When is safest time to have intercourse

Find out how to protect yourself. Emergency contraception is a way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex; for example, if a condom breaks or slips off during sex. It is also available to teens who are forced to have unprotected sex.

Learn what the fertility awareness rhythm method of birth control is and how it works — and some of the reasons why it might not work for teens. Some people — even those who are having sex — are embarrassed by the topic of condoms.

Here are some tips for talking about condoms with your partner. Before you consider having sex, you need to know how to protect yourself. Read this article to get the basics on birth control. As a result, there are around 21 days in the menstrual cycle on which pregnancy is less likely. The days before and during menstruation are the least fertile days of the menstrual cycle.

People with a menstrual cycle that is shorter than 28 days could ovulate within days of their period ending. Menstrual cycles may shorten with age, particularly after the age of 35 years. Fertility increases sharply around 12—14 days before menstruation, so unprotected sex is more likely to result in pregnancy during that time. It is unlikely but possible that conception will occur in the 1 or 2 days following a period since sperm can survive for up to 7 days after sex.

For example, a couple may have sex the day after a period ends. If ovulation occurs on that day or within the next 6 days, pregnancy is possible.

People with shorter menstrual cycles are more likely to become pregnant in the days after a period ends because they ovulate earlier. Ovulation is the process of an egg developing within the ovaries and the ovaries releasing the egg each month.

It usually happens 10—16 days before the start of the next period, though menstrual cycles can vary in length. For conception to occur, a sperm must fertilize the egg. Once the ovaries release the egg, it passes into the fallopian tube. If sex has occurred, the egg will meet the sperm.

The likelihood of becoming pregnant increases if sperm are already in the fallopian tube when ovulation occurs. For this reason, people are most likely to become pregnant in the days leading up to ovulation. Once fertilized, the egg travels farther down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it implants in the uterine lining and develops into an embryo.

If a sperm does not fertilize the egg, however, the uterine lining breaks down and leaves the body during menstruation. Fertility awareness methods FAMs are ways that people can track their monthly menstrual cycles and identify their least fertile days. People who do not wish to become pregnant can then plan to have sex on those days.

They may also wish to avoid having vaginal sex or use birth control on the days they identify as particularly fertile.

There are different types of FAMs that people can use to identify their most and least fertile days. Some people use just one, while others use a combination of the following. Tracking temperature throughout the menstrual cycle can help predict ovulation. People who use temperature as a FAM will need to take their temperature every day and track it with a chart or fertility app.

Experts recommend monitoring temperature for 3 months before using it as a reliable FAM. Cervical mucus , or vaginal discharge, changes in color, texture, and volume throughout the menstrual cycle. On their less fertile days, it will be sticky and cloudy. On their least fertile days, there may be little or no mucus at all. It's important to remember that sperm can sometimes survive in the body for up to 7 days after you have sex. This means it may be possible to get pregnant soon after your period finishes if you ovulate early, especially if you have a naturally short menstrual cycle.

You should always use contraception when you have sex if you don't want to become pregnant. Page last reviewed: 8 July Next review due: 8 July Home Common health questions Pregnancy Back to Pregnancy. Can I get pregnant just after my period has finished?