. Breakthrough bleeds can be closely followed by ovulation and are often mistaken as a period which means having sex during a breakthrough bleed can have a high likelihood of leading to pregnancy.

Can you get pregnant on your period? Maybe, if you don’t track your cycle.

Without learning how to track your menstrual cycle using fertility awareness methods it’s nearly impossible to know when your fertile window begins and if you have fertile days during your period bleed.

Can you get pregnant on your period? Probably not, if you have a short period.

With a shorter 3 to 5 day period it is much less likely to get pregnant on one’s period because ovulation would have to happen quite early in the cycle around day 8 or 10 which is uncommon. Again, it’s not impossible it’s just much less common.

Can you get pregnant on your period? No, if you ovulate late in the cycle.

Late or delayed ovulation means that ovulation occurs further away from the period bleed. This also means that the fertile window begins later in the cycle and further away from the period bleed.

Can you get pregnant on your period?

The most accurate answer is I don’t know.

I don’t know if YOU specifically can get pregnant on your period. Why don’t I know that? Because I’d have to look at your cycle tracking charts in order to determine the answer.

I know that I, personally, cannot get pregnant on my period because my period is around 4 days long and I historically do not ovulate until day 12 at the earliest, which means that my fertile window doesn’t open until about day 7 of my cycle. But that’s me and my body. That’s after years of tracking to really know the rhythms of my personal menstrual cycle.

Can some of my clients get pregnant from sex on their periods? Yes. Can all of my clients get pregnant from sex on their periods? No.

It all comes down to each person’s menstrual cycle, the length of their bleed, & the earliest potential of ovulation based on past cycles.

Therefore, the truest answer to the age-old question “Can you get pregnant on your period?” is There’s no way to know unless you track your cycle using fertility awareness methods to know when fertility begins in YOUR unique cycle.

Special disclaimer reminder for today’s episode: This is not medical, health, birth control, or fertility advice. I am not a doctor, nurse, or health care provider. I am an educator. I teach about how the menstrual cycle works. The information in this podcast episode is simply an educational resource designed to help you have empowered conversations with your health care providers.

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Are you interested in learning how to track your cycle using fertility awareness methods to know if you can get pregnant on your period, to better understand YOUR body & cycle, or as a tool for natural birth control and fertility support? If so, you’re in the right place!

Disclaimer: Brandy Oswald, Sauvage Wellness LLC, and her employees are not doctors, nurses, physicians, psychotherapists, or in anyway licensed medical practitioners and information presented here is to serve as an educational resource and not to be interpreted as: (1) medical advice; (2) a 100% effective birth control option; (3) 100% pregnancy achievement support or (4) nutrition or health guidelines. By reading this you acknowledge that you understand that as a specialized form of consulting, coaching is not the same as professional or licensed therapy or medical advice and intervention; and recognize that it is your responsibility to seek such services from a licensed professional. Brandy Oswald is not a medical provider and cannot give medical advice. All information provided by Sauvage Wellness LLC and Brandy Oswald is of a general nature and is intended only for educational purposes to help with your personal health improvement goals and should not be relied on as medical advice. Always consult a physician with any health concerns and prior to changing your diet, lifestyle, supplements,birth control, or prescription medicine routine. Should you choose to use the information provided by Brandy Oswald it is of your own volition and you recognize that neither Brandy nor Sauvage Wellness LLC is not held liable for any intended or unintended outcomes.