Sex And Menstruation: How Many Days After Periods Are Safe To Avoid Pregnancy

Many couples wonder about the safe period to have sex after or before menstruation when they can avoid pregnancy. They want to know the date when there are minimal chances of conception so that they can enjoy the act without worrying about an unplanned pregnancy.

We connected with Dr Chetna Jain, Director Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Sector 14, Gurugram, to talk about a safe period in the menstrual cycle when the chances of pregnancy are the lowest.

Understanding Menstrual Cycle And Fertile Window

The menstrual cycle is 28 days. If you count from day one of your period, days 9 to 19 are the most fertile days for a woman. Doctors also call it the fertile window.

It means if a couple opts for unprotected sex in this period, it is highly likely that they will conceive. Suppose, if a woman has a menstrual cycle of 28 days. The ovulation happens in the middle of the cycle, which means that the ovaries will be releasing an egg on the 14th day in the middle of the cycle.

Give or take four days before and after ovulation are considered the most fertile days. “Intercourse without protection can lead to pregnancy during this time,” she added.

This means day one periods to 8, and days 20 to 28 are relatively infertile days. If a couple has unprotected sex during these two windows, chances of conception are low. However, it is never 100% safe to have unprotected sex.

The menstrual cycle differs from woman to woman. Some have 21 days cycle, others can have 28 or 35 days cycles. Depending on the length of the cycle, the fertile window also differs for every woman.

How Many Days After Periods Ovulation Happens?

During ovulation, your ovaries release eggs. The expert said that an egg usually perishes between 6 to 24 hours. On the other hand, the sperm can live inside a woman’s body for 48 hours.

In many cases, it has been found that sperms have survived in a woman’s body for seven days. Hence, one cannot be sure about the fertile window. Though ovulation happens in the middle of the cycle, Dr Jain added that occasionally, a woman can ovulate early or late in her menstrual cycle. In such a case, you cannot predict the fertile window.

A woman can track her cycles to know about the fertile window. Usually, if you are marking on a calendar or an application, you should look at the data of 9 to 12 months at least to be sure, yet you cannot be 100% sure about it.

If you are someone whose periods are regular, it might be easy for you to predict the fertile window. If you have irregular menstrual cycles, there is no way to predict the safe period to have unprotected and avoid pregnancy.

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Safe Sex Period, Contraception And Menstrual Cycle

If a couple wants, they can have sex in the fertile window, but they must use contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Since there is no accurate method to predict ovulation and be 100% sure of the dates, you should not forego the contraception barriers.

The expert shared that many couples also try the withdrawal method outside the fertile window to avoid unplanned pregnancy. They do not know that it can be risky because sperm can enter a woman’s body during pre-ejaculation.

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Many women track their ovulation using a Luteinizing Hormone (LH) kit. It is similar to a home pregnancy test kit that tells you if you are in the fertile window of your menstrual cycle. A few other symptoms of ovulation include testing cervical mucus or witnessing a rise in the temperature of your body. But these are not accurate methods.

If you do not want to get pregnant, you should use condoms, birth control pills, or other barrier methods during sex. You can enjoy the act better and focus on each other rather than worrying about conceiving.

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