# Pregnant on her period **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693 "2003-01-10T05:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![empfsu1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/db5fbb/32.png) [@empfsu1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/empfsu1)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/1 "2003-01-10T05:39:59Z")
A friend, who is a year away from being a doctor, told me it is impossible for a girl to get pregnant if she has unprotected sex on the second day of her period. Is this true? ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/2 "2003-01-10T06:04:32Z")
Like most things in medicine it’s pretty much, but not absolutely true. The chances of pregancy would be miniscule. Ovulation occurs 14 days prior to your next period. An egg lives 24-48 hours, and viable sperm can stay around for about 5 days. So, if the woman’s NEXT period was going to be 21 days or less from the start of this one, she could become pregnant. Such short intervals between menses is rare but not unheard of. ---
**Author:** ![paulr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5e9695/32.png) [@paulr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulr2)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/3 "2003-01-10T19:46:37Z")
i don’t trust anything that bleeds for 7 days & doesn’t die ---
**Author:** ![msgotrocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8edcca/32.png) [@msgotrocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msgotrocks)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/4 "2003-01-10T21:00:09Z")
Talk to your friend after she has been practicing a few years. She’ll find that when it comes to women of child-bearing age nothing is impossible. Highly unlikely, perhaps, but never impossible. Besides, don’t you think that if there were 12-13 days a year when a woman could have sex and be guaranteed not to become pregnant the whole world would know about it? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/5 "2003-01-10T21:14:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by paulr2\_ \* > \*\*i don’t trust anything that bleeds for 7 days & doesn’t die \*\* Which is why he hasn’t had a date in 71/2 years… Ahem. To the OP. Typically, when women first start menstruating thier cycle is really wonky. A woman could be getting bleeding every 28 days, as per usual, or every 38 days, or every 48 days, like I did when I first started. This makes the actual day of ovulation very hard to determine (just because you don’t get a period, doesn’t mean that you don’t ovulate). Theoretically, a woman could ovulate, and get her period a day or two later. Or ovulate and get hardcore breakthrough bleeding that she assumed was a period. So - does it happen very often? No. Should people rely on this as a form of birth control? No. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/6 "2003-01-10T21:21:35Z")
Medical students represent that part of the medical totem pole hierarchy that is imbedded in the ground. They have just enough knowledge to be _truly_ dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/7 "2003-01-10T21:29:02Z")
Yes, not only have I heard of people (women mostly) getting their period EVEN THOUGH they are pregnant…there are also lot’s of girls getting pregnant on birth control. Nothing’s impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/8 "2003-01-10T22:25:53Z")
Many women aren’t regular. It can happen, but it is pretty rare, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/9 "2003-01-10T23:05:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dauerbach \* > \*\*So, if the woman’s NEXT period was going to be 21 days or less from the start of this one, she could become pregnant. Such short intervals between menses is rare but not unheard of. \*\* A 21 day cycle is not rare…in fact DUB (dysfunctional uterine bleeding) in this instance is only diagnosed when the cycle is _shorter_ than 21 days (thus the implication that 21 days can be considered ‘normal’). Oh, and re the OP…what everyone else has said: unlikely, but not _impossible_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pregnant-on-her-period/147693/10 "2003-01-11T00:34:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by paulr2\_ \* > \*\*i don’t trust anything that bleeds for 7 days & doesn’t die \*\* In the future, don’t trust in the Pit.