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Dear Lawrence Jay Rappaport M.D.
I was introduced to this site on my research about pregnancy and periods, someone on the message boards recommended that the best person to speak to on this site was yourself... I'm not sucking up, this is what I was told on a website so yeah haha.
Anyways, I've been doing a lot of research about this situation which happened at the end of October. My girlfriend and I had unprotected sex on the second day of her period, the sex was not finished, it lasted for about... 3 to 5 mins, I pulled out because I couldn't penetrate in far (I could feel it go in), I saw pre-cum.
I was worried about getting my girlfriend pregnant because I know that there is a chance of getting pregnant with sex on period, and also with pre-cum. I went to enquire to a doctor the next day, he told me that there has been recorded cases where people got pregnant on their second day of their period, because emotions altered hormones, causing early ovulation. He told me that there is a chance, but this chance is very slim... I asked him what the percentage of pregnancy happening was, and he said... 1 in a 1000 (he's just estimating), or that it is lower then the chance of getting pregnant with the pill.
My girlfriend said that her cycle is 28 days long, but I am still scared, scared of losing her because she might be mad at me for getting her pregnant (even though I asked her whether she wanted to have sex or not...). I'm also scared about all the things that could happen to her, making her feel uncomfortable and stuff.
Please help me with this... was the doctor that I enquired to correct about my situation, there the chances are very very slim? When they say slim chance, how slim is this chance?
Thank you for your time.
Answer -
I do not even believe there is any chance that your girlfriend can have conceived on the second day of her period. In a woman with a 28 day cycle (from the first day of the period until the first day of the next period) ovulation occurs on cycle day #14. She can only become pregnant if she has unprotected sex on cycle day #13,14,15, or 16. She cannot EVER get pregnant on the second day of her cycle because ovulation cannot occur (even with altered hormonal sates or emotional crises) until there is an LH surge and the ovary expels the ovum. The first half of the cycle enables the follicles to mature in the ovary and it takes at least 10-14 days before a follicle will mature enough to be expelled from the ovary (ovulation). I would say that having sex on cycle day #2 will never cause pregnancy.
Thank you... what about for people who have a 21 day cycle? And on websites I have seen people who got pregnant on period, are they mistaking their periods for ovulation bleeding? Are the websites wrong about this subject of how people can get pregnant anytime of the cycle?
AnswerIn a woman with a 21 day cycle (from the first day of her period until the first day of her next period), ovulation still occurs fourteen days PRIOR TO the first day of her period. Therefore, it should occur on cycle day #7. This is extremely rare because it usually takes around 10 days for enough estrogen to build up the wall of the endometrium to prepare it for pregnancy. Then there is an LH (luteinizing hormone) surge and the ovum is expelled from the ovary, and remains at the end of the fallopian tube until fertilization occurs. Even if the woman could have ovulated on cycle day #7,she still could not conceive on cycle day #2. Although some woman have some bleeding during pregnancy, this bleeding is not a period but can be due to other factors (placenta previa, abruptio placenta, trauma, sexual intercourse, erosion of the cervix, etc). Whenever a pregnant woman has some bleeding, it must be further investigated. Women cannot become pregnant during their period, nor can they get their period if they are pregnant. If you have seen mention of this on any websites, the information is incorrect. Usually, in women who have ovulation bleeding or "mid cycle staining", the bleeding is much less than a regular period and occurs at midcycle. It is self limited, does not last long, and is insignificant. I'm sure you know that a woman cannot get pregnant anytime during their cycle, but only once they have ovulated and this involves maturation of the egg, a drop in the circulating estrogen levels and an LH surge. I'm sorry but I have not seen the websites you mention. I would suggest that you peruse the literature or a textbook of reproductive medicine rather than rely on websites.
