Can i get pregnant outside of my fertility window

• When Is Ovulation?
  • How Many Days After Your Menstrual Period Do You Ovulate?
• Guide
  • Can You Get Pregnant When Not Ovulating? Topic Guide

You can become pregnant any time during the menstrual cycle, even when you are not ovulating (which is when you have the greatest chance of conceiving). The chance of getting pregnant right after your period increases with each day after bleeding stops.

• It’s possible to become pregnant any time during the menstrual cycle if you have unprotected sex. 
• The chance of getting pregnant right after your period increases with each day after bleeding stops. 
• The chance of getting pregnant is greatest during ovulation, which usually occurs about two weeks after the menstrual period, but it is still possible to become pregnant at any point in the menstrual cycle, especially in people who have irregular periods. A menstrual cycle usually lasts 28 to 30 days or more.
• Those who have a shorter cycle, for example, 21 to 24 days, will ovulate earlier in the cycle. Sperm can survive for up to five days in a woman’s reproductive system, and so a person who has a shorter cycle could have sex toward the end of a period and conceive 5 days later due to early ovulation. 

How Many Days After Your Menstrual Period Do You Ovulate?

A monthly menstrual cycle is measured from the first day of the menstrual period until the first day of the next period. An average menstrual cycle is between 28-32 days, though some people may have shorter or longer cycles.

• Ovulation usually occurs between Day 11 to Day 21 of the cycle, counting from the first day of the last period. Ovulation usually lasts one day, can happen any time during this window, and it’s not always the same each month. Those who have menstrual cycles on the shorter side tend to be more likely to ovulate closer to Day 11. People who have longer menstrual cycles may ovulate occur closer to Day 21. 
• Fertility is greatest in the window when ovulation occurs, and people who are trying to become pregnant use ovulation prediction to determine the optimal time to have intercourse, particularly if they are having difficulty conceiving. Even though ovulation does not usually occur during a menstrual period, sperm can survive up to 5 days in a woman’s body so it is still possible for an egg to be fertilized if intercourse during a menstrual period.
• Many people use ovulation calendars or period tracking apps to help predict when they will ovulate and be most fertile. 
• Other methods, including observing cervical fluid, taking daily basal body temperature, and tracking periods can also help identify when you ovulate.

Reviewed on 1/20/2022

References

Image Source: iStock Images

https://sexinfoonline.com/can-we-get-pregnant-if-for-her/

https://americanpregnancy.org/

Yes, you can get pregnant after ovulation, as long as you have sex within about 12 to 24 hours of when an egg was released. The fertile window can last 5 to 6 days, from the 5 days before ovulation to the day of ovulation. Your chance of getting pregnant after ovulation is small. One older study found that the odds of conception one day past ovulation are between 0% and 11% (and no other evidence has come along to contradict this).

But don’t let those odds stop you from having sex! There are a few reasons to have baby-making sex even if you think you already ovulated. First, you may be mistaken about your exact day of ovulation. And second, sex after fertilization may boost your odds of pregnancy.

The Fertile Window

Ideally, if you want to get pregnant, you need to have sex before you ovulate. If you thought sex needs to come after ovulation, you’re not alone. Many people don’t realize that the best time to have sex to get pregnant is before, not after, ovulation.

Sperm can live for a few days in your cervix and fallopian tubes, but an egg must be fertilized soon after it's released. So your odds are better if sperm are ready and waiting for an egg they can fertilize, rather than the other way around.

There have been several research studies on the odds of conception at various stages of the menstrual cycle. These agree that the best odds of conception are the day before and the day of ovulation. But it's not 100% clear how likely you are to conceive once ovulation has passed.

Based on older research, your odds of getting pregnant from having intercourse once may be anywhere in these ranges:

• One day before ovulation: 21% to 35%
• On ovulation day: 10% to 33%
• One day past ovulation (1DPO): 0% to 11%
• Two days past ovulation (2DPO): 0% to 9%

A more recent study that looked at the probability of pregnancy from intercourse throughout the menstrual cycle found the highest probability on day 13 (one day before ovulation) in people with regular cycles.

These numbers assume that you have sex just once during your fertile window. If you have sex before you ovulate and the day after, your odds will be significantly different (better!) than if you have sex only after you ovulated.

How Long After Ovulation Can You Conceive?

This depends on how you define "conceive." Fertilization of the ovulated egg must take place within 12 to 24 hours. After that, the egg is no longer viable.

But fertilization of the egg doesn't mean you're pregnant. As anyone who has gone through in vitro fertilization (IVF) can tell you, having an embryo (which is a fertilized egg) doesn't guarantee a pregnancy. You're not pregnant until the embryo implants itself into the uterine lining.

Ovulation Day Errors

Keep in mind that ovulation day errors can occur. You may be wrong about when you ovulated. Most methods of ovulation prediction aren’t perfect. So even if you think you've already ovulated, and missed your fertile window, you may still be in that window. It doesn't hurt to try!

There are many ways to detect your most fertile time, including:

• Body basal temperature charting
• Tracking cervical mucus changes
• Using an ovulation predictor test
• Using a wearable fertility monitor

Body basal temperature (BBT) charting is often considered to be the most accurate, but it can be prone to errors in recording and interpretation. According to one study, BBT charting predicted the day of ovulation correctly only 22% of the time.

If you are trying to pinpoint ovulation day by measuring urinary levels of the hormone LH (like you do with an ovulation predictor test), the results can be quite accurate (over 90%). But you do have to keep purchasing kits and/or test strips.

Sex After Ovulation May Help With Implantation

There’s another reason to have sex even if you’ve already ovulated: It may improve your odds of implantation. An older study looked at the effect sexual intercourse has on pregnancy success and IVF. In this study, one group of couples had sexual intercourse around the time of embryo transfer. The other group abstained from sex.

The initial pregnancy rates between the groups were not that different. However, the number of people who were still pregnant at 6 to 8 weeks was significant.

Of the group that had sex around the time of embryo transfer, 11.01% were still pregnant at 6 to 8 weeks. As for those who did not have sex around embryo transfer, only 7.69% were still pregnant at 6 to 8 weeks. The theory is that semen may play a role in embryo health and development.

While more recent research has failed to find evidence of this effect, a 2020 study reported that having sex around the time of implantation (in people not undergoing fertility treatments) doesn't increase or decrease the likelihood of implantation and successful pregnancy. This suggests that having sex post-ovulation is unlikely to harm the chances of implantation.

A Word From Verywell

When you're trying to get pregnant, it can be tempting to worry about whether you're having sex "at the right time." While there are particular days when you're more likely to conceive, sex shouldn't only be about baby-making.

That said, if your only chance to have sex happens to fall after ovulation, it's natural to wonder if it counts. Whether you think you’ve already ovulated or not, have sex. You may have miscalculated and think you ovulated already when you haven't... or, even if you already ovulated, it's possible sex after ovulation could help along an embryo. 

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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6. Su HW, Yi YC, Wei TY, Chang TC, Cheng CM. Detection of ovulation, a review of currently available methods. Bioeng Transl Med. 2017;2(3):238-246. doi:10.1002/btm2.10058

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By Rachel Gurevich, RN
Rachel Gurevich is a fertility advocate, author, and recipient of The Hope Award for Achievement, from Resolve: The National Infertility Association. She is a professional member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and has been writing about women’s health since 2001. Rachel uses her own experiences with infertility to write compassionate, practical, and supportive articles.

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