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Can I get pregnant from sex during my period?

Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS

Unlikely but genuinely possible. Sperm survive up to five days, so sex late in a period can meet an early ovulation, especially in shorter or irregular cycles.

The calendar is a poor contraceptive: ovulation shifts with stress, illness and travel even in regular cycles.

If pregnancy would be unwelcome, use reliable contraception at every point in the cycle. If pregnancy is the goal, the fertile window opens roughly five days before ovulation and closes the day after.

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