When you are having sex, pregnancy is always a real possibility. Sex, like other fun activities, comes with certain risks if you are not using protection, with STI’s and unwanted pregnancies being the most obvious ones.
If you want to know what’s the chance of getting pregnant if you had unprotected sex you have come to the right place.
Like others, you will hear many rumors about where and when you could get pregnant. For some women, the thought of getting pregnant is met with great joy and anticipation, while for others it’s a cause of worry.
This is why most women in the reproductive age or the ones who are trying desperately to conceive will have many questions or doubts about their chances of conceiving.
We will look further at this below to help you understand more about unprotected sex and pregnancy.
What’s the Chance of Getting Pregnant If You Had Unprotected Sex
There is a good chance that you could get pregnant nearly any time that you engage in sexual intercourse without using an effective birth control. This scenario is familiar to most women.
Pregnancy usually occurs around the ovulation period, the time when your ovary releases egg in the fallopian tube. If you are having regular periods, ovulation will take place midway between your menstrual periods.
Ovulation usually happens midway between the first-day of 2 consecutive periods, but this can vary from the eight day to the twentieth day of a 28-day cycle.
Researchers calculate the average risk at varying times in a monthly cycle of a woman, but you should know that your risk can be lower or higher.
You cannot know the definite time of your ovulation, which is why the researchers use the monthly cycle of a woman when calculating the average risk for pregnancy.
Figuring Out the Chances of Getting Pregnant If You Had Unprotected Sex
You are more likely to conceive if you have unprotected sex during the middle 2 weeks of your cycle. The time varies, but many women ovulate about day 14.
You will have the highest risk of pregnancy by having unprotected sex one or two days before your ovulation starts; when the ovary releases the egg.
This is a 30% chance. The risk of having unprotected sex and getting pregnant three days prior to ovulation is 15%. You will have a 12% chance on the ovulation day. [1]
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In the real world, large studies show that women who engage in unprotected sex during mid-cycle have a much lower chance of getting pregnant as the risk is around 5.8%.
This is because you will have a much lower risk of getting pregnant if you engage in any sexual relations on the ovulation day and any day besides the three days prior to.
Not Getting Pregnant After Having Unprotected Sex for Months
There are times when having unprotected sex is not enough for you to get pregnant. You could be doing this for months with no luck.
Thankfully, there are certain things that you could do to increase your chances if it’s taking longer than expected for you to conceive.
This includes doing thinks like monitoring your ovulation, using an ovulation predictor kit, charting your basal body temperature, as well as checking and observing your cervical mucus.
When you have an idea of your ovulating time, you can start to time your sexual activities around that period. If you are using this method, you must ensure that you are having sex 2 days before your ovulation day or every other day during the week of your expected ovulation. This will boost your chances of conceiving.
If it’s a case where you have been engaging in unprotected sexual activities for more than six months without success, you could visit your doctor or ob/gyn to know about the alternative treatments that you could use for fertility problems. There are several solutions available and they are very effective.
How to Know When You Get Pregnant
The most common sign of pregnancy after unprotected sex is missed period. However, this missed or late period is not a sure sign as there are many other things that can cause it besides pregnancy.
This includes using birth control that contains hormones, stress, sickness, improper eating habits, or too much exercise.
It is pretty common for teens to have periods which come later than normal or missed periods because it could take several years for them to have a regular cycle.
So, the best way for you to know if you are pregnant is to do a pregnancy test. These are easy to get nowadays because they are available at drugstores or health centers.
It is important to note that the home pregnancy tests are ninety-nine percent accurate if taken after you miss a period.
Hopefully, you will now know what’s the chance of getting pregnant if you had unprotected sex.
Do you have a question about your period, ovulation, pregnancy or other related topic? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Wondering if you’re pregnant? Try our Online Pregnancy Quiz and get a rough estimate of your chance of being pregnant.
Read this post to learn more about when is the right time to take a pregnancy test.
References
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1. http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/content/womens_health/art3356.html
had my menses on 19 March to 22 and I had sex on every other day. Is it possible that I can get pregnant? My monthly cycle is 28 days. I miss my April period
My period starts on April 12 and I had unprotected sex the 22nd of April. My menstruation cycle is 28 days. Can I be pregnant?
I had sex with my husband on 20th April. my period was 1st April. my days are from 26 to 29. will I get pregnant?
My period started on April 11 and I had unprotected sex the 21st of April. My menstruation cycle is 28 days. Can I be pregnant?
You were fertile from April 23 to 27. The risk of getting pregnant is high because your partner’s sperm can live inside your body for at least 72 hours. You can become pregnant just before ovulation as long as one sperm is alive; in essence, the sperm could be there waiting for an egg to be released during the ovulation process.
Hi I have had a period since feburry 21 I normally have started my period between the 18- no later then the 26. could I be pregnant? took a test 3 weeks ago, I think I took it too early, because it was negative. But I’m taking one today
The last day of my periods was the 14th this month then I had unprotected sex on that day and on the 18th. So is it possible that I might be pregnant?
My period starts on April 11 and I had unprotected sex the 22nd of April. My menstruation cycle is 28 days. Can I be pregnant?
You were fertile from April 23 to 27, 2016. An egg can survive for about 24 hours after it’s released from the ovary. Sperm can survive in the reproductive tract for up to five days; it’s possible that the sperm may still be hanging around during ovulation, ready to fertilize the egg. So if you had sex on April 22 and ovulate on the 23rd, it is possible for you to conceive.
I had sex on the 17th and 19th of March, I started my periods on the 26th to 29th of March 2016. I still haven’t received my periods for April. Am I pregnant? I’m now having back aches.
You may not be pregnant since you had a period after you had sex. On what date was your April period due?
I had my menses on 28th March to 1st April and I had sex on the 14th. Is it possible that I can get pregnant? My monthly cycle is 22 days.
Based on your 22 days cycle, you were fertile from April 03 to 07, 2016. You’re not likely to be pregnant by having sex on the 14th.
I had unprotected sex 8 days after my period. Can I get pregnant? Help, please.
If you have a regular 28 days cycle then ovulation would happen on the 14th day. In this case you are not likely to become pregnant.
Hello my last period started March 25th and lasted until 29th I had sex April the 11th and my period suppose to start April 25th next week can I be pregnant? I really hope so
I had sex after my period was coming off which was the 26 of march .but it began 22nd of march , Now its april 20th i still havent got any usual signs i would a couple days before my period. Can i be pregnant ?
Hi July, It’s too early to worry. Please wait until 10 days after your supposed date. In case you don’t get period by then, take a pregnancy test. ATB!
So I have irregular periods when I come on they are real heavy. I had unprotected sex with my bf on Sunday 17th and he came in me. Today the 19th I came on my period light. Any chance that I could be pregnant. I know my hormones are all over the place and low and been told I have pms. Just need some advice thanks.
Hi Emmy, if you are sure that you had bleeding on 19th because of period, then you are not pregnant. In case it was during some other reason, then there might be a chance.
My partner and I had sex for the past 4 days and attempted roughly 10 times to conceive. My last period was April 5/6? Also, I have roughly a 28 days cycle. Do I have a very high chance of getting pregnant this time?
The best time to have sex is April 17 to 21,2016. This will increase your chances of getting pregnant. Your next menstrual period is expected to start on May 03, 2016. Good luck!
I’m irregular and I don’t know when I start ovulating. Me and my bf had sex on April 1st and after that a couple days later I was feeling sick but wasn’t sure if I was pregnant. I’ve been sleeping a lot more and gained weight I think. But I am not sure since then we just had sex midnight on the 19th and I’m lightly bleeding I don’t know if its because I’m ovulating or on my cycle …if someone could help I would appreciate it
Hi Keke, what you can do is use an ovulation test. It will show if you are ovulating. If not, it’s probably your period.
Thank you for your help.
In February my period was on the 28th; ending 3 March. I again had my period on 30 March and my last day of my period was April 3 and I had unprotected sex on 14 April. Help me calculate my cycle and please tell me if there are any chances of me being pregnant.
You had a 31 days cycle between February and March. You were fertile during March 14 to 18, 2016 so it is highly likely that you conceived. Your next menstrual period was expected to start on March 30, 2016. You can now take a pregnancy test.
Yes Steffy, my period was on 30 March but I’m now asking that if I have a 31-day cycle, and I had sex on 14 April – am I likely to get pregnant?