You should read this if you’re looking to conceive and if you’re not looking to conceive, too!
You’re most likely to fall pregnant six days before you ovulate, on the day that you ovulate, and for around two days afterwards. If you want to fall pregnant, now’s the chance to engage in baby-making. Don’t want to conceive? Be extra careful with contraception around this time in your cycle.
Sperm can survive for up to five days inside your body. While sperm can survive this long, it has a small window of around 48 hours to fertilise the ovum before the ovum is absorbed back into the body.
Which is why you could become pregnant during the six days leading up to ovulation and the two days after if you have had unprotected sex. Under normal circumstances (where both partners are fertile and there are no underlying health conditions) you’re most likely to conceive on the above-mentioned days if sperm is present in the fallopian tubes when you ovulate.
Emphasis on not impossible. While it isn’t likely that you’ll conceive while menstruating (it’s actually the least likely time you’ll fall pregnant), it can happen if you have a very short menstrual cycle (you ovulate soon after your period) and if sperm survives inside your body after having sex.
As most of us know, the earliest sign is a missed period but this could also be down to stress or other factors. The easiest and quickest way to answer your question is to take a home pregnancy test, which can be taken from the first day of your missed period. They're usually pretty reliable but if you're unsure, contact your GP and get booked in.
In most cases it's totally safe to have sex when pregnant, though you may want to avoid putting too much pressure on your bump and breasts! If you have a high-risk pregnancy or have had any bleeding then it's worth consulting your midwife or doctor first, just to be on the safe side.
Firstly, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to confirm the pregnancy with a blood test or ultrasound. If you are pregnant prenatal care will be important to it's time to start taking prenatal vitamins and discuss a plan for regular prenatal visits with your healthcare provider.
In rare circumstances false positives pregnancy results can occur, due to certain medications, medical conditions, or improper testing. But, if you have experienced other signs such as tender breasts, or more frequent urination it may be time to speak to your healthcare provider for a more specific test.
