Can You Get Pregnant Right Before Your Period?

Whether you’re TTC or trying not to have a baby, the question on everyone’s mind is: Can you get pregnant right before your period? We’ve consulted with embryology expert Navya Muralidhar to shed some light. Are there any subjects more puzzling than pregnancy and periods? We doubt it.

When you’re trying to conceive, it can feel like questions about pregnancy, periods, and everything in between dominate your life.

Can you get pregnant right before your period? Can you get pregnant a week before your period? Can you get pregnant on your period, for that matter?

Sheesh. It’s just exhausting. Period.

So that’s the plan here ‒ to finally get to the bottom of these questions. Here goes:

In this article: 📝

Can you get pregnant before your period starts?

Can I get pregnant right before my period? We hear you ask. Well...

Because our bodies love a gray area, the short answer is: possible but highly unlikely.

When you look at all the people on the planet, it’s pretty hard to imagine that conception can actually only take place in a tiny little monthly window that typically only lasts about 6 days.

After all, there are mamas and pregnant people on Peanut who have stories like “I got pregnant a week before my period” or “I got pregnant 1 day before my period”.

But, ‘typically’ speaking, most people get pregnant in the lead up to, during, and after ovulation ‒ when your hormones work to get an egg released from your ovary.

To get pregnant, that egg needs to hook up with some sperm – and fast.

As in 12-24 hours after ovulation/released from the ovary kind of fast.

Ovulation usually happens at about exactly the opposite corner of the month to your next period.

(At this point, we’ll just irritatingly remind you that, for all the painful symptoms, your period is simply your body getting rid of the egg that didn’t swipe right on any sperm that month.)

That’s why, typically, at least, the likelihood of pregnancy right before your period is not great.

(And if you’re asking can you get pregnant on your period? – the same answer applies.)

Can you get pregnant before ovulation?

While that would be rather miraculous, there is a possible plot twist that could land you with a positive pregnancy test when you’re not in what you think is your ovulation phase.

Even if you have a cycle that is more predictable than a badly-written soap opera, there is a chance that your fertile period may not be that obvious.

There are longer and shorter cycles with all sorts of factors like age, stress levels, and just plain genetic makeup that pop in to mess up the predictability of your fertility window – all things you need to try your best to get in touch with if your plan is to conceive.

But then, of course, your plan might be to not have a baby right now, or ever, and that’s totally valid.

If that’s the case, there are lots of different forms of birth control that may be available to you ‒ whatever works for you!

Do you ovulate before or after your period?

Look, your fertile window is only about 7 to 10 days, so technically everything outside of that time should be a safe zone. Technically.

But how many days are you likely to get pregnant right before period?

Can you get pregnant a week before your period, or can you get pregnant the day before your period?

Let’s look at the chances of getting pregnant right before period.

It is possible to get pregnant before period ‒ or at any point in your menstrual cycle.

Here are the chances of getting pregnant during a ‘typical’ menstrual cycle:

• Day 1: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant (first day of period)
• Day 2: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 3: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 4: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 5: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 6: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 7: Around 3% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 8: Around 6% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 9: Around 9% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 10: Around 18% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 11: Around 27% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 12: Around 33% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 13: Around 42% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 14: Around 20% chance of getting pregnant (ovulation day)
• Day 15: Around 8% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 16: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 17: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 18: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 19: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 20: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 21: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 22: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 23: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 24: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 25: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 26: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 27: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
• Day 28: Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
  However, menstrual cycles can last anywhere between 21 and 45 days, so your individual days of ovulation and chances of getting pregnant before period might be different, but you can use this as a guide.

Can you conceive right before your period?

If pregnancy isn’t on your cards right now, we’d recommend using some form of birth control ‒ there are lots of choices, so have a chat with your healthcare provider to see which suits you best.

But what happens if you conceive right before your period?

As in you’re the one in an infinity of chances case.

Can you get pregnant right before your period and still have a period?

Yes, you can.

It’s possible. It. Is. Possible.

But again, highly unlikely.

I got pregnant 1 day before my period stories

Stranger things have happened on Peanut than a pregnancy before a period.

So, we’ve checked in with our community and uncovered the real stories that will have anyone believing in the possibility:

• I thought the cramps I got were my period coming because I used to get them a day or two before I'd actually start bleeding. Then one night I took a sip of beer and immediately threw up, I knew right then that I was pregnant and took a test the next day. – Kaliska
• I thought I was having period cramps. The night before I found out I was pregnant I had margaritas because I thought I was getting my period. The next day I just took a test just for random and almost passed out when it said positive! – Haylee
• My cycle is never regular and tends to be 4-6 weeks long, so it's hard to regulate and watch. I had very similar symptoms as my period, except my boobs hurt a little longer than normal. I mentioned to my hubs that I was about a week late, but it wasn't like I hadn't been before, and he had a feeling something was up, so I took a test before he went to work. He actually saw the results before I did and I didn't believe them 😂 we took two more and they were all positive – Kendra
• I actually wasn’t due for another week. I only took a test because we were trying for a few months already and my friend wanted to see if I wanted to go bar hopping. Had to decline 😂 - Jodie
• I had cramps and implantation bleeding. I thought I had started my period. – Mimi
• I wore a pad all day thinking for sure I was gonna start my period. When the evening hit, and it hadn't shown up, I decided to take a test since hubby and I had been having unprotected sex for two months. The test was positive! I retested the next day to be sure and got another positive. Now I have a cute 6-month-old baby! – Lakin
  For all those high school biology classes, nobody ever seems to want to tell us exactly how it feels to actually be inside your own body – and how often real life seems to deviate from the textbook.

The reality of women’s bodies seems to be such a well-kept secret that some of the most necessary questions we need to answer make the big decisions in our lives seem almost rhetorical.

So, to sum up, can you get pregnant right before your period?

Technically, yes, although the chances are very slim.

But take a deep dive into the Peanut community and you’ll find anything is possible.

Or at the very least, you’ll be in the company of mamas asking the same questions you are.

We love having these conversations.