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Pregnancy while menstruating...
Hi, Myrrha. I have a question for you regarding one of my past answers...
In reference to this question (my answered which was followed by your answer):
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Did you know that sperm CAN live in the body for up to two weeks, apparently? There has been cases documented where a female has been ejaculated in and then swabbed and what-not two weeks later and live sperm have been found. It is unknown as to how common this is because of the following information:
The female egg is not fertilized in the uterus but, rather, in the fallopian tube. This being said, if a man ejaculated in you while you were on your period, the sperm just need to make it into your fallopian tube (the one with the egg in question) to fertilize you. The fallopian tube is not shedding lining during menstruation so once sperm make it that far--it's pretty much "over" for the egg if it has been released.
So, nobody really knows how common 2 week old ejaculated sperm is because they go into the tubes to fertilize the egg (and this takes a great deal of time and effort to check fallopian tubes for those few live sperm). Since they swim against currant (obviously since orgasms tend to push quite a bit of fluid out) having a period isn't really a big deal in regards to making it upward in the body.
In regards to the 14-day ovulation day for ("normal") cycles, you must realize that the egg being released is actually for the following month (yes, it takes awhile for the egg to make it down the fallopian tube). So, even if a person has been following their ovulation date and what-not this month, it doesn't mean they have an idea of whether they can or cannot become pregnant on X day.
When I was 15, I had periods with a week and a half between them--it ended up that my body was releasing eggs very frequently--would I have been "safe" to have unprotected sexual intercourse during my cycle then?
The reason that most women do not become pregnant after engaging in sex during their menstrual flow is because the uterine lining is still slightly fragile and may break away when the egg tries to attach. It is also a theory that the sperm have less life-span in these conditions because they have more "obstacles" to make it through before they reach the egg--meaning less sperm actually wind up making it TO the fallopian tube with said traveling egg. You have to take into consideration how many sperm will eventually make it to the CORRECT fallopian tube anyway.
And though the lining may be thinned and fragile during this time, some eggs can attach despite that. This is equal to women who have full-blown periods while pregnant (yes, it happens, I know women who have done this and were shocked to find out they were pregnant). The egg CAN attach and hold on to grow, it's just less likely is all.
So, anyway, even if conditions aren't wonderful and the sperm live, say, the average of 7 days (which, yes, is the average) then consider the following:
What if the woman's cycles are not predictable? What if she experienced a major increase of stress than usual the previous month and the egg has be released early and is in perfect position in the tubes? What if the woman has released TWO eggs--one from each ovary--because of a sudden hormonal imbalance (increasing the possibility of twins even)? It simply cannot be calculated unless the woman herself is being very, very mindful of her own body (and what is the percentage for of women who are successful with FAM? very small because many women do not take the time to even attempt FAM).
You can very well become pregnant during your period though. There have been hundreds, if not thousands or even millions, of cases documented on women who have become pregnant during their period. I, personally, know of various women who have become impregnated after engaging in sexual intercourse while menstruating, and plenty of women who have continued to have menstrual-type bleeding during pregnancy.
You know, especially so it sounds like, that you have to take into account of varying factors when it comes to your ovulation day. This includes checking discharge daily, if not more frequently. It only takes one time to "oops" miss checking a day or two to have ovulated.
Misinformation being spread on Advicenators can be devastating, especially when it will encourage a girl to have unprotected sexual intercourse because it is then considered "safe" to a very small number of people. I have no hard feelings in you "calling me out" from the question; however, I do hope that you will realize that most of these girls are 15 year olds that have no idea how in the world to even calculate their ovulation day in regards to outside factors let alone understand why they can or cannot become pregnant on X day because of varying factors in themselves.
No, you didn't necessarily provide "wrong" information but you didn't supply ENOUGH information in your response. You are, technically, wrong about there being no risk whatsoever with engaging unprotected sexual intercourse during menstruation, but I think I've already covered that above.
I think it's great that you have a handle on your own body and can figure out when the safest time for you to have unprotected sexual intercourse is, but majority of the users on this site have no idea how the female body works even. Promoting FAM is great, but not when it's given with as little information as possible.
The risk may be less but there is still a risk of pregnancy, which varies from woman to woman based on a large variety of factors.
I hope that you are not offended with my supplying you with additional information. If I came off as rude, I do apologize and hope that you will forgive that. I am simply concerned about the health and well-being of my fellow humans and saw a danger within your response that I felt should be addressed immediately.
Lastly, my question: Am I still "wrong" in your eyes regarding pregnancy risk during menstruation?
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I have done plenty of research on many things. Sperm live 2-5 days. It is extremely rare for them to live longer then that, I've never heard anywhere of them living longer. Womens eggs live only for 2 days. Ovulation is 14 days before the beginning of your next period. If your period is spot on, you will always know when this is, but if it is irregular you will not. So, a woman with a normal cycle of 28 days will not get pregnant from sex during menses. If a woman has a cycle of 24 days or less then it would be possible yes. Most of these young girls asking questions are using protection, they are just curious, and if someone does not state their age, you do not know if they are teens or not. I was merely stating the answer she asked for with the information I know. No, I did not go looking for rare cases of things, because those are not normal people. I gave my answers of what is medically average for women, if you feel more concerned you can talk to her more straight forward. I gave her the same answer my doctor explained to me. If a woman does not have an average cycle, it is up to her to learn her body and know when she will be at risk. She should not be having any sex for that matter is she does not understand things.
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